Chattanooga Uses Late Run To Slip Past Bears

Wednesday, January 17

Macon, Ga.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

8-10,1-4SoCon

Chattanooga

11-7,3-2SoCon

Chattanooga

Mercer

1/17/2024 9:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

By: Makenzie Jones, jones_m@mercer.edu

MACON – The Mercer men's basketball team converted 19 offensive rebounds into 15 second chance points, but visiting Chattanooga took advantage of long field goal droughts in both halves to scoot past the Bears, 74-60, on Wednesday evening inside Hawkins Arena. The setback marked the third-straight loss for the Bears (8-10, 1-4 SoCon) who got 29 points from their bench, while also posting a healthy 43-34 advantage in the rebounding column. It was the fifth-straight win in the series for the Mocs (11-7, 3-2), including three consecutive wins in Macon.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Chattanooga 74, Mercer 60
RECORDS: Chattanooga (11-7, 3-2 SoCon); Mercer (8-10, 1-4 SoCon)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

Mercer canned its first four field goal attempts, as well as a pair of free throws, to build an 11-3 advantage just more than three minutes into the contest, but its shooting touch quelled after that. The Mocs took advantage of a 3-for-23 (.130) cold spell by the Orange & Black over the next 12 minutes to fuel a 19-6 run that allowed them to eventually claim a 22-17 lead following a Trey Bonham layup at the 5:10 mark. Chattanooga would eventually use that surge to lug a 31-23 lead into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

Chattanooga padded its lead out to 11 points, 34-23, just 16 seconds into the second half, but an offensive rebound and ensuing dunk from Alex Holt moments later marked the first of nine-straight points that made it a one-possession game 3-1/2 minutes later. Although going punch-for-punch with the Mocs for the next 10 minutes of action, the Bears sunk into another field goal drought, this time a 0-for-6 spell that spanned more than five minutes, that allowed the visitors to pull away for good. The Mocs pushed their lead back out to double digits, 66-56, on a dunk by Sam Alexis with three minutes left before taking their foot off of the gas pedal.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Freshman David Thomas came off of the bench to post a team-high 16 points on 7-of-14 field goal shooting in just 24 minutes of action. He also added three rebounds and a steal. + Freshman Anthony Benard scored a career-high 11 points, while also showing three rebounds and a trio of steals. He was 4-for-9 from the field on the night. + Freshman Jake Davis nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and eight boards. He scored eight of his points in the second half.

NOTABLES

+ The Bears tallied 19 offensive rebounds against the Mocs on Wednesday - their most since recording 22 offensive boards against Thomas on December 21, and the fifth time this season that MU has finished a game with 15 or more offensive rebounds. + Mercer scored points on just 28 of its 66 possessions against Chattanooga, despite finishing the game with just eight turnovers. It is the fourth time in the last five games that MU has committed eight or less turnovers. + The Bears shot a season-best 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the free throw line on Wednesday, their best performance from the charity stripe since hitting 13-of-14 from the line in last season's (March 4, 2023) SoCon Tournament matchup with Furman.

UP NEXT

The Bears will open up a three-game road trip on Saturday when they head to Birmingham, Ala., to take on league-leading Samford (16-2, 5-0 SoCon) inside the Pete Hanna Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

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BACK THE BEARS

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