Bears Fall On Road To West Virginia, 75-61 - Mercer University Athletics

Thursday, November 12

Morgantown, W.Va.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

2-3,0-0SoCon

West Virginia

3-0,0-0Big 12

Team	1	2	F
Mercer	28	33	61
West Virginia	31	44	75

11/12/2026 11:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Shane Cherry led Mercer with 20 points

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Shane Cherry scored 20 points but the Mercer men's basketball team fell on the road to West Virginia, 75-61 Thursday night from Hope Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Mercer trailed by just three at halftime, but a 10-1 West Virgnia run early in the second half proved to be a key stretch in the game that allowed the Mountaineers to create a little separation from the Bears.

Cherry led the Bears offensively with 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting to go with four assists. Karon Boyd was the only other Bear in double figures with 10 points and led the team with eight rebounds. On the other side for West Virginia, only three players scored in double figures with its leading scorer finishing with 15 points in Finley Bizjack.

Neither team played its best offensively as both teams shot below 40% from the field. Mercer shot 22-for-61 (36.1%) from the field and made 6-of-28 (26.4%) of its three-point attempts. On the other side, West Virginia shot 23-for-58 (39.7%) from the field and made 7-of-27 (27.9%) of its three-point attempts. West Virginia had an edge on the glass, outrebounding the Bears 41-34. Mercer had 14 offensive rebounds to West Virginia's 16. Points in the paint were nearly even with the Mountaineers scoring 32 points in the paint to 26 for the Bears.

THE BASICS
SCORE: West Virginia 75, Mercer 61
RECORDS: West Virginia (3-0, 0-0 Big 12), Mercer (2-3, SoCon)
LOCATION: Morgantown, W.Va. (Hope Coliseum)

HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST HALF
The Bears had just one made field goal and three turnovers in the first five minutes of the game, and trailed 8-2. Cherry knocked down a jumper to make it a 15-8 lead for the Mountaineers. After a pair of free throws from West Virginia's Miles Sadler pushed their lead to nine, Mercer would then go on a 9-0 run, finished with a pull-up jump shot from the left elbow from Quinton Perkins that tied the game at 26 with 3 and a half minutes to play in the first half.

West Virginia's Finley Bizjack made a three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer that broke a 28-28 tie to give the Mountaineers some momentum and a 31-28 lead going into halftime.

2ND HALF
West Virginia used a 10-1 run early in the second half to take what was a one-possession lead to a 12-point lead at 43-31. Back-to-back threes from Cherry brought Mercer within nine at 48-39, but West Virginia once again went on a 9-0 run to go up by 18 at 57-39.

Cherry continued to find a way to attack the rim and score throughout most of the second half in which he scored 14 of his 20 points. A layup and jump shot on consecutive possessions made the score, 68-55, Mountaineers with just under four minutes to play. However, the Bears were unable to push any closer as the Mountaineers defeated the Bears, 75-51.

NOTABLES
+ The Bears have played five games in 11 days to begin the season.
+ Mercer trailed by just three at halftime and slightly outshot the Mountaineers in the half despite neither team shooting the ball particularly well.
+ Shane Cherry recorded his second game of the season with 20 or more points.
+ Points in the paint were close with West Virginia having a slight 32-26 edge.
+ West Virginia entered the game averaging 91.0 points per game and shooting better than 50% from the field. The Bears held them to 75 points on 39.7% shooting.
+ Karon Boyd finished two rebounds shy of his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and a team high eight rebounds.

NEXT UP
Mercer will conclude its 5-game road trip next Wednesday at Presbyterian. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. from Clinton, South Carolina.

STAY CONNECTED
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