December 18, 2011

Bears Fall at Seton Hall in Overtime, 80-77

NEWARK, N.J. – Mercer University overcame an early 13-point deficit and forced overtime versus Big East Conference foe Seton Hall, before eventually falling by an 80-77 score at the Prudential Center. The loss snapped the Bears’ two-game win streak and dropped the team to 7-4 overall, while the Pirates improved to 9-1 on the year.

SHU improved to a perfect 7-0 on its home court this season.  Mercer is 3-3 on the road as the team played the first of an eventual five games away from the University Center to close out calendar year 2011.

MU’s long distance shooting kept the team in the game early on and certainly was a key factor both at the end of regulation and in the overtime segment.  The Bears trailed the Pirates by 13 points (19-6) early, until a trey by Justin Cecil at 8:10 of the first period made it 19-9 and broke a 7:08 minute scoring drought by Mercer.

Mercer’s first four buckets all came from beyond the arc until a thunderous dunk by Daniel Coursey cut SHU’s lead to 19-14 with 6:10 left until halftime. MU would continue its assault on the host Pirates and eventually went into the intermission down by just two points, 31-29.

 

Seton Hall maintained its lead until 11:16 left in regulation when Jakob Gollon made a steal.  He made the fast-break layup and, after being fouled, also converted the subsequent foul shot to give the Bears a 49-48 lead.  The game would teeter-totter for the balance of the second period, with a total of six ties and nine lead changes for the entire game.

A three-pointer by Bud Thomas with 4:18 left in the second gave the Bears a 63-61 advantage as MU looked to deliver the knockout blow to the Pirates. After Mercer’s Travis Smith fouled out with 2:34 left to play in regulation, Seton Hall would go on to convert five-of-eight free throw attempts over the next two minutes to re-take the lead.

Trailing by three, 68-65, with just 24 tics left in the second stanza, Cecil would drain another three-ball to tie the game for Mercer. SHU’s Jordan Theodore (16 points) missed a jumper for the win as regulation expired and Thomas corralled the rebound, as the Bears headed into their second extra-period contest in their last three games (getting a win at Samford on Dec. 7).

Seton Hall tallied the first four points of overtime and looked to be in complete control as it eventually built a 75-68 lead after a three from Aaron Cosby with 2:34 left. But the never-say-die-Bears had one more run left in them.

Monty Brown converted the second of two free throws. Then, with 1:11 left, Langston Hall blocked a shot by Theodore. Gollon got the defensive rebound and went the distance for a layup to make it 75-71. The Pirates’ Herb Pope (24 points and 17 rebounds) answered with a jumper on SHU’s next possession to up the deficit to six.

Over the next 18 seconds, Hall drained a pair of three’s, sandwiching two free throws by Seton Hall’s Theodore, as Mercer drew to within a single basket, 79-77, with 42 seconds left in the overtime. With eight seconds left, Coursey became the Bears’ third player to foul out (joining Travis Smith and Thomas) as the Pirates made one of the two charity tosses to make it 80-77, giving MU one final shot at a tie.

Mercer quickly got the ball up-court and Chris Smith got a look at a three while falling away. The ball hit the rim and flirted with the net before finally bouncing away as time expired.

“They were playing us wide,” MU head coach Bob Hoffman said of his teams’ struggles inside in the early going. “They’re athletic and physical, but our guys found a way. We certainly played well enough to win. I love the way this team competes.

“(Mercer’s) ability to make plays gives them a chance in games. Every day they keep getting better.

All five of the starters finished in double-figure scoring for the Bears, led by Cecil’s 18 points. Hall added 17 points followed by 13 from Thomas. Gollon registered his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Coursey rounded out the quintet with 10 points, while adding three blocks and eight rebounds.

Mercer held Seton Hall to just 39 percent shooting (25-64) from the floor. Conversely, the Bears shot an impressive 51 percent (31-61) and blocked eight shots. The real difference in the contest came down to the free throw line, where SHU was 22-of-33 on its attempts. Mercer was given just eight attempts and converted five.

MU will continue its tough five-game road skein on Tuesday night at Georgia (7 p.m.), followed by a Thursday evening (Dec. 22) date versus Georgia Tech at the Arena at Gwinnett. The Bears also travel to Tulsa and Navy after Christmas.