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ETSU hands Mercer first home loss of the season

  

MACON, Ga. — The ETSU men’s basketball team showed resilience and teamwork on Wednesday night, rallying to secure a thrilling 70-68 win over Mercer in Southern Conference action at Hawkins Arena.

The Buccaneers led for most of the game, but the Bears surged ahead late in the second half. However, a clutch offensive rebound by John Buggs III set up the game-winning three-pointer by Quimari Peterson with 19.8 seconds remaining. The Bucs sealed the victory with two critical defensive stops in the final moments, including Karon Boyd’s contest of Ahmad Robinson’s shot attempt and a key rebound by Buggs.

ETSU (9-7, 2-1 SoCon) relied on strong performances from Quimari Peterson, who scored 25 points with five assists, and Jaden Seymour, who added 19 points and nine rebounds. Gabe Sisk nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Bucs dominated the glass, outrebounding Mercer 41-31, including 16 offensive rebounds that led to 16 second-chance points.

The Bucs also held Mercer (9-7, 2-1 SoCon) 15 points below its season scoring average, limiting the Bears to 68 points. Despite six ties and four lead changes, ETSU led for nearly 33 minutes and made two more three-pointers (9-7) than the Bears, which proved to be the difference.

The first half saw ETSU build a 40-32 halftime lead, fueled by Peterson’s 16 points and 46% shooting from the field. Mercer fought back in the second half, eventually taking its first lead since the opening minutes at 62-58 with 3:22 remaining. However, the Bucs responded with timely shots and defensive stops, culminating in Peterson’s game-winning three-pointer.

Mercer’s Alex Holt led the Bears with 16 points, while Robinson was held to 14 points on 3-of-15 shooting.

ETSU now leads the all-time series 29-13 and has won eight of the last 10 games against Mercer in Macon. The Bucs return to Freedom Hall on Saturday to host The Citadel at 4 p.m.