Mercer holds off Chattanooga for big road win

Mercer’s men needed a momentum-building win, and they got it Saturday at Chattanooga.

After a season of close losses, the Bears held off the Mocs for a 64-54 win in Southern Conference play. Mercer improves to 14-16 overall and 8-9 in the conference, including 5-4 in conference road games. Chattanooga drops to 19-10 and 10-7.

Mercer wraps up its regular season at 7 p.m. on Monday against Samford at Hawkins Arena.

Jordan Strawberry led the Bears with 17 points, hitting 5-of-9 from the floor, including two 3-pointers, and all five of his free throws. Ria’n Holland added 15, including 6-of-7 free throws as the Bears were 21-of-24 from the free-throw line. Center Desmond Ringer had 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Bears trailed 23-17 at halftime, but they outscored the Mocs 47-31 in the second half.

This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Mercer holds off Chattanooga for big road win."