The Mercer men’s basketball team played Chattanooga in Tennessee Feb. 5, before playing them again at home Feb. 7. The Bears lost on Saturday 68-77, going 49% from the field, 36% from the three-point line, and 81.8% from the free-throw line as a team.
Throughout the first half Mercer was ahead, though it was a close game. Chattanooga tied the game multiple times and managed to get ahead of the Bears twice, but Mercer went into the half with a 36-32 lead. The roles reversed in the second half, with Chattanooga staying up for the most part. The Bears could do nothing but tie the game or keep the score close. With about five minutes to go, Chattanooga was able to create some space with a three-pointer, making the score 62-67. The Bears were not able to recover from that and ended up losing 68-77.
The team looked to get revenge on Monday, and it was looking promising throughout the first and most of the second half. Chattanooga was able to tie the game with three free throws at the end of the second half and ended up winning in overtime, cementing another blown lead for Mercer.
The team traveled to Lexington, Virginia and played Virginia Military Institute, losing 79-85. Both teams were evenly matched, and the score was close throughout the entire first half. VMI managed to create a bit of space on the scoreboard and were up by six points at halftime.
Throughout the second half, the Keydets were able to keep a decent lead that the Bears were not able to come back from until about ten minutes to go in the game. After a couple of good free throws from Felipe Haase, the score was 60-63 and for the first time in the half, the Bears had some hope. Mercer was able to keep up until a three-pointer from the Keydets gave them a ten-point lead. The Bears were never able to recover and ended up losing to VMI.
The three losses from the week put the team’s record at 13-13 overall, and 6-7 in the conference. They will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina Sunday and take on UNCG in hopes of claiming a victory.
