Mercer teams earn conference road wins

Ria'n Holland and the Mercer Bears held off The Citadel on Saturday for an 89-78 win in Southern Conference play.

Holland hit five 3-pointers and scored 32 points as the Bears improved to 13-15 overall and 7-8 in the conference. The Citadel dropped to 9-19 and 2-13.

Desmond Ringer had 16 points and 10 rebounds while Demetre Rivers had 14 points. Mercer led 50-36 at the half, but The Citadel pulled to within three at 79-76 with less than four minutes to play. The Bears, however, were able to hold on for the win.

Mercer returns home at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to host UNC Greensboro.

Mercer women 68, Furman 47

The Bears overcame a slow start — trailing 11-4 after the first quarter — to improve to 22-5 overall and 11-2 in the conference. The Paladins dropped to 14-14 and 7-5.

Alex Williams led Mercer with 16 points off the bench, while KeKe Calloway added 15. Linnea Rosendal had 11 off the bench. Mercer had a 29-5 advantage in points off turnovers and put the game away by outscoring Furman 25-8 in the third quarter.

The Bears wrap up their regular season at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Samford.

This story was originally published February 18, 2017 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Mercer teams earn conference road wins."