Box score
KENNESAW, Ga. – For the second time in a week, Mercer University’s men’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker to Peach State rival Kennesaw State University, 66-63, at the KSU Convocation Center.
The loss dropped the Bears to 11-12 overall and 7-6 in the Atlantic Sun Conference, while the Owls improved to 12-12 and drew even with Mercer in the league standings at 7-6.
MU’s largest lead came midway through the first half, an 11 point bulge (17-6) and Kennesaw had a seven point advantage late in the first half, as well. A six-point cushion by KSU with 3:06 left in the game was the biggest lead by either team in the final 20 minutes.
Mercer was victimized by its inability to get to the free throw line when it needed to down the stretch, while Kennesaw connected on its charity tosses. The Owls hit 9-of-10 from the line in the final minute as the Bears tried to claw back.
The Owls also punished the Bears on the glass with a 44-35 advantage. 25 of those rebounds by KSU were of the offensive variety, a fact that MU head coach
Bob Hoffman found disconcerting.
“We can’t win games when we give up 25 offensive rebounds,” said Hoffman. “And we couldn’t get to the free throw line, but we still had opportunities to win the game."
The "opportunities" Hoffman spoke of were especially evident down the stretch run. In a tight ball game which featured seven ties and 10 lead changes, a lay-up by
Daniel Emerson with 1:07 left on the clock made it 57-56.
Brian Mills' perfect bounce pass in the lane freed up Emerson for the easy hoop.
But that opened the door for the Owls' parade to the free throw line to ice the game, despite the Bears' best efforts.
Even the fact that KSU had fouls to give forced Mercer to use valuable time inbounding the ball. On the game's final play and down 66-63 and a chance to tie the game, the Bears had to traverse the length of the court in seven seconds and could only manage a desperation attempt by
E.J. Kusnyer which didn't draw iron.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Bears’ All-American candidate
James Florence, who is from Marietta and attended Wheeler High School. Florence broke out of his recent slump with a game-leading 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting to go along with a season-high six rebounds and three assists.
To Mercer’s credit, it was able to neutralize Kennesaw’s talented Markeith Cummings, limiting him to four points. In the January 27 meeting in Macon, Cummings had torched the Bears for 25 points. Just one Owls’ player – Spencer Dixon – evened scored in double digits (16 points).
Conversely, the Bears had two other players join Florence in double-figure point totals. Emerson notched his fifth-straight game with a double-double. The senior forward poured in 16 points and pulled down a game-leading 14 rebounds.
Kusnyer just missed the double-figures club by hitting three-of-nine from long range, good for nine points.
Mercer held a slim lead in shooting percentage (39.6 percent to 36.4 percent), but the most glaring difference on the statistics sheet was in bench scoring. Mercer super-sub
Brandon Moore accounted for all six of the Bears’ points by its reserves, while KSU picked up 24 points from its bench.
The Bears will look to rebound on Monday (Feb. 8) evening when they host USC Upstate at the University Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.