Mercer University
15-14,9-7SoCon
Chattanooga
17-12,8-8SoCon
Mercer Downs Chattanooga, 85-80
2/22/2020 7:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bears won their ninth SoCon contest of the season
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Mercer men's basketball team won its ninth game of the Southern Conference slate on Saturday afternoon with an 85-80 road triumph over Chattanooga.
Five Bears (15-14, 9-7 SoCon) reached double-figures on the night led by Jeff Gary and Maciej Bender with 17 points each. Kamar Robertson followed with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Djordje Dimitrijevic and Ethan Stair rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 and 11 points respectively.
The Bears had 17 assists on the night on 31 made field goals and shot 50 percent from the floor. Mercer only committed six turnovers in the contest, which is a season low.
The Bears came out strong as they only missed one shot over the first four minutes of the game. During that stretch, Bender had four points, and Mercer took an 11-5 lead. The Bears continued to shoot well during the contest and extended their lead to seven 15-8, after six minutes of play.
Chattanooga (17-12, 8-8 SoCon) closed the gap to three points, 19-16, after a free throw by Ramon Vila moments prior to the midway mark of the first half. The Bears responded, however, stretching their lead back to double digits, 31-21, with 4:50 remaining until the intermission.
The lead grew to as many as 12 points, 38-26, late in the first half before the Mocs cut Mercer's advantage to nine, 38-29, at the end of the half.
Coming out of the locker room, Dimitrijevic found Bender for a dunk, putting the Bears back ahead by 11, 40-29. Over the next five minutes, the Mocs and Bears traded buckets and a three-pointer by Daniel Love gave Mercer a 10-point lead, 53-43.
Chattanooga answered with a 7-0 run that trimmed the lead down to three-points after a free throw by Vila. The Bears got the lead back to five, 63-58, before Gary hit back-to-back three-pointers to put Mercer ahead by 11, 69-58.
Mercer continued to hold onto the lead before the Mocs made a late push, trimming the Bears' lead to a mere three points, 83-80, with three seconds remaining. Chattanooga did not guard the inbounder in the final seconds, which allowed Patrick Urey to find a wide-open Stair for a layup. Stair's layup sealed the win for Mercer with an 85-80 final score.
QUOTABLES
Coach Greg Gary
CHATTANOOGA KEPT COMING BACK. WALK US THROUGH YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE LAST PLAY OF THE GAME.
"Chattanooga was not guarding the inbounder. They were denying everyone, and we were having problems getting open. They were just making sure we didn't catch the ball in front of them. I felt like if we could get the basketball deep, Ethan (Stair) would be able to catch it. He did and that sealed the win for us."
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY, FOUR TEAMS WERE TIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK. THERE HAS BEEN SEPARATION NOW. YOUR GUYS PICKED UP THEIR SECOND WIN IN A ROW WITH TWO GAMES TO GO IN THE REGULAR SEASON. THIS TEAM KEEPS RAISING THE BAR. THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO AT THE END OF THE SEASON.
"You have to (raise the bar) when it gets to be late February and early March. Good teams step up their level of play and toughness. To win on the road is a very good win for us. I'm proud of this team. They're doing a good job of buying in and playing together. I told them in the locker room when you play hard and together some great things can happen. I thought they did that tonight."
NOTABLES
- With the win, the Bears improved to 15-14 and are now above .500 (7-6) on the road.
- Mercer is 6-6 in games decided between 4-10 points.
- The Bears shot .500 (31-for-62) in the win, which marks the 10th time this season that Mercer has shot 50 percent or better from the floor.
- The Bears committed a season-low six turnovers.
- Five Bears reached double figures. Bender and Gary each netted 17, while Robertson added 16. Dimitrijevic (12 points) and Stair (11 points) rounded out the scorers in double figures.
- Robertson's 16 points matched his career-high. He also recorded his first double-double by pulling down 11 rebounds.
- Today was the second time in the month of February that Mercer had five players in double figures. The first time came in a 76-71 win over the Citadel on February 1.
UP NEXT
The Bears return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Charleston, S.C. to face The Citadel in Southern Conference action. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from McAlister Fieldhouse.
How to Follow the Bears:
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