Mercer Drops OT Finish to Samford

Wednesday, February 8

Macon, Ga.

7 PM

Mercer University

12-14,5-8SoCon

Samford University

17-9,11-2SoCon

OT 1

Samford

Mercer

2/8/2023 11:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Bears fall to 12-14, 5-8

By: Amanda Cover

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men's basketball program lost a heartbreaker against Samford, 70-69, after the Bears forced overtime on Wednesday night in Hawkins Arena.

"It was an unbelievable fight, it really was," head coach Greg Gary said. "They gave everything they had and that's what we have to keep doing. This one ought to burn inside of us and keep us motivated."

Mercer falls to 12-14 overall and 5-8 in the conference while Samford improves to 17-9 overall and 11-2 in the SoCon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The game started out at a fast pace and neither team let up throughout the night. After Samford managed to make space on the scoreboard, Kamar Robertson sunk a trey to tie the game. Midway through the first period, the Mercer defense forced Samford into a 6:47 scoring drought, and the Bulldogs went 3-of-16 from the field in the final 12 minutes. The Bears led 29-26 at the half.

In the second period, the Bears forced four turnovers in under eight minutes and went on a 6-0 scoring run. The momentum was in the Bears' favor when James Glisson III hit a three to put Mercer up by five, but with under eight minutes to go in regulation, the Bulldogs went on a 12-1 scoring run in just three minutes. Mercer held the lead or was tied for the first 8:42 of the half.

Braden Sparks hit a crucial three-pointer with six minutes to go to make it just a one-point game, 54-53, in favor of the Bulldogs. After Samford widened the gap again, the Bears went on a 7-0 run to take a one-point lead, 62-61, with 1:15 left. A jumper by Shawn Walker Jr. tied the game at 65-65 and forced overtime.

In the first four minutes of overtime, Mercer only allowed two points which both came from good free throws by Samford's Logan Dye. With just over a minute to go, the Bulldogs drove to the basket for a layup, earning the bucket and the foul, to take the final lead, 70-69. Mercer raced against the game clock attempting to knock down a shot but could not complete the task.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Bears shot 46% (28-of-61) from the field compared to Samford's 41% (22-of-54). Samford continued its accuracy from the free throw line, going 19-of-21 while Mercer struggled from the charity stripe, finishing 8-of-16.

Both teams finished with 18 turnovers, but Samford capitalized on these more, scoring 29 points off Mercer's turnovers while the Bears scored 21 points from the Bulldogs' mistakes. Mercer outrebounded Samford 38 to 35, featuring 11 offensive boards to Samford's six.

Mercer attacked the lane well, claiming 42 points in the paint. 42 points is tied for the most against a Division I program for the Bears this season. The other instance was against ETSU which also required overtime.

This was the third overtime game of the season for Mercer and the second in conference play. It was also the third overtime game in three seasons against Samford.

The score was tied 13 times in this matchup, and there were seven lead changes. The Bears led for 17:22 while Samford held the lead for 19:25; it was tied for 8:14.

Four players scored in double figures for the Bears led by Glisson III with 15 points. The senior scored nine of the first 13 points for Mercer in the second half. He also finished with a team-high eight rebounds and logged two steals and one block. Robertson and Jalyn McCreary each scored 14 points while Shannon Grant finished with 11 points. McCreary and S. Grant both snagged five rebounds.

In his second consecutive start, Sparks recorded six rebounds, six assists, and one steal to complement his crucial trey. Walker Jr. earned a career-high three steals in the contest.

The Mercer defense frustrated some of Samford's stars as Dye, Nathan Johnson, and A.J. Staton-McCray were all held to only one field goal each in the first half. Ques Glover led the Bulldogs with 22 points.

UP NEXT: Mercer is back on the road to face Chattanooga on Saturday, February 11 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

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.