MACON, Ga. – Ike Nwamu scored 15 points to lead three Mercer players in double figures as the Bears completed their sixth victory at Hawkins Arena this season, 74-51, over The Citadel in Saturday afternoon Southern Conference action.
 
Nwamu was joined in double figures by Phillip Leonard and Darious Moten, who finished with 13 points apiece. The trio highlighted a Mercer (9-9, 4-1 SoCon) unit that finished 27-of-52 (51.9%) from the floor, including five 3-pointers, and 15-of-22 (68.2%) at the free throw line.
 
The key for the Bears was rebounding as they crashed the glass for 30 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive glass. T.J. Nallice led the way with seven boards (five offensive), while Leonard added five and Stephon Jelks hauled in four.
 
Brian White brought home high marks for The Citadel (7-9, 2-3 SoCon) with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor. White also scaled the glass for six boards (two offensive).
 
The Bulldogs were unable to recover from difficult shooting second half, hitting just 9-of-24 (37.5%) from the floor, as they closed the afternoon 22-of-44 (50%) from the field. The Citadel also struggled from 3-point range, hitting just 6-of-16 (37.5%), and made just three attempts from the charity stripe.
 
Leading 40-31 at the intermission Mercer opened the second half on a 16-8 run that included four points each by Leonard and Jelks to break the game open.
 
Mercer applied pressure on the defensive end and held The Citadel to just one C.J. Bray bucket over an 8:38 span of the half as it assumed a 66-41 lead with less than six minutes on the clock.
 
The Citadel, despite four points down the stretch by Bray and a 3-pointer off the hand of Brandon Thompson, was unable to bring the game under 20 points as Mercer earned its seventh straight win in the all-time series.
 
The Cadets look to return to the win column next weekend when they welcome Wofford (Jan. 15) and Furman (Jan. 17) to McAlister Field House.
 
The story of the first half proved to be Mercer's control of the offensive glass. The Bears, who grabbed 10 offensive boards, managed to finish with an 18-8 edge in points in the paint. Mercer wrapped up the opening frame by hitting 15-of-31 (48.4%) from the floor, including four 3-point field goals.
 
Meanwhile, The Citadel offense continued its consistent play as the Dogs converted 13-of-20 (65%) from the field and 5-of-7 (71.4%) from long distance.
 
The Bears used five offensive boards inside the first 6:20 of the contest to establish a 16-6 lead. Moore answered with a jumper and following a 3-pointer from Sledge, The Citadel stood within five.
 
A layup by Horgan, combined with a 3-pointer by Wright, kept the Dogs within single digits, 22-16. However, four points each from Jestin Lewis and Darious Moten sparked an 11-5 Mercer run that pushed the margin to 33-21.
 
White finished off a pair of layups and along with 3-pointers by Wright and Moore over the final 4:14, the Bulldogs scored 10 of the final 17 points close out the opening frame.
 
The Citadel returns to action next weekend when it hosts Upstate rival Wofford on Thursday at 6 p.m. and follows with a meeting with Furman on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. The game with Wofford is a Spike KIDet Club contest, sponsored by Yellow Pages. Against the Paladins, Bulldog fans are encouraged to wear their Citadel basketball "BLUE OUT" t-shirts for free admission.