MACON, Ga. – The Citadel basketball team took a 42-41 edge in the opening minutes of the second half but were unable to slow down the Mercer offensive attack, as the Bears shot over 60% from the field on the evening to hand the Bulldogs a 87-78 defeat.
 
Elijah Morgan paced The Citadel with 20 points while AJ Smith chipped in 17 on 7-of-14 shooting.
 
Madison Durr added 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Quentin Millora-Brown earned his third straight double-double with 13 points, 10 boards and five dimes.
 
First Half:

• A Morgan 3-ball gave the Bulldogs a 10-5 lead four minutes in.
• MER responded to take a slim 20-16 edge at the 11:32 mark before extending it to 28-20.
• Back-to-back 3-pointers by Keynan Davis and Kam Roberts cut the deficit to two, 28-26 with six minutes remaining.
• The teams traded buckets down the stretch as MER held a 41-38 advantage at the break.

Second Half:

• A QMB layup put CIT ahead 42-41 two minutes into the second stanza, but MER answered with a 12-4 run to take a 53-46 lead, forcing a Bulldogs timeout.
• A Bears triple gave them their largest lead of the game to that point at 10, 58-48, at the 11-minute mark.
• Morgan's second long ball of the game helped cut a 14-point deficit back to single digits, 64-55, at the under-eight media timeout.
• Smith's pullup jumper had CIT within eight, 72-64, with four minutes to go but MER quickly pushed the margin back to 12, 76-64, with 2:55 left.
• The Bulldogs battled late to make it a seven-point game, 85-78, with 18.6 remaining but Mercer made its free throws to close out a home win.

Up Next

The Citadel returns home on Saturday, February 24 when it hosts Chattanooga at 1 pm.