Saturday, January 14
Johnson City, TN
4 PM
Mercer University
8-11,1-5SoCon
68
at
55
East Tennessee State University
7-12,3-3SoCon
1
2
F
Mercer
31
37
68
ETSU
28
27
55
Team Stats
Mercer
ETSU
FG%
.441
.388
3FG%
.474
.267
FT%
.875
.867
RB
28
35
TO
7
17
STL
9
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Bears Earn First SoCon Win at ETSU, 68-55
1/14/2023 7:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four players scored in double figures en route to victory
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – With an energetic team performance, the Mercer men's basketball program earned its first conference win of the season on the road at ETSU, 68-55, on Saturday afternoon. Mercer improves to 8-11, 1-5 while ETSU drops to 7-12, 3-3. This is the third time in four years under head coach Greg Gary that the Bears have won in Johnson City.
"I'm really happy for our players," Gary said. "They don't want to lose five in a row, but this ought to give them a little taste that when you give so much effort and you do it for each other, you compete and give yourself a chance to win."
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams started slowly on offense, and neither side took a commanding lead. Midway through the first half, ETSU drained three three-pointers in a row to maintain control of the scoreline. The tide turned on a 10-0 run for the Bears led by Kamar Robertson with eight points during this stretch.
With two seconds left on the clock, Luis Hurtado Jr. scored a vital three-pointer to send Mercer into halftime with a three point lead, 31-28. This was the first time the Bears led at halftime since December 21 against Troy which was also the last time Mercer won.
Mercer never relinquished the lead and led for the entire second half by as much as 17 points. Jah Quinones and Jalyn McCreary both stepped up in the second half in scoring.
In one of the most exciting games for the Bears in recent time, a steal and subsequent dunk by TJ Grant fired up the team and deflated the opposing bench. The lead hovered in double figures for much of the last four minutes as Mercer did not let up the pressure.
"He gave us a big boost," Gary said of T. Grant. "He's been putting in a lot of work, and he's getting more comfortable as he plays more."
With a final score of 68-55, Saturday's win ended a five-game losing streak for the Bears, the worst since 2016.
BY THE NUMBERS
The difference maker for Mercer was claiming 15 points off of 17 ETSU turnovers compared to two from seven on the flipside. The Buccaneers outrebounded Mercer 35-28, but the Bears slightly edged ETSU in second chance points, 11-10. The Bears also grabbed nine steals which ties the season high against Division I opponents (Robert Morris, 11/25).
Hurtado Jr. scored a career-high four three-pointers against ETSU, besting his previous high of two. The graduate transfer led the team in scoring with 14 points followed by McCreary and Quinones with 12. Kamar Robertson was the fourth player in double figures with 10 points.
"I thought that Luis from an offensive standpoint really helped us," Gary commented. "He needs to continue to be aggressive when it comes to offense."
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Quinones finished two rebounds shy of a double-double for the second game in a row. He also led the team in assists with five while only committing one turnover.
"He has a knack for getting his hands on it," Gary said of Quinones. "He gives us a spark because he's different, unique; he can score around the basket, and he's a really good defender physically."
Mercer finished 44% (26-of-59) from the field and 47% (9-of-19) from distance and held ETSU to 39% (19-of-49) field goal shooting and 27% (4-of-15) from beyond the arc. The teams shot comparably from the charity stripe, but the Buccaneers reached the line more often than the Bears, finishing 13-of-15 (87%) compared to Mercer's 7-of-8 (88%).
UP NEXT: Mercer continues the road stretch against VMI on Thursday, January 19 at 7 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.Â
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"I'm really happy for our players," Gary said. "They don't want to lose five in a row, but this ought to give them a little taste that when you give so much effort and you do it for each other, you compete and give yourself a chance to win."
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams started slowly on offense, and neither side took a commanding lead. Midway through the first half, ETSU drained three three-pointers in a row to maintain control of the scoreline. The tide turned on a 10-0 run for the Bears led by Kamar Robertson with eight points during this stretch.
With two seconds left on the clock, Luis Hurtado Jr. scored a vital three-pointer to send Mercer into halftime with a three point lead, 31-28. This was the first time the Bears led at halftime since December 21 against Troy which was also the last time Mercer won.
Mercer never relinquished the lead and led for the entire second half by as much as 17 points. Jah Quinones and Jalyn McCreary both stepped up in the second half in scoring.
In one of the most exciting games for the Bears in recent time, a steal and subsequent dunk by TJ Grant fired up the team and deflated the opposing bench. The lead hovered in double figures for much of the last four minutes as Mercer did not let up the pressure.
"He gave us a big boost," Gary said of T. Grant. "He's been putting in a lot of work, and he's getting more comfortable as he plays more."
With a final score of 68-55, Saturday's win ended a five-game losing streak for the Bears, the worst since 2016.
BY THE NUMBERS
The difference maker for Mercer was claiming 15 points off of 17 ETSU turnovers compared to two from seven on the flipside. The Buccaneers outrebounded Mercer 35-28, but the Bears slightly edged ETSU in second chance points, 11-10. The Bears also grabbed nine steals which ties the season high against Division I opponents (Robert Morris, 11/25).
Hurtado Jr. scored a career-high four three-pointers against ETSU, besting his previous high of two. The graduate transfer led the team in scoring with 14 points followed by McCreary and Quinones with 12. Kamar Robertson was the fourth player in double figures with 10 points.
"I thought that Luis from an offensive standpoint really helped us," Gary commented. "He needs to continue to be aggressive when it comes to offense."
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Quinones finished two rebounds shy of a double-double for the second game in a row. He also led the team in assists with five while only committing one turnover.
"He has a knack for getting his hands on it," Gary said of Quinones. "He gives us a spark because he's different, unique; he can score around the basket, and he's a really good defender physically."
Mercer finished 44% (26-of-59) from the field and 47% (9-of-19) from distance and held ETSU to 39% (19-of-49) field goal shooting and 27% (4-of-15) from beyond the arc. The teams shot comparably from the charity stripe, but the Buccaneers reached the line more often than the Bears, finishing 13-of-15 (87%) compared to Mercer's 7-of-8 (88%).
UP NEXT: Mercer continues the road stretch against VMI on Thursday, January 19 at 7 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.Â
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