Mercer Bears @ East Tennessee State Buccaneers
ETSU hits 13 3s, beats Mercer 84-75 for 11th win in a row
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Jalan McCloud hit six of East Tennessee State's season-high 13 3-pointers and tied his career high with 25 points to help the Buccaneers beat Mercer 84-75 on Wednesday night for their 11th win in a row.
Devontavius Payne added 18 points and Desonta Bradford had 15 points, six rebounds and a career-high tying nine assists for ETSU (13-4, 8-0 Southern Conference).
Payne scored five points during a 9-2 spurt that gave the Bucs an 11-point lead with five minutes left, but Mercer (10-11, 3-5) scored 11 of the next 15 to pull within four points with two minutes to go. The Bears, however, missed their next five field-goal attempts and ETSU hit 8 of 10 free throws from there to seal it.
Desmond Ringer had 21 points, on 9-of-9 shooting, and Marcus Cohen added 16 for Mercer. Stephon Jelks scored 14, giving him 1,001 career points.
The Bucs shot 51 percent (24 of 47) from the field, 50 percent from 3 and made 23 of 28 (82 percent) from the free-throw line. They have won eight in a row against the Bears.
Game Information
Johnson City, TN
Referee:Tim Gattis
Referee:Andrew Walton
Referee:Tommy Short
2025-26 Standings
| Southern ConferenceSouthern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State | 13-5 | - | 21-10 |
| Mercer | 11-7 | 2 | 19-12 |
| Wofford | 11-7 | 2 | 19-12 |
| Samford | 11-7 | 2 | 18-13 |
| Furman | 10-8 | 3 | 19-12 |
| Western Carolina | 10-8 | 3 | 14-15 |
| UNC Greensboro | 9-9 | 4 | 13-18 |
| Chattanooga | 7-11 | 6 | 13-18 |
| The Citadel | 7-11 | 6 | 10-21 |
| VMI | 1-17 | 12 | 6-25 |
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