Mercer falls again to East Tennessee State

Mercer lost for the second time this season to East Tennessee State on Saturday and for the fifth straight time in the series in an 88-71 decision.

Jordan Strawberry led the Bears with 16 points, while Ria’n Holland added 15. Strawberry was 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Mercer drops to 12-15 overall and 6-8 in the the Southern Conference. East Tennessee State improves to 20-6 and 10-3.

The Buccaneers shot 53.4 percent from the floor (31-of-58) and held the lead the entire game. Mercer shot 51.1 percent (23-of-45).

T.J. Cromer had 28 points, including five 3-pointers, for the Buccaneers. Devontavius Payne added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while Desonta Bradford had 11.

Mercer is off until Saturday and a trip to The Citadel, and then the Bears have three more games left in the regular season: Feb. 22 vs. UNC Greensboro, Feb. 25 at Chattanooga and Feb. 27 vs. Samford.

This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Mercer falls again to East Tennessee State."