MACON, Ga. – The last time The Citadel men's basketball team defeated Mercer, the year was 1927 and Calvin Coolidge was the president of the United States and work on Mount Rushmore would begin later that year. Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs broke a 13-game, 91-year streak by Mercer with a 76-74 Southern Conference win inside Hawkins Arena.

"We shot 50% from three in the second half and nearly 61% from the floor and we just executed," said head coach Duggar Baucom. "This was certainly one of the biggest wins for us. I was just so proud of how we played defensively. Outside of the last minute of the game and the last three minutes of the second half, we took care of the ball really well. We took good shots and more than anything, the guys just competed for everything."

Prior to Saturday's win, The Citadel's last win over Mercer had been a 42-41 win in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) Tournament in Charleston on March 5, 1927. Earlier that season, the Bulldogs defeated the Bears 47-32 in Macon on Feb. 10, 1927.

Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs (7-13, 2-6 SoCon) trailed 33-25 after the first half as the Bears (10-12, 3-6 SoCon) were able to convert 40.7% (11-of-27) of their attempts from the field compared to 30.8% (8-of-26), including just 27.8% (5-of-18) from three-point range, by the Bulldogs in the first half. The Bears were able to take the eight-point lead into the locker room in part thanks to three Bulldog turnover in the final three minutes of the opening period.

Mercer started the second half by extending that lead out to 10, 40-30 when Marcus Cohen hit a layup with 18:15 to play, but that layup was the last field goal for the Bears for nearly nine minutes as the Bulldogs went on a 23-1 run to take a 12-point, 53-41 lead before another Cohen layup broke the streak. The Bears went 0-8 from the field and committed six turnovers during the stretch, helping the Bulldogs establish the double-digit lead.

During the 23-1 run by The Citadel, six different Bulldogs scored led by Hayden Brown and Kaelon Harris' five points each. Zane Najdawi added four points off a layup and two free throws and both Quayson Williams and Frankie Johnson hit three-pointers, including a falling-away, heavily contested trey by Johnson.

Despite Mercer being able to finally find a field goal, the Bulldogs were able to mount another run to stretch the lead out to 16, 63-47 with 7:16 left in regulation.

From there, Mercer was able to slowly chip away at the lead, and with 56 seconds remaining, the Bulldog advantage was just six, 70-64 as Jordan Strawberry hit a pair of free throws, setting up an exciting end to the game.

With 16 seconds left, Williams gave The Citadel another 10-point lead off a pair of free throws, but Mercer was able to make things interesting in the waning seconds as the Bears forced three Bulldog turnovers. Between the two teams, there were six free throws, including four by The Citadel, in the final 16 seconds as the Bulldogs held on for the two-point, 76-74 win.

After shooting 60.7% (17-of-28) from the field in the second half, the Bulldogs ended the game shooting 46.3% (25-of-54) from the field, including 40.0% (14-of-35) from three-point range. The 'Dogs also shot 85.7% (12-of-14) from the charity stripe.

A quartet of players ended the game in double figures for the Bulldogs led by Matt Frierson with 14 points off 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Najdawi, Williams and Harris all added 13 points and each made at least one three-pointer. The quartet went a combined 10-of-11 from the free throw line and Frierson and Harris led The Citadel with six rebounds each.

Mercer ended the game shooting 40.7% (22-of-54) from the field. The Bears connected on just 27.6% (8-of-29) from beyond the three-point arc.

The Bears were led by Strawberry's 22 points with Ross Cumming adding 16 off the bench.

FAST BREAK FACTS

• Saturday's game at Mercer was the Bear's Coaches vs. Cancer game. Both coaching staffs joined coaches across the country by wearing sneakers to show support for cancer research.
• Saturday's 76-74 win in Macon was the first win for The Citadel in basketball over the Bears since the 1926-27 season. That year, The Citadel defeated Mercer four times, including 42-41 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) Tournament on March 5, 1927. The last Bulldog win in Macon came on Feb. 10, 1927 as The Citadel claimed a 47-32 victory. It was also the first SoCon win over the Bears for the Bulldogs.
• With his team-leading 14 points Saturday, Matt Frierson has now led the Bulldogs in scoring three times this season. Frierson has averaged 16.6 points per game since the Bulldogs opened up SoCon play.
• Frierson connected on a game-high four three-pointers Saturday afternoon, marking the eighth game in a row the junior guard has converted multiple three-pointers. He has now made at least one trey in 26 straight games.
• With his 13 points Saturday night, Zane Najdawi needs just 25 points to hit the 1,000 career point mark. Najdawi has averaged 19.1 points per game since The Citadel started SoCon play at the end of December.
• Quayson Williams connected on three of his three-point attempts Saturday afternoon, marking the second game in a row he has made a trio of three-pointers. He has converted multiple threes in six games this season.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs have a short turnaround as they return home for a 6 p.m. game against league-leading ETSU on Monday, Jan. 29. The game with the Buccaneers opens a tough stretch that pits the 'Dogs against three of the best teams in the SoCon, including hosting Wofford on Thursday, Feb. 1 and hosting Furman on Saturday, Feb. 3.

2018 SOCON BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets are now on sale for the 2018 SoCon Basketabll Championships held at the U.S. Cellular Center located in Asheville, North Carolina. The tournament runs March 1-5, 2018. Ticket prices start at $10 for kids (ages 6-12) and SoCon students (kids 5 and under get in free) and $20 for general admission to a single session. Other packages, including VIP experiences and suites, are also available. For more information or to order your tickets, call The Citadel ticket office at (843) 953-DOGS (3647) or visit CitadelSports.com and click on the "Tickets" tab.

For more information on The Citadel basketball team, follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports or visit CitadelSports.com.