Men’s basketball lost on the road at Samford (20-5, 8-2 SoCon) on Wednesday, 100-79, bringing the team to an overall record of 11-13, including a Southern Conference record of 4-7. This marks their second loss to Samford this season, following a home defeat to the Bulldogs 74-75 on Jan. 15.
Mercer started off strong in the first few minutes of the game as they dominated Samford on the defensive end. The Bears grabbed five consecutive defensive rebounds, converting on those possessions to go on an 11-0 run that put Mercer up, 16-5, before a media timeout. Samford’s bench came out of the break strong, though, quickly reducing the Mercer lead to four within a matter of minutes. By the end of the half, Samford's strong shooting from deep led the team to a 52-42 lead over the Bears.
The second half began the same way the first ended with a pair of three's from the Bulldogs to increase their lead by six. For its part, Mercer fought back with a tough defensive play and an offensive rebound by Alex Holt ‘25 to quell the Samford streak. However, the onslaught continued as Samford's Rylan Jones hit two three's in a row to rev the Bulldog's engines again. The Bears struggled to keep up and ultimately failed to stop the dominant Bulldogs.
Throughout the evening, Mercer was unable to generate much offensive efficiency. Ahmad Robinson ‘25, who is top three in the SoCon in points per game this season, only managed four points in 14 minutes while turning the ball over six times.. The team was led in scoring by Tyler Johnson '25, who scored 26 while shooting 75 percent from the field. Marcus Overstreet '27 had his second double-double of the season, and third-straight game in which he grabbed 10+ boards. The big man out of Chicago also tallied a block and two steals.
The Bears return home to face Wofford College (12-12, 6-5 SoCon) on Saturday in yet another crucial SoCon matchup, looking to get back at the Terriers after losing away in their last matchup. If Mercer beats the Terriers on Saturday, it will be for the first time in any current Bears player's collegiate career.
Jacob Hossler '28 is majoring in Biology with a potential English minor. In his free time he enjoys photography, writing, and playing tennis and soccer.
