National Basketball Association
Mercer 66, Alabama 59
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 22, 2012
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Officials:
# Tony Greene, # Rob Groover, # Garrick Shannon
Attendance:
10243
By SportsDirect Inc.
Mercer 66, Alabama 59: Daniel Coursey scored a career-high 20 points as the visiting Bears upset the Crimson Tide.
Coursey was 9-for-14 from the field and his layup with 2:49 remaining gave Mercer (7-6) a three-point lead. After baskets by Rodney Cooper and Levi Randolph restored the lead for Alabama, Jakob Gollon hit two free throws and knocked down a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left for a 63-59 lead.
Travis Smith tied a career best with 17 points for the Bears, who beat Alabama (7-4) for the third time in nine meetings. Langston Hall and Gollon added 10 points apiece.
Trevor Releford scored 19 points for the Crimson Tide, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Rodney Cooper added 17 but Trevor Lacey was held to five points – nine points under his season average – on 1-for-6 shooting.
Alabama held an 11-point lead on Releford's 3-pointer with 10:26 remaining, but the Bears roared back with a 14-3 run and took their first lead on Smith's 3-pointer with 6:24 left and went up by three on their next possession. In the final five minutes neither team led by more than three until Gollon's 3-pointer.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Gollon's clutch 3-pointer came on a day when he shot 3-for-11. ... Coursey also set a career high by making nine field goals. ... Alabama came into the game limiting opponents to 28 percent from 3-point range, but allowed the Bears to shoot 36.4 percent.
Top Game Performances
| Mercer |
|
Alabama |
|
Daniel Coursey 20 |
Scoring |
Trevor Releford 19 |
|
Langston Hall 7 |
Assists |
Trevor Lacey 3 |
|
Jakob Gollon 6 |
Rebounds |
Rodney Cooper 7 |
|
Monty Brown 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Trevor Releford 5 |
|
Langston Hall 2 |
Steals |
Devonta Pollard 2 |
|
Daniel Coursey 1 |
Blocks |
Rodney Cooper 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Mercer
|
66 |
40.7 |
8-22 |
14-18 |
16 |
32 |
4 |
6 |
11 |
| Alabama
|
59 |
39.6 |
4-14 |
13-20 |
9 |
31 |
3 |
8 |
9 |