Mercer men optimistic after 23-point comeback, women focused on long-term build

Mercer men’s basketball coach Ryan Ridder recalled Monday afternoon that he knew Mercer would win its game against UNC-Greensboro at halftime.

Not a surprising belief, on its face — Ridder talked all season about giving his players confidence and how he thinks they have a great team. He said the group is an adjustment away from being a “championship bunch” Monday.

The reason Ridder’s assertion was a surprise was because, in the game the head coach was referring to, the Bears were down 13 points against UNCG. They had trailed by as much as 23 points in the first half.

No matter how odd it sounds, it didn’t matter, because Ridder was right. Mercer came back and defeated the Spartans 79-78 in yet another thriller in Southern Conference play Jan. 22. Point guard Ahmad Robinson contributed a career-best 33 points, an effort that included a pair of clutch free throws with less than 10 seconds left that gave Mercer the lead.

Even after a loss the following Sunday to put their record at 10-11 overall and 3-5 in conference play, Ridder and the Bears feel they have something here after such a rousing comeback.

“The record’s not where you want it, but I feel like we’re a couple adjustments away from making this thing really special,” the head coach said at Mercer’s athletics press conference Monday afternoon. “I’ve got a healthy respect for everyone in our conference, we’ve talked a lot about the close games. We want to be playing our best basketball in Asheville in the tournament.”

Ridder has made that sentiment known all year, and the nail-biting nature of the Bears’  conference contests so far seems to showcase their ability to keep up with league competition. In interviews all year, players have agreed on the goal being a conference championship.

“They understand the bigger picture,” Ridder said of his team, which he said has endured 13 close games — ones with a final score separated by four points or fewer — so far this year.

Cam Bryant, the team’s go-to defender, has been a key leader in those games, according to Ridder. The 6-foot-7 grad student transferred to Mercer after playing four seasons for Georgia Southern.

“In my experience in college basketball, I’ve never been in a locker room that’s felt more connected,” Bryant said. “The comeback was my favorite part of the year, I’ve never been part of anything like that… It always comes down to the last second, so every detail counts.”

That said, the Bears went on to lose their next contest 79-74 against Furman. Robinson struck again, this time for 24 points in yet another close showdown, but Mercer could not convert either of their two final shots into game-tying buckets.

“Like we said, it’s only a couple of adjustments away. As for what that adjustment is, I don’t think it’s any one single thing to change in every game,” Ridder said. “It’s more just asking the guys to give a little bit, just give 1% more.”

Mercer women focusing on long-term growth during latest skid

The Mercer women’s team could not snap its losing streak over the weekend, falling in a third straight SoCon game with a 57-47 loss to Furman at home Saturday afternoon.

The Bears went without a field goal for the last three minutes of the game, a stretch that doomed them thanks to Furman’s 15 points in the final quarter.

The silver lining was Arianna Bennett, who continued her key breakout season with a 21-point effort in the loss. Bennett is averaging 10.5 points per game, a figure that leads the Bears, while averaging the most offensive rebounds on the team.

“We’re slowly but surely getting better, we’re gradually getting there,” the junior forward said at Mercer’s press conference Monday. “We have to help each other get better… For me, if I’m not shooting well, I need to move more, create looks and help my teammates more.”

Bennett’s focus on growth is one echoed by head coach Michelle Clark-Heard.

“The thing that excites me is that we’re in the games,” Heard said about her team’s performance so far this year. “One thing I can hang my hat on is that when people play us, they know they’re gonna have to play hard… we come in every day trying to get better.”

Nonetheless, the Bears are 6-14 this year with a 1-4 mark in the Southern Conference so far. Even in her first year, Heard wants a better result.

“We knew this wasn’t gonna be a quick fix, but I’m such a competitor, just like everyone, we want to win. I think we have to make some adjustments,” Heard said. “One thing I always talk about is our defense, and I think (it’s) definitely been great for us, but we gotta find ways to put them in a position where we can put the ball in the hole.

“That’s something where I stay up every night, I know the staff does too. We’re working hard to be able to let them continue to have their confidence.”

Mercer has averaged 52.1 points per game this year, the worst mark in the SoCon and more than seven points shy of the next squad ahead of them, East Tennessee State. They rank fourth in the conference in points allowed but still have the highest average point differential.

Heard said she wanted the team to focus more on improving spacing and getting the ball into the hands of standout guards Talia Harris and Nahawa Diarra to fix their shooting woes.

“Our guards, we think are very hard to guard in this league. That’s our job to be able to put them in that position. As a coach, those are things that I love, giving them the confidence to do that,” Heard said. “I know y’all haven’t seen my offensive side of ball yet, but it’s there. We’re gonna continue to keep working on it.”

Mercer will travel to face UNC-Greensboro this Thursday and have another road game Saturday against Western Carolina.