Bears Grab Big Upset Win At UNC Greensboro

Saturday, January 27

Greensboro, N.C.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

9-12,2-6SoCon

UNC Greensboro

15-6,6-2SoCon

Mercer

UNC Greensboro

1/27/2024 9:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Head Coach Greg Gary Postgame Interview

By: Makenzie Jones, jones_m@mercer.edu

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The visiting Mercer men's basketball team got 32 points from its bench and limited red-hot UNC Greensboro to its worst shooting night in more than a month on the way to a 70-64 victory over the league-leading Spartans on Saturday evening in the Greensboro Coliseum.

The triumph snapped a five-game skid for the Bears (9-12, 2-6 SoCon) who led for more than 36-1/2 minutes en route to tallying their second win in the last three road games with the Spartans. UNC Greensboro (15-6, 6-2), ranked No. 17 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, saw its 11-game home win streak fall by the wayside.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 70, UNC Greensboro 64
RECORDS: Mercer 9-12 (2-6 SoCon); UNC Greensboro 15-6 (6-2 SoCon)
LOCATION: Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

The Bears shot 50 percent from the field and scored a dozen points off of nine UNC Greensboro turnovers to inevitably take a 10-point lead, 41-31, into the half. The Bears scored the first five points of the evening and held the lead for the first 10 minutes, but the Spartans hung tough and took their first lead, 20-19, on a Keyshaun Langley freebie at the 9:10 mark. Caleb Hunter's pullup jumper with just more than four minutes left, however, marked the first of 11-straight points for Mercer that eventually allowed it to tote an impressive advantage into the locker rooms.

2ND HALF

Offense came at a premium for both side in the second half as neither squad was able to crack the 40 percent shooting plateau in the stanza. Mercer got a big 3-pointer from Anthony Bernard just 1-1/2 minutes into the final period to stretch its advantage out to a game-best 12 points, 47-35, but the Spartans whittled away at their deficit and eventually made it a two-possession game, 57-52, just less than eight minutes later. David Thomas nailed a second-chance jumper with 4:48 remaining to give the visitors a 67-58 lead, but Mercer fell into a nearly-5-minute scoring drought after that to allow the hosts to climb back in it. UNCG, which canned just one of its final eight attempts from the field, got to within three points, 67-64, on a free throw from Jalen Breath with 1:48 left to play, but were unable to get any closer.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Jalyn McCreary led the Bears in scoring with 15 points on 7-of-13 field goal shooting, while also turning in a pair of rebounds and one block.
+ Sophomore Jah Quinones and freshman David Thomas chipped in 12 points apiece. Quinones added seven boards and a pair of steals, while Thomas turned in three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
+ Junior Alex Holt recorded 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while also narrowly missing a double-double with a team-high eight rebounds as well.

NOTABLES

+ The Bears improved to 3-7 on the road in the series with Saturday's victory, and have now tasted victory in two of their last three games with the Spartans in Greensboro Coliseum.
+ Mercer matched a season-low with seven turnovers in the upset victory, while also shooting 70 percent or better from the free throw line for the fourth-straight game. The Bears were 12-of-17 (.706) from the charity stripe on Saturday.
+ The Orange & Black quelled a three-game skid on the road this season with the result, while also improving to 4-8 away from Macon in 2023-24.

UP NEXT

The Bears will open up a three-game home stand on Wednesday when they square off with league rival East Tennessee State (10-11, 2-6 SoCon) inside Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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BACK THE BEARS

Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit S upportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu.