MACON, Ga.- The Belmont Bruins took a late lead and hit their free throws down the stretch, defeating the Mercer men's basketball team, 78-72, in Atlantic Sun conference action Thursday night at the University Center.
Belmont's Boomer Herndon dropped in a layup with 1:45 to go in the contest, snapping a 65-65 tie, and the Bruins hit seven-of-eight from the charity stripe inside the final minute to hold off the Bears.
Neither team could build a comfortable cushion in a first half that featured five ties and four lead changes. With Mercer (5-14, 4-9 A-Sun) trailing by just one, at 17-16, midway through the opening half, guard Justin Hare hit a 3-pointer and junior Andrew Preston hit a shot inside to give Belmont their largest lead of the half. But the Bears rallied, knotting the score at 24 apiece behind five points from senior Will Emerson.
Junior Ross Alacqua then came alive, sparking an 11-0 run as the native of Alpharetta, Ga., followed a driving...
MACON - Mercer University's music-themed Homecoming celebration kicks off Sunday, Feb. 5. The MercerPalooza celebration will include a number of events to bring the Mercer and Macon communities together, highlighted by a Homecoming Parade down College Street in Macon on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m.
This year's parade will feature floats designed by Mercer student organizations, a school marching band, an antique fire truck, a dance troupe and floats from local businesses based on this year's theme, MercerPalooza.
"I think the parade is going to be a great time for everyone, not only members of the Mercer community, but also members of the Macon community," said Mercer's Beth Evans, assistant director of Campus Life and Quadworks advisor. "The parade will be a great time to come together and have a celebration that will help strengthen the bond between the communities."
The parade promises to be a fun and exciting family-friendly event. The 2-mile route will...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After knocking off the Atlantic Sun's first place team last Saturday at home, the Mercer women's basketball team knew it would be difficult to defeat first-place Belmont on the road. The Bears were unable to pull off consecutive wins against the league's top teams, falling 66-55 to the Bruins.
Belmont (13-5, 9-2 A-Sun) went on a 10-2 run midway through the opening half, taking a 17-9 lead with 8:45 left. The Bruins extended their lead out to 14 twice, but the Bears battled back to enter halftime trailing by 12. Alysha Clark led the way for BU in the first half, scoring 14 of her team's 23 points.
After shooting 30.8 percent in the first half, Mercer (10-8, 7-4 A-Sun) was unable to get its offense on track in the second stanza until late in the game. The Bears trailed 46-30 with 11:05 remaining in the game as the Bruins opened the half shooting 40 percent from field.
The Bruins pushed the lead out to 24 with 7:17...
MACON, Ga.- The men's basketball team opens its longest conference homestand in nearly four years Thursday as the Bears welcome Belmont to the University Center. Tip off is scheduled for 7.p.m. Game Notes (pdf)
Mercer (5-13, 4-8 A-Sun) is coming off a road swing that saw the Bears down Stetson, 82-81, in overtime on Jan. 24, knock off then league-leading Kennesaw State, 77-70, last Saturday night, and fall just short in its bid to make it three straight, dropping a hard-fought 84-81 decision at East Tennessee State.
"We want to build on the momentum of our successful road trip," said Mercer head coach Mark Slonaker. "It will be a difficult game for us, with Belmont coming off a huge win over Lipscomb. With a win here, they'll have an opportunity to move into first place."
The Bruins find themselves in a two-way tie for the third spot in the conference standings after defeating cross-town rival Lipscomb, 81-65, Tuesday night, avenging an earlier loss...
MACON, Ga. - After stringing together a two-game winning streak at home last weekend, the women's basketball team faces a big test on the road this weekend. The Bears will battle first-place Belmont Thursday night and pre-season favorite Lipscomb Saturday afternoon. Game Notes (pdf)
Current A-Sun Standings
Mercer (10-7, 7-3 A-Sun) currently sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Sun, but knocked off first-place East Tennessee State last Saturday, 61-57. Sarah Russell narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds against the Lady Bucs, while Erin Keller exploded from 3-point range - going 4-for-4 - to finish with 12 points. Rhonda Owens came off the bench to add 10 points and grabbed five rebounds.
"We're taking every game as it comes. We want to do the best we can and have a little fun playing our game," said Mercer head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols. "We've gotta communicate better, though. Our...
This article was printed Wednesday, Feb. 1, in the Macon Telegraph.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The Buccaneers' Ben Rhoda grabbed a Travis Strong miss and scored a bucket with 18.2 seconds remaining and Tim Smith added two free throws with 7.5 seconds on the clock to give East Tennessee State University an 84-81 win as the Mercer men's basketball team fell just short in its bid to stretch its conference road winning streak to three games.
Following Rhoda's putback, Montavious Waters went to the charity stripe with an opportunity to tie the game with 9.2 seconds left, but could only hit one. The Bears then fouled Smith, and he hit his free throws.
East Tennessee's Travis Strong opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, but on the next ETSU possession, sophomore Sam Dolan went up strong, blocking a shot and Strong was whistled for an intentional foul on a runout at the 18:41 mark, sending guard Andrew Brown to the line. Brown calmly sank the two free throws, and following a Jacob Skogen jumper on the next Bears' possession,...
The following students were named to the president's list at Mercer University for the 2005 fall semester. Inclusion on the president's list requires students to meet rigorous grade point average standards specific to their school within the University.
MACON, Ga. - The Mercer men's basketball team will be featured on ESPN's "Pride of the Program" during Tuesday's telecast of the Florida-Mississippi game at 8 p.m.
The highlight will focus on the Bears' turn-around 2002-03 season when Mark Slonaker's club went 23-6 and won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season title after going 6-23 during the 2001-02 season.
At that time, the turn-around was the best in NCAA history.
