Mercer University
16-17,8-10SoCon
Furman University
21-11,12-6SoCon
Mercer Falls in Quarterfinals
3/5/2022 10:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bears lost, 80-66, in Asheville.
"ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. 2 seed Furman used a balanced offensive outing to defeat No. 7 Mercer on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship at Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville. The Paladins advance to Sunday's semifinal round to face either No. 3 Samford or No. 6 UNCG.
The Paladins grabbed an early lead, scoring seven unanswered points in the first 1:19 of play. For the next 12 minutes, the teams were evenly matched, trading baskets and runs as each netted 19 points and moved the score to 26-21. With 6:09 left in the first half, Furman took control of the game and outscored Mercer 18-6 down the stretch to gain a 46-27 advantage at the half.
Furman maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, despite Mercer's best efforts. Early in the period, the Paladins extended their lead to 21, 50-29, before the Bears started chipping away and whittled Furman's advantage down to 11, 62-51, with 9:23 left in the game. Over the next 5 minutes, the Paladins outscored the Bears 15-4 for their largest lead of the game, 77-55. In the final minutes of the game, Mercer used an 11-3 push to close the gap and bring the final score to 80-66." - Southern Conference Office
Mercer was led by two Bears scoring in double figures – Robertson (20) and Haase (16). In the game, the Bears shot 54.9% from the field and 23.1% behind the arc. Kamar Robertson led all Bears with a season-high 20 points, a seven rebounds and four assists, while Felipe Haase scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds.
RECORDS: No. 2 Furman 21-11 | No. 7 Mercer 16-17
FINAL SCORE:
A tough Bears' second half kept us fighting until the end. A strong finish to a memorable '21-'22 season.
— Mercer Men's Basketball (@MercerMBB) March 6, 2022
🐻 @kamarbball: 20 Pts
🐻 @FelipeHaase13: 16 Pts#LetsRoar x #BearNation pic.twitter.com/d1Dp2CBB1T
STATS TO KNOW
- This was the eighth time this season five or more Furman players have scored 10+ points in a game. The Paladins are 6-2 in those games.
- The Bears shot an impressive 54.9 percent from the floor, bolstered by a 16-for-27 (59 percent) performance in the second half.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- BAFUTTO DUNK
- HAASE ON BOTH ENDS
- ROBERTSON FREE THROWS
Head coach Greg Gary
Opening statement
"I give hats off to Furman for coming out the way they did. They came out very aggressive defensively and made it very hard for us offensively. We knew they were going to do that but it's a different thing executing. That's what got us off to a slow start. … On the defensive end we had some assignments we couldn't carry out and we did not defend the way we needed to, they did a good job spreading out and attacking."
On playing Furman
"They are fun to play against, but you've got to beat them. They are not going to let you win. Like Felipe (Haase) said, when you make a mistake they make you pay for it."
On what he said in the locker room after the game
"It was about thanking the seniors for what they've given us what they've taught me and this team, and for the younger guys it's a learning lesson. I'm truly thankful for the man on my left all the seniors. Felipe is going to be a great player a a great coach and I look forward to furthering my friendships with Jalen and Victor outside of Mercer."
Redshirt senior forward Felipe Haase
On feelings after tonight
"It was more disappointing that we had good possessions but we aren't to capitalize on them and we didn't communicate well enough and we didn't execute the little things well. That is the most frustrating thing. … It was more about the mental mistakes we made on the court."
On what his college career has meant to him
"Biggest thing is the friends I have met along the way, but also competing. I will take my friendships with me for the rest of my life and these memories. It's college basketball; everybody from any country in the world wants to play college basketball in the United States. I will miss that."
2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship
Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
Friday, March 4 (ESPN+)
Game 1 - (9) The Citadel 84, (8) ETSU 76
Game 2 - (7) Mercer 81, (10) Western Carolina 53
Saturday, March 5 (ESPN+/Nexstar)
Game 3 - (1) Chattanooga 71, (9) The Citadel 66
Game 4 - (4) Wofford 68, (5) VMI 66
Game 5 - (2) Furman 80, vs. (7) Mercer 66
Game 6 - (3) Samford vs. (6) UNCG, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 6 (ESPNU)
Game 7 – (1) Chattanooga vs. (4) Wofford, 4 p.m.
Game 8 – (2) Furman vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 p.m.
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.
