It wasn’t about revenge. It was about a rivalry.
In a matchup between the two Atlantic Sun leaders with a bit of history between them, Mercer knocked off Florida Gulf Coast 68-55 on Thursday in a sold-out Hawkins Arena. The Bears (16-5, 7-1) used a suffocating defense to harass the Eagles into a 1-of-17 3-point performance.
Last year, Florida Gulf Coast (12-9, 6-2) upset Mercer on its home court in the finals of the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. The Eagles went on to make history in the NCAA tournament as the first 15th seed to advance to the Sweet 16.
Langston Hall said the feelings after that loss weren’t a factor in Thursday’s game.
“I don’t think so exactly, but we wanted to beat them because of this rivalry going on,” said Hall, who finished with a team-high 18 points and game-high 11 assists.
Mercer improved to 22-1 in its last 23 regular-season conference games at home. The Bears are off to the best conference start in school history. Florida Gulf Coast (12-9, 6-2) will play at Kennesaw State on Saturday.
Mercer dominated throughout in what coach Bob Hoffman said was the team’s third consecutive strong defensive performance.
Florida Gulf Coast had difficulty finding large enough creases in Mercer’s defense to attack the basket. And Mercer played excellent transition defense, limiting the Eagles’ chances to get out and run. Florida Gulf Coast finished with just 14 fast-break points and its 35-percent shooting was its second-lowest mark of the year.
“Their defense was very good and our defense wasn’t,” Florida Gulf Coast coach Joe Dooley said.
Florida Gulf Coast, trailing by as many as 11 in the first half, cut Mercer’s lead to two early in the second half.
But the Bears took control with an 11-0 run to take a 45-32 lead with 14:42 left. Center Daniel Coursey was an anchor in the middle of Mercer’s defense, grabbing 11 defensive rebounds, blocking four shots and making three steals.
“I think he had as many steals in this game as he’s had all season,” Hoffman said.
Hall was the spark on the offense, capping the 11-0 run with a 3-pointer. He added another 3-pointer a few minutes later to stretch the Bears’ lead to 16.
Hall wasn’t finished. He added yet another 3-pointer two minutes later to give Mercer a 55-36 lead with 10:39 left.
Hoffman downplayed the significance of the win.
“It was one game, it was at home, it was something we needed to get to have a chance to win the league,” he said. “There’s a bunch more left.”
This may be the last time the two teams meet at Hawkins Arena, unless Mercer finishes first and earns the right to host the conference tournament. The Bears are moving to the Southern Conference next year.
Hoffman said he would be willing to keep the rivalry going with a non-conference game next year. His players said they would be for it.
“We’ve kind of got a rivalry going,” Coursey said. “It’ll be something we miss, but the Southern Conference is a good conference, too.”
