Mercer outlasts Wofford in overtime thriller

It took overtime and a big stop at the end by Demetre Rivers, but Mercer got another marquee win Saturday, beating defending Southern Conference champion Wofford 70-69 in front of an overflow Hawkins Arena crowd.

Wofford's Spencer Collins finished with 30 points, but with the clock running out, Rivers kept Collins in front of him at the top of the key and forced a tough 3-pointer. The ball rimmed off, and the Bears improved to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. Wofford falls to 7-11 and 4-2 in the conference.

Wofford led 30-26 at the half and scored the first two baskets of the second half to stretch its lead to eight. But Mercer slowly got back into it and got a stop at the end of regulation to force overtime.

Ringer, Phillip Leonard and Jestin Lewis led the Bears, combining for 53 points on 23-of-30 shooting from the floor.

FOUR WHO MATTERED

Ringer: The sophomore center had his best game with the program (he transferred to Mercer after a year at South Carolina and sat out last season). He finished with 21 points, hitting 10-of-11 shots, including the go-ahead basket with 17 seconds left in overtime and the shot clock running out.

Leonard: The Bears' senior point guard finished with 14 points, including nine after halftime.

Lewis: The Bears' senior guard had 16 of his 18 points after halftime, and he hit four 3-pointers.

Collins: The Terriers' senior hit 10-of-22 shots, including 8-of-15 from the 3-point line.

OBSERVATIONS

Dominant on the boards: Mercer outrebounded Wofford 38-26, including 14 from Stephon Jelks, the team's leading scorer who had just three points. Jelks also had four assists.

Tight one all the way: The game featured eight lead changes, and it was tied 16 times.

Strong in the second half: Mercer shot 47.8 percent from floor in the first half but really picked it up after the break, shooting 16-of-28 in the second half and then 3-of-6 in overtime.

WORTH MENTIONING

Huge crowd: The game set a Hawkins Arena attendance record at 4,502.

Running the show: Leonard and backup point guard Jordan Strawberry combined for 11 assists, including eight from Strawberry, and just three turnovers.

Gaining some revenge: The Bears lost to the Terriers in two close games last year, by three (49-46) at Wofford and by four (76-72) at home.

THEY SAID IT

Ringer on his career night: "I've got to give Phil and Jordan and (Lewis) credit because they set me up to have wide-open shots, and I just finished them. Definitely, it feels great. My teammates were showing me they had confidence to score, and I was able to knock them down. There is no better feeling than that and to have a big role in the game."

Lewis on the thriller: "I love a game like it. It was a hard-fought game. There was a lot of competing during this game, and you had to be mentally tough and mentally strong and finish the game right."

Hoffman on the win: "This is the third game we have had with them just like that. It came down to the last possession, and we lost the first two last year, and we found a way to finish it off. Our guys were really tough."

Hoffman on Ringer's go-ahead basket in overtime: "Des found a way, including that last unbelievable play. When it was about six seconds, and he started to take a jump shot, I was getting ready to call a timeout. I just told him that back there. But he took his time and made a play that our assistant coaches have been working with him over and over for the last six months. And it's fun to see muscle memory pay off in that kind of setting."

Hoffman on the stops at the end of regulation and in overtime: "We went zone in regulation with eight seconds because we thought that might work, and it worked out. The last possession, Demetre Rivers was special on Collins, who had a huge night, and he went with a step-back move, and Demetre with his long arm got there, and we were fortunate enough that he missed it."

WHAT'S NEXT?

Mercer travels to East Tennessee State on Thursday.

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Mercer outlasts Wofford in overtime thriller ."