Mercer University
12-16,5-10SoCon
Wofford College
14-14,6-9SoCon
Bears Suffer Another Close Finish to Wofford
2/15/2023 11:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bears fall to 12-16, 5-10
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer men's basketball program fell by less than three points for the sixth time this season in a setback at Wofford, 70-67, on Wednesday night. Mercer lost to Wofford by a combined four points between the two meetings this season.
"It was a close game," head coach Greg Gary said. "We had a shot at the buzzer to tie it, and we had so many opportunities. It's really just about toughness and having a mindset that this is what we have to do every possession because the room for error is really small for us."
The Bears fall to 12-16 overall and 5-10 in the conference. Wofford improves to 14-14 on the season and 6-9 in the SoCon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wofford started quickly and led 8-2 at the first media timeout. The teams traded points for a few possessions before Mercer posted a 15-5 run to take the lead, 21-17. Wofford tied the score, 23-23, but never took the lead for the rest of the half. Kamar Robertson scored the final eight points of the first period for Mercer as the Bears led 31-29 at halftime.
Mercer opened the second half with an 8-4 scoring margin, but the Terriers soon went on a 10-2 scoring run to take the lead 43-41. Shawn Walker Jr. and James Glisson III sank back-to-back treys to retake the lead, 50-49, with just under 10 minutes left. Neither team took larger than a three-point lead for the reminder of the game.
After six-straight points by the Terriers just past the three-minute mark, a Michael Zanoni jumper brought the Bears within one. With 47 seconds left, Jalyn McCreary scored a layup to take a Mercer lead, 67-66. On Wofford's next possession, Mercer was called for a foul, allowing Jackson Paveletzke to score two free throws to take a 68-67 lead for the Terriers.
The Bears took a timeout to setup the potential game-winning play, but the shot did not fall. Wofford took a timeout, and Mercer fouled immediately after play resumed. Paveletzke missed the first of his two shots from the line, leaving it a two-point game with 12 seconds left. The Bears could not execute the final offensive attempt and fouled Wofford in the rebound scramble with one second left on the clock.
After a free throw miss by Corey Tripp for the Terriers, Jah Quinones snagged the rebound and heaved the ball in a last-second attempt, but it narrowly missed. Wofford won 70-67.
BY THE NUMBERS
Both teams shot well on the night, but Wofford was exceptional. The Terriers finished at 55.6% (25-of-45) from the field while Mercer shot 46% (23-of-50) from the field. The Bears are now 0-4 this season when the opponent shoots 50% or better. Mercer finished 82.4% (14-of-17) from the free throw line in only the second conference game shooting above 80% from the charity stripe.
The Bears outrebounded Wofford, 29-21, including 10 offensive boards to Wofford's four. David Craig earned a team-high eight rebounds in 19 minutes played. 19 minutes is the most for Craig since January 4, also against Wofford.
Mercer's bench had a huge impact, scoring 40 points, led by Robertson with 14 points. Zanoni scored 11 points for his second time in four games scoring in double figures. McCreary was the other player to score in double figures with 10 points.
UP NEXT: Mercer returns home for a matchup against Western Carolina on Saturday, February 18 at 2:00 p.m.
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