Mercer loses conference opener in final seconds. Coach dismisses ‘moral victories’
Mercer opened its Southern Conference schedule with a 64-62 loss to the Furman Paladins at home. The game was close throughout with Mercer and Furman trading leads from the start.
The Bears got off to a hot start with a 9-2 run powered by forward Ethan Stair, who got a jumper to go followed by an easy layup on the fast break.
Ross Cummings, who has played very little this season due to a lower-body injury, got going with a 3-pointer to push Mercer’s lead to 14-7 with 9:58 left in the first half. The Paladins stormed back to take the lead behind Jordan Lyons, who finished the game with 25 points and was the game’s leading scorer.
The Bears fell behind 27-20 before going a run of their own that was capped by a 3-pointer from Jeff Gary, the nephew of Mercer coach Greg Gary, to put Mercer up by three with just over a minuted left in the first half. Jeff started for the first time for Mercer and contributed 13 points and provided some key baskets.
Lyons answered with a 3-pointer to tie the score at 30 at the half. The second half offered more of the same with back-and-forth action. Neither team built more than a five-point lead at any point the rest of the game as the teams traded runs.
With two minutes left in the game, Furman went up by five and once again Gary delivered as he nailed a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched between a layup by Furman and a pair of free throws from Djordje Dimitrijevic to tie the score at 62.
It was once again Furman’s Lyons that proved to be the Bears’ kryptonite. He drove hard at the basket with 17 seconds left and got the layup to go. After a missed layup by Mercer and a lengthy delay by the officials, who reviewed a ball bouncing off Lyons’ hands on the inbound play, Lyons batted the ball away from Gary on the final play of the game to seal the victory for Furman.
Mercer moves to 5-7 on the season and will take on Florida Atlantic on Sunday.
Stars of the Game:
Mercer guard Ross Cummings: He only played 20 minutes and still isn’t 100 percent, Greg Gary said. But he chipped in 12 points off the bench and hit a 3-pointer to spur a big run in the second half. Once Cummings is at full strength, the Bears could be a dark horse in the race for a Southern Conference title.
Mercer center Maciej Bender: It was a career night for the West Virginia transfer who finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Bender also had multiple dunks that got the fans and players fired up. Bender could morph into a big threat for the Bears down low, something they have not had in a while.
Furman guard Jordan Lyons: Every time the Paladins needed a big play, it was Lyons who delivered. He scored 25 points to pace Furman but also came up with key buckets and defensive plays down the stretch. He is a senior and has been a thorn in the Bears’ side for numerous matchups now.
They said it:
“He (Bender) gives us another weapon that we can go to down there. We have good perimeter players who can shoot. It just opens up. He is going to be one-on-one down there.” — Mercer coach Greg Gary on Bender’s big night
“We played hard. We did what we are supposed to. We are expected to win at home. That is the mentality that we are supposed to have. I am not for these moral victories.” — Gary on the close loss in conference play