Mercer University
11-19, 6-12SoCn
UNCG
26-5, 15-3SoCon
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Mercer Falls To UNCG 74-47 On Senior Day
3/2/2019 7:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Late First Half Run By UNCG Does Mercer In
MACON, Ga. – Mercer fell victim to a 19-2 run by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to close out the first half as the Bears dropped a 74-47 decision to the Spartans Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at Hawkins Arena.
Trailing 19-16 with 9:29 remaining in the first half, the Spartans outscored Mercer 19-2 the rest of the opening period to take a commanding 38-18 lead into the locker room. Mercer went the final 6:47 of the first half without scoring and that dry spell resulted in producing a deficit that the Bears weren't able to recover from.
Ross Cummings and Jaylen Stowe scored in double figures for the Bears, with Cumming totaling 12 points and Stowe, playing his final home game at Mercer, scoring 10. The Bears shot just 32.7% from the field (17-52), 19% (4-21) from three point range and 47.4% (9-19) from the free throw line.Â
UNCG featured five players in double figures, led by Kyrin Galloway's 16 points. Francis Alonso and James Dickey each scored 13 while Demetrius Troy and Malik Massey tallied 10 points apiece.
UNCG led from start to finish. The Bears fell behind 13-4 on a three-point basket by Troy at the 17:01 mark of the first half. The closest Mercer could get after that was 19-16 at the midway point of the half before UNCG went on that huge run to close out the half.
Today's game was the final home appearance for a pair of Mercer seniors – Stowe and Cory Kilby. With the regular season now concluded, Mercer turns its attention to the Southern Conference Tournament which begins this Friday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior Jaylen Stowe, playing in his final home game as a Mercer Bear, scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
NOTABLES
- Vic Bafutto came off the bench to contribute some meaningful minutes for the Bears. Bafutto scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
- Playing in his final home game at Mercer, senior forward Cory Kilby scored three points, grabbed six rebounds and had a game-high four assists.
- Turnovers plagued the Bears today, as they turned it over 20 times on the afternoon.
QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "They out battled us and we didn't execute very well. I told our team afterwards that the regular season is over and it's up to us if we want to try to accomplish something special at the tournament. They (UNCG) are very good; very long and very athletic. I thought Vic (Bafutto) showed some good signs and had some productive minutes today. I am very proud of Jaylen (Stowe) and Cory (Kilby) for what they've done and the type of men that they are going to be." Â
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer:Â (11-19, 6-12 SoCon)
- UNCG :Â (26-5, 15-3 SoCon)
Up Next
With the regular season now complete, Mercer travels to Asheville, N.C., to compete in the 2019 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships presented by General Shale March 8-11. The tournament will be held at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville with the official tournament pairings announced following the conclusion of this weekend's games.
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.
