November 3, 2011

Bears Close Out Pre-Season with a Thriller, 58-57

 

MACON, Ga. – Jakob Gollon buried a three-point basket with 3.5 seconds remaining in the game to erase a two-point deficit and give Mercer University’s men’s basketball team a 58-57 come-from-behind exhibition game victory over Georgia College.

Gollon’s big bucket snatched an MU win out of what appeared to be the Bobcat’s grasp. GC led by five points – 56-51 – with just 1:09 left to play, after a free throw by Macon native Quin Bivins (8 points). However, Mercer’s youthful resilience came through in the end.

A pair of free throws by MU senior Justin Cecil cut the margin to 56-53 with just 33 tics left on the clock. Georgia College got the margin back to four points when, after an intentional foul, GC’s Mike Augustine made the second half of a two shot foul, 57-53, with 31 seconds remaining.

That’s when Gollon – who had a quiet game up until that point – went to work.

With 15 seconds left in the game, Gollon was fouled by the Bobcat’s Jared Holmes. Gollon calmly centered both charity tosses to make it 57-55 in favor of Georgia College.

The Bears' defense stepped up to the forefront as GC attempted to inbound the ball. A suffocating coverage by Mercer left the Bobcats unable to get the ball in play, with the resulting five-second call giving the ball back to Mercer under its own hoop.

Mercer got the ball into the hands of point guard Langston Hall as the clock ticked down. Hall drove the left baseline, appeared to attempt a lay-up, but kicked it out to Gollon alone beyond the right-side arc instead.

Gollon lined up the shot and swished a perfect trey that completed the Bears’ comeback.  Gollon finished the game with seven points.

“(Georgia College’s) kids played their tails off,” Hoffman said of GC’s effort. “And our young men’s will to win at the end; they really stayed together. We had some guys play solid.”

Mercer survived 17 of its own turnovers in the game.  Conversely, the Bobcats had just six miscues.

“They are a tremendous team and I have the utmost respect for Coach Sellers and his program,” Hoffman said. “They get it done every year.”

MU 6-11 sophomore center Daniel Coursey led all players with 15 points, including some thunderous dunks. Coursey was an efficient 6-of-7 from the floor and also pulled down four rebounds.

Bud Thomas added 13 points to the Bears’ cause, hitting 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Mercer senior Justin Cecil managed six points, but pulled down a game-leading 10 rebounds.

GC’s scoring was led by the tandem of Tarrance Chatman and Ryan Aquino with 14 points each. Aquino was the Bobcats board leader with eight caroms.