Najdawi fills stat sheet; The Citadel beats Mercer 79-69
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Zane Najdawi scored 18 points, with seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks and The Citadel beat Mercer 79-69 on Saturday in a Southern Conference opener.
Lew Stallworth added 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs (6-2, 1-0). Matt Frierson had 14 points and four steals and Connor Kern scored 13 points.
Mercer (4-4, 0-1) led 33-25 at the break before The Citadel outscored the Bears 19-11 in the first eight minutes of the second half to tie it at 44. Alex Reed and Najdawi made jump shots, Reed threw down a dunk and The Citadel never trailed again. Najdawi added back-to-back layups and The Citadel led 56-46 with 8:20 remaining. Frierson's 3-pointer with less than two minutes left extended the margin to 15.
Ross Cummings led Mercer with 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, Jaylen Stowe scored 15 with five rebounds and Ethan Stair scored 11 points with 14 boards.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Nathan Quick
- Antoine Dawkins
- Davis Maxwell
2024-25 Southern Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Samford | 5-1 | - | 15-4 |
UNC Greensboro | 5-2 | 0.5 | 12-8 |
East Tennessee State | 5-2 | 0.5 | 12-8 |
Wofford | 5-2 | 0.5 | 11-9 |
Chattanooga | 4-2 | 1 | 12-7 |
Furman | 3-4 | 2.5 | 15-5 |
Mercer | 3-4 | 2.5 | 10-10 |
VMI | 3-4 | 2.5 | 9-11 |
Western Carolina | 1-6 | 4.5 | 5-13 |
The Citadel | 0-7 | 5.5 | 5-13 |