Four Bears in Double Digits After Home Loss

Wednesday, February 23

Macon, Ga.

7:00 PM

Mercer University

15-15,8-9SoCon

The Citadel

12-16,6-11SoCon

The Citadel

Mercer

Photo by: Kayla Davis

2/23/2022 11:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Mercer faces defeat to The Citadel, 71-67, in Hawkins

MACON, Ga.- The Mercer men's basketball team came up short against The Citadel, 71-67, in its loss at home on Wednesday evening. The Citadel's Tyler Moffe scored a season-high 24 points and sophomore Shannon Grant led the Bears with 17 points.

The Bears move to 15-15 overall and 8-9 in the Southern Conference, while the Bulldogs move to 12-16 overall and 6-11 in conference play.

Mercer saw fours Bears score in double figures. Felipe Haase and Shawn Walker Jr. both finished the evening with 12 points. Off the bench, Shannon Grant led Orange and Black with 17 points going 8-11 from the floor while also pulling down five rebounds. Kamar Robertson also contributed off the bench with 13 points and going and impressive 100% from the field as well as the free throw line.

The Citadel took an early lead at 15-8 spearheaded by Tyler Moffe and David Maynard. The Bears would eventually and slowly work themselves back into the game with dominant post play from Grant and effective mid-range jumpers from Robertson. After their efforts the game sat at 20-17, the Bulldogs on top, with 8:55 left in the first half.

The Bears and Bulldogs battled for the next couple of minutes. The Citadel's Tyler Moffe was at the helm of the Bulldog offense. Nevertheless, they didn't seem to have answer in trying to stop Grant down low. The two of them would trade baskets back and forth. After their swapping baskets, Haase would soon take over for Mercer with a couple of keys plays and give the Bears a lead of 28-27 with 3:45 remaining.

After that last few possessions, Moffe and Hayden Brown would go on to score The Citadel's final seven points of the half. Closing out the first twenty minutes of the game with a 37-30 lead going into halftime.

Mercer would eventually find its offensive rhythm in the second half. The battle in Hawkins continued from there. After being down 12 points at the 16:17 mark, the Bears inched back and took the lead again with 11:21 to go. This strong team run was led by Robertson, Haase, Walker Jr. and Grant. Due to their efficiency on the offensive end the bears held a three-point lead 56-53, with 9:22 left.

The back-and-forth battle just wouldn't let up. As the half went on, the lead changed two more times. Robertson's successful three to put the Bears up by three with seven minutes to go. Followed up by Walker Jr.'s jumper to tie the game again just four minutes later.

In the closing minutes, The Bulldogs success in transition on top of the Bears being unable to capitalize on open opportunities allowed The Citadel to take a comfortable lead as the clock winded down. After trading free throws for the last minute and half of the game, The Citadel was able to pull away in Hawkins Arena giving them their sixth conference win on the season. The Bulldogs are set to finish their season against the 19-11 Furman Paladins on Saturday, Feb. 26.

FINAL SCORE:

2H | Final in Hawkins Arena. #LetsRoar x #BearNation pic.twitter.com/38HXJNOHou
— Mercer Men's Basketball (@MercerMBB) February 24, 2022

MERCER STANDOUTS:

- Shannon Grant: 17 Points. 8-11 FG, and 5 Rebs.
- Kamar Robertson: 13 Points, 4-4 FG, 4-4 FT
- Felipe Haase: 12 Points and 5-5 FT
- Shawn Walker Jr. 12 Points and 4-7 FG.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Walker Jr.'s Dunk
- Grant's Performance

UP NEXT:
The Bears are set finalize their 2021-22 with a trip to Spartanburg, S.C, to match up against the Wofford Terriers on Saturday, Feb. 26 in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be streamed on ESPN+ or heard on the Mercer Sports Network with Rick Cameron on the call.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of Mercer 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.