Mercer hoops takes winning streak into key Clemson matchup

The Mercer men’s basketball team has found its stride in recent games, defeating Oglethorpe 100-50 at home Sunday to extend their winning streak to five games and move to 7-2 overall.

Since a loss against a solid Winthrop squad Nov. 15, the Bears have rebounded in impressive fashion with wins over Eastern Kentucky, Appalachian State, Elon and Georgia State before this week’s victory against Oglethorpe.

“We’ve just got a good collection of ballplayers. They come in, they clock in and they go 1-0 every day,” head coach Ryan Ridder told The Melody. “It’s just fun to watch. These guys are winners.”

A key part of the turnaround, according to the head coach, has been the squad finding its stride and staying consistent for all 40 minutes each time they take the court.

“The biggest thing for us is that in the last three games besides Oglethorpe, we’ve been able to pull away in the second half,” Ridder said. “I think it’s really a mental thing (more than stamina). This is probably the highest IQ group of players I’ve coached. They know what we’re trying to do on offense and defense and they know how to keep things rolling through the second half.”

The two most impressive wins of the streak came against Appalachian State and Elon. In the game against Elon — a team that has taken down multiple other Southern Conference foes — Mercer kept its foot on the gas and scored 49 points in the second half after going into the half behind by 4 points.

Baraka Okojie, who has helmed the offense and been a crucial part of the team’s chemistry, according to Ridder, scored a career-high 29 points against Elon and added on 10 assists. Okojie is leading the team in both points (17.9) and assists (5.9) per game. 

“You know every team’s gotta have a great point guard, and in my opinion he’s the best point guard in our league,” Ridder said of Okojie. “He really helps us click. He’s just a connector and a great athlete both scoring and running the offense.”

Armani Mighty, aptly, has been a talented big for the Bears with several double-digit rebound performances and an impressive five double-doubles so far this year, the latest coming against Oglethorpe.

“With Armani, I’m not sure there’s a more dominating forward in our league at this point,” Ridder said. “He’s physical, he works on both sides of the ball and he’s a sponge in practice. He wants to learn so much and works really hard.”

It’s not just the team’s leaders that are stepping up, though. Zaire Williams scored 21 points in the win over Appalachian State. Sophomore captain Brady Shoulders has played valuable minutes and put up double-digit scoring efforts against Elon and Georgia State. Quinton Perkins II has averaged 12.4 points per game thus far.

“Everybody on that roster right now, whether it’s big minutes or small minutes they’re getting, is committed to playing Mercer basketball right now,” Ridder said. “Everybody is chipping in and playing at a really high clip.”

With a three-point oriented brand of basketball, the Bears have needed the poise.

“From the collective group, there’s just never any panic. We’re not making any rash decisions. You would see it if you were in the huddle or on the floor with us — these guys just keep playing no matter what. They stay level-headed,” Ridder said.

The Bears are hot at the right time. Mercer has a grueling road trip looming that begins with a tough matchup against Clemson on Saturday before a game against UCF on Dec. 17 in Orlando and a lengthy trip to Pullman, Washington to take on Washington State on Dec. 20.

“Our guys are fired up for a good stretch of games,” Ridder said. “We know those are tough opponents. We’ve had a good stretch of games and are just excited to test ourselves.”

The first opponent of that stretch could be the toughest team Mercer will face for the rest of the season. Clemson lost its two most recent games, but did so by slim margins against formidable opponents in No. 12 Alabama and No. 10 BYU, the latter loss coming on a buzzer-beater against the Cougars on Tuesday.

“They’ve also blown out every mid-major they’ve played so far this year,” Ridder said of the Tigers. “Our job is to go put our hard hats on and go to work. It’s a challenge. We’re hoping that second half is real competitive with how we’ve been playing recently.”

The Bears are set to tip off against Clemson on the road at 3 p.m. Saturday.