By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Mercer Bears stun Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech cmyk


    DULUTH — Travis Smith went 6 for 6 at the foul line in the final minute and Mercer overcame a seven-point second-half deficit to snap a nine-game losing streak to Georgia Tech with a 65-59 victory Thursday night.
    Monty Brown scored 13 points to lead Mercer (8-5). Glen Rice Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (7-5).
    Mercer's last victory over Tech had come on Jan. 28, 1974, when the Bears won 102-85 in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets had won 20 of the past 22 meetings.
    Tech led 51-44 with 7 minutes left to play, but Mercer closed the game with a 21-8 run.
    After Rice's two free throws with 1:16 left got Tech back within two points, 58-56, Mercer went 7 for 8 at the foul line to close out the win. The Yellow Jackets' only score in the final minute was a 3-pointer by Jason Morris.
    Bud Thomas had 12 points for Mercer, while Jakob Gollon and Daniel Coursey each scored 10. Langston Hall and Gollon each had five assists and Thomas grabbed seven rebounds.
    Morris had 10 points for Tech, which was just 4 for 16 on 3-pointers.
    The game was the first loss for the Yellow Jackets in five games in the Arena at Gwinnett Center, about 20 miles from campus. Tech, which is playing its other games at Philips Arena, is without a true home court this season as a new onsite arena is built.
    Neither team led by more than four points in the first half, which ended with Mercer ahead 31-30. Mercer's Brown and Tech's Kammeon Holsey each had eight first-half points.
    Mercer hit four of its first six 3-point attempts and led 24-20 midway through the first half before Tech scored seven straight points to go up 27-24. The Bears finished the half on a 7-3 run, though, with Brown getting the final four points.
    Despite its hot start, Mercer shot just 34.5 percent in the first half to 43.3 percent for Tech. But the Bears went to the foul line 10 times, making six, while the Yellow Jackets were 2 for 4.
    Mercer led Georgia by eight points in the first half at Athens on Tuesday before losing 72-58. The Bears have lost 15 games in a row to the Bulldogs.