Saturday, January 28
Charleston, SC
1 PM
Mercer University
11-12,4-6SoCon
74
at
65
The Citadel
9-13,4-6SoCon
1
2
F
Mercer
30
44
74
The Citadel
29
36
65
Team Stats
Mercer
Cit
FG%
.481
.429
3FG%
.231
.316
FT%
.655
.688
RB
43
22
TO
6
5
STL
3
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
McCreary, Hurtado Jr. Double-Doubles Guide Mercer Past The Citadel
1/28/2023 4:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
McCreary: 26 PTS, 12 REB; Hurtado Jr.: 10 PTS, 11 REB
CHARLESTON, S.C. – For the second game in a row, Jalyn McCreary posted a career-high 26 points to lift the Mercer men's basketball program to victory. The Bears defeated The Citadel, 74-65, on Saturday afternoon at McAlister Field House.
Mercer improves to 11-12 overall and 4-6 in the conference while The Citadel falls to 9-13 overall and 4-6 in the SoCon. The Bears have now won four of the last five games, including three on the road.
McCreary added 12 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season. Luis Hurtado Jr. earned his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears scored the first six points of the game, taking an early lead until The Citadel responded with a 9-1 run. Mercer pushed back to lead 11-9, but the Bulldogs went on another run to retake the lead, 18-11. Once again, the Bears responded to bring the score level at 18-18. The teams traded points for the remainder of the half as the Bears led by one point at the break, 30-29.
The second half started much like the first with seven unanswered points for Mercer. The Citadel was scoreless for the first 5:24 of the second half before logging a 6-0 run. Although the Bulldogs brought the difference to one, The Citadel did not lead in the second half.
Mercer erupted on a 13-2 run to put the game out of reach for The Citadel. The Bears led by as many as 13 points in the second half en route to a 74-65 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Bears excelled on the boards, claiming 43 rebounds to the Bulldogs' 22. This included 11 offensive rebounds which contributed 16 second chance points for Mercer. The Bears only surrendered six turnovers while recording 12 assists.
48.1% FG shooting (26-of-54) is the second-most for Mercer in conference play this season (51.9% at Samford). The Citadel made only two fewer field goals (24-of-56), but the Bears reached the free throw line more often. Mercer finished 19-of-29 (65.5%) from the charity stripe compared to the Bulldogs' total of 11-of-16 (68.8%).
"I thought our defense was good physically and made them work for their points," head coach Greg Gary shared.
Appearing off the bench for 28 minutes, McCreary tied his career high in scoring which was set on Wednesday night against ETSU. His 12 rebounds mark just the second game of his career rebounding in double figures. McCreary also added two blocks, one steal, and one assist.
"He's a great kid, but he works hard," Gary said of McCreary. "He works hard on his game, so I'm glad it's working out for him."
In a 35-minute performance, Hurtado Jr. battled to snag 11 rebounds which is just two shy of his career high. Saturday was the second game this season where two players recorded double-doubles after Hurtado Jr. and David Craig each hit the mark against Winthrop in November.
Jah Quinones (13 PTS) and Shawn Walker Jr. (10 PTS) also scored in double figures for the Bears and accounted for all three three-pointers Mercer scored in the win.
UP NEXT: Mercer returns home for three games, beginning with UNCG on Thursday, February 2 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
Â
Mercer improves to 11-12 overall and 4-6 in the conference while The Citadel falls to 9-13 overall and 4-6 in the SoCon. The Bears have now won four of the last five games, including three on the road.
McCreary added 12 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season. Luis Hurtado Jr. earned his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears scored the first six points of the game, taking an early lead until The Citadel responded with a 9-1 run. Mercer pushed back to lead 11-9, but the Bulldogs went on another run to retake the lead, 18-11. Once again, the Bears responded to bring the score level at 18-18. The teams traded points for the remainder of the half as the Bears led by one point at the break, 30-29.
The second half started much like the first with seven unanswered points for Mercer. The Citadel was scoreless for the first 5:24 of the second half before logging a 6-0 run. Although the Bulldogs brought the difference to one, The Citadel did not lead in the second half.
Mercer erupted on a 13-2 run to put the game out of reach for The Citadel. The Bears led by as many as 13 points in the second half en route to a 74-65 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Bears excelled on the boards, claiming 43 rebounds to the Bulldogs' 22. This included 11 offensive rebounds which contributed 16 second chance points for Mercer. The Bears only surrendered six turnovers while recording 12 assists.
48.1% FG shooting (26-of-54) is the second-most for Mercer in conference play this season (51.9% at Samford). The Citadel made only two fewer field goals (24-of-56), but the Bears reached the free throw line more often. Mercer finished 19-of-29 (65.5%) from the charity stripe compared to the Bulldogs' total of 11-of-16 (68.8%).
"I thought our defense was good physically and made them work for their points," head coach Greg Gary shared.
Appearing off the bench for 28 minutes, McCreary tied his career high in scoring which was set on Wednesday night against ETSU. His 12 rebounds mark just the second game of his career rebounding in double figures. McCreary also added two blocks, one steal, and one assist.
"He's a great kid, but he works hard," Gary said of McCreary. "He works hard on his game, so I'm glad it's working out for him."
In a 35-minute performance, Hurtado Jr. battled to snag 11 rebounds which is just two shy of his career high. Saturday was the second game this season where two players recorded double-doubles after Hurtado Jr. and David Craig each hit the mark against Winthrop in November.
Jah Quinones (13 PTS) and Shawn Walker Jr. (10 PTS) also scored in double figures for the Bears and accounted for all three three-pointers Mercer scored in the win.
UP NEXT: Mercer returns home for three games, beginning with UNCG on Thursday, February 2 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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