Macon, Ga.– Sin'Cere McMahon scored a career-high 24 points to lead Winthrop in a 77-68 loss at Mercer, Saturday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action.
WINTHROP (2-3, 0-0 Big South)
STAT LEADERS
- Sin'Cere McMahon (24 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal)
- Toneari Lane (14 points, 2 rebounds)
- Kelton Talford (14 points, 8 rebounds)
MERCER (2-2, 0-0 SoCON)
STAT LEADERS
- Kamar Robertson (23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals)
- David Craig (15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block)
- Luis Hurtado (10 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 block)
FIRST HALF
- Eagles opened the scoring as Sin'Cere McMahon knocked down two free throws
- An Xavier McKelvy corner three put the Eagles up 7-3 in the early going
- A 5-0 spurt by the Bears up 8-7 and then Kelton Talford went 1-of-2 at the line to tie the game at 8-8
- A three from the wing by Kamar Robertson put Mercer ahead 11-8 and sparked a 12-2 run that put the Bears on top by nine
- McMahon ended the run with a corner three
- Mercer worked its lead back to double-digits at 28-18 after David Craig hit two free throws
- Toneari Lane scored when he drove the lane and finished with the right hand to start a spurt that pulled the Eagles within five at 26-31 after another corner three to trail 23-28
- A deep three by McMahon from the right wing had the Eagles within five points again at 31-26, but Mercer used a run to open things up again
- The Mercer 9-0 run began with a Robertson three at the top of the key and then three buckets inside pushed the lead to 40-26
- Eagles scored the final five points of the half with two free throws from Isaiah Wilson followed by a straight away three from Lane to trail 40-31 at the break
SECOND HALF
- Talford opened the second half following his own miss and getting fouled as he completed the three-point play
- Mercer answered with two threes but Wilson's two free throws and another basket by Talford had the Eagles within 46-40
- The third basket of the half by Talford came on a stick back followed by a three from Lane in the corner made it a one possession game at 48-45
- It was a two point game at 54-52 after McMahon drove the right side of the lane and finished off glass
- It was a two point game again at 60-58 after Wilson scored off the drive with 8:55 to play
- Kasen Harrison made it a one point game with 7:50 remaining after he drove the lane and finished off glass to trail 61-60
- Mercer answered with a 6-0 run to open up a seven point advantage but two free throws by Wilson kept it a two possession game
- But another 6-0 run by Mercer increased the lead to 73-62 with 1:35 to play
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop finished the game shooting 43 percent from the floor while Mercer finished at 52 percent
- The Bears were 9-for-26 (35 percent) behind the arc while the Eagles were 9-of-15 (60 percent)
- Bears edge the Eagles on the glass 34-31 but the Eagles had a 15-8 advantage in second chance points
- Mercer finished with 24 assists on 29 field made field goals
- Each team missed five free throws as the Eagles were 13-of-18 and Mercer finished 10-for-15
- McMahon and Lane were both 4-for-5 behind the arc
NOTABLES
- Despite leaving the game with an injury with just under 15 minutes left in the game, Talford finished in double-figures and just short of double-digit boards with eight
- Lane finished with 14 points and is in double-figures for the fourth time in five games this season and now has 17 on the year (3.4 per game)
- Xavier McKelvy came off the bench to grab a career-best five rebounds
UP NEXT
Winthrop will head to Cancun, Mexico for the Cancun Challenge Nov. 22-23. The Eagles will open on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. when they face Southern Mississippi.
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop men's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@Winthrop_MBB), Instagram (@Winthrop_MBB) and Facebook (/WinthropEagles).
