Thursday, January 24
Macon, Ga.
7:30 p.m.
Mercer University
88
vs
68
VMI
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballPhoto by: Judy Stapleton
Bears Blow by Keydets in Home SoCon Win
1/24/2019 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Trio of Ross Cummings, Ethan Stair and Jaylen Stowe combine for 59 points
MACON, Ga. – The trio of Ross Cummings, Ethan Stair and Jaylen Stowe combined for 59 points to lead Mercer past VMI in a blowout 88-68 Southern Conference victory on Thursday at Hawkins Arena.
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Mercer's win was its second straight and third in five games as it improved to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in SoCon action. Cummings (24 points), Stair (18) and Stowe (17) shot 21-of-33 from the field and drained eight total three-pointers in the victory.
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The Bears entered halftime with a comfortable 52-31 lead; they led by as many as 24 points with just over one minute remaining in the first half. Cummings completed a four-point play on his fifth three-pointer of the contest at the two-minute mark to highlight a dominant opening 20 minutes of play. Cummings netted 19 of his 24 points in the first half and was complimented by Stair, who hit 5-of-6 shots for a 10-point first-half performance.
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VMI scored six straight points and nine of the first 11 points in the second half, but eight combined points from Cummings and Ethan Stair pushed Mercer's lead back to 20 points. Stowe, who was held without a field goal in the first half, scored nine points on four buckets over the first 12 minutes of the second half. Stowe finished with 13 of his 17 points in the second half.
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Four VMI turnovers keyed a 12-0 run by the Bears over a near-four-minute span and helped them extend their lead to 23-13 at the 11-minute mark of the first half. Mercer opened the game with an 11-3 lead, hitting its first three shots from the field along with four made free throws. Cummings took control of the scoring early with five of Mercer's first seven points. A three-pointer by Garrett Wilkinson gave VMI a 13-11 lead immediately after the first media timeout, but Cummings' second trey helped the Bears jump back ahead.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Ethan Stair tallied 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds and five steals for a well-rounded individual performance. Stair's 18 points were evenly distributed over the two halves as he dropped 10 points in the first half and eight in the second. He also ended his night with three consecutive made baskets.
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NOTABLES
» Mercer leads VMI, 10-2, all-time and won its fifth straight game against the Keydets.
» Ross Cummings has been the leading scorer for both teams in six straight games.
» Jaylen Stowe's 17 points are his most in a SoCon game in his career.
» Ethan Stair tied a career-high with five steals.
» Marcus Cohen's seven assists tied a career-high and were his most in a single game this season.
» Mercer's assist-to-turnover ratio was 18-to-8.
» The Bears outscored VMI 36-26 in the paint.
» Mercer forced 13 turnovers, which led to 24 points.
» Mercer shot a red-hot 59.4 percent in the first half, hitting 19-of-32 shots.
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QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "We were on point in the first half and our zone really helped out tonight. It was a great crowd and we appreciate all of those who came out to support us. Ethan [Stair] was special tonight and Ross [Cummings] did Ross-like things. Marcus [Cohen] had a really good game too; he had seven assists. Fardaws [Aimaq] has the ability to do some things and we're going to need him down the stretch. We're starting to get some shots and when Ross is hitting three's like that, we can be pretty effective on the offensive end."
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On playing at UNCG on Saturday…
"[UNCG] is a really good team and that's going to be a big challenge for us."
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RECORDS UPDATE
» Mercer: 8-12 (3-5 SoCon)
» VMI: 7-13 (1-7 SoCon)
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Mercer's win was its second straight and third in five games as it improved to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in SoCon action. Cummings (24 points), Stair (18) and Stowe (17) shot 21-of-33 from the field and drained eight total three-pointers in the victory.
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The Bears entered halftime with a comfortable 52-31 lead; they led by as many as 24 points with just over one minute remaining in the first half. Cummings completed a four-point play on his fifth three-pointer of the contest at the two-minute mark to highlight a dominant opening 20 minutes of play. Cummings netted 19 of his 24 points in the first half and was complimented by Stair, who hit 5-of-6 shots for a 10-point first-half performance.
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VMI scored six straight points and nine of the first 11 points in the second half, but eight combined points from Cummings and Ethan Stair pushed Mercer's lead back to 20 points. Stowe, who was held without a field goal in the first half, scored nine points on four buckets over the first 12 minutes of the second half. Stowe finished with 13 of his 17 points in the second half.
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Four VMI turnovers keyed a 12-0 run by the Bears over a near-four-minute span and helped them extend their lead to 23-13 at the 11-minute mark of the first half. Mercer opened the game with an 11-3 lead, hitting its first three shots from the field along with four made free throws. Cummings took control of the scoring early with five of Mercer's first seven points. A three-pointer by Garrett Wilkinson gave VMI a 13-11 lead immediately after the first media timeout, but Cummings' second trey helped the Bears jump back ahead.
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Ethan Stair tallied 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds and five steals for a well-rounded individual performance. Stair's 18 points were evenly distributed over the two halves as he dropped 10 points in the first half and eight in the second. He also ended his night with three consecutive made baskets.
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NOTABLES
» Mercer leads VMI, 10-2, all-time and won its fifth straight game against the Keydets.
» Ross Cummings has been the leading scorer for both teams in six straight games.
» Jaylen Stowe's 17 points are his most in a SoCon game in his career.
» Ethan Stair tied a career-high with five steals.
» Marcus Cohen's seven assists tied a career-high and were his most in a single game this season.
» Mercer's assist-to-turnover ratio was 18-to-8.
» The Bears outscored VMI 36-26 in the paint.
» Mercer forced 13 turnovers, which led to 24 points.
» Mercer shot a red-hot 59.4 percent in the first half, hitting 19-of-32 shots.
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QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "We were on point in the first half and our zone really helped out tonight. It was a great crowd and we appreciate all of those who came out to support us. Ethan [Stair] was special tonight and Ross [Cummings] did Ross-like things. Marcus [Cohen] had a really good game too; he had seven assists. Fardaws [Aimaq] has the ability to do some things and we're going to need him down the stretch. We're starting to get some shots and when Ross is hitting three's like that, we can be pretty effective on the offensive end."
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On playing at UNCG on Saturday…
"[UNCG] is a really good team and that's going to be a big challenge for us."
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RECORDS UPDATE
» Mercer: 8-12 (3-5 SoCon)
» VMI: 7-13 (1-7 SoCon)
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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