MACON, Ga. – Wofford and Mercer delivered one of the best performances of the young Southern Conference men's basketball season Saturday evening. Two of the league's premier programs went toe to toe through regulation and overtime, each team answering one big shot with another.
 
Mercer's Desmond Ringer scored with 8 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. In the extra period, he struck again, putting Mercer ahead by one point with 15.1 seconds remaining.
 
Wofford's Spencer Collins, already with 30 points, had the ball in his hands for the game's final possession. Collins dribbled across the top of the key, shook his defender and launched a 3-pointer at the horn, but it was no good and Mercer (14-4, 4-1 SoCon) defeated Wofford (7-11, 4-2 SoCon), 70-69, in front of a record-setting crowd at Hawkins Arena.
 
"What a fabulous college basketball game," were the first words from Wofford head coach Mike Young in his postgame radio interview. "That was two teams playing the right way and two teams making big play after big play.
 
"For the first time, I saw us play with a championship level of effort and toughness. We're going to keep getting better and keep chipping away at it. We're going to win a lot of ball games and when it matters most, we'll be fine."
 
Collins shot 10-of-22 from the field and 8-of-15 from beyond the arc to set a new career-high with 30 points. His final 3-point basket that gave Wofford the lead in overtime pushed the senior over 1,500 career points, becoming the 13th player in program history to reach the plateau. Collins' previous single-game-high of 26 points came in the very same arena, a game which the Terriers won, 76-72, last February 26.
 
"Spencer Collins was awesome," added Young on the senior from Easley, S.C. "I got exactly the shot that I wanted to get on that final possession. He missed it, but I tell you what, he didn't miss many today."
 
Wofford also had a chance to win at the end of regulation. After Ringer tied the game, Coach Young called time to set up the potential game-winning shot, but Mercer defended it well. Justin Gordon wound up driving the lane and putting up a floater that landed short off the front rim.
 
In a game that saw great individual performances, Eric Garcia put together a career day. The junior point guard recorded a collegiate-best 21 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from long range. Garcia also dished out a career-high nine assists without committing a single turnover.
 
Ringer was the difference maker for Mercer. Along with his two clutch shots, the 6-foot-9 sophomore shot 10-of-11 from the floor for a team-high 21 points. He was joined in double figures by 18 points from junior Jestin Lewis and 14 from junior Phillip Leonard. Sophomore Stephon Jelks, the team leader in scoring and rebounding, was limited to just three points on 1-of-9 shooting, but did have an impact with a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
Wofford shot 40 percent to Mercer's 53 percent. The Terriers made up for it by making a dozen 3-pointers at a 41-percent clip and turning the ball over just seven times. It was a huge improvement from the 18 turnovers Wofford was averaging through its last two games.
 
Collins started by scoring the first eight Wofford points. Garcia followed from long range and baskets by Gordon and freshman Fletcher Magee tied things up at 15 at the 10:00 mark of the first half.
 
Wofford went cold. It took 4 minutes, 26 seconds for the Terriers to score after Magee's layup. However, when Garcia ended the drought, the Terriers were only down two points. A Magee triple and another Garcia jumper put Wofford right back on top.
 
The Terriers led 30-26 at halftime. Collins had 11 and Garcia was also already in double figures with 10.
 
Seniors Gordon and C.J. Neumann pushed Wofford's lead to eight points with the first two baskets of the second half. Less than 4 minutes later, Mercer had tied it back up with an 8-0 run.
 
Collins answered Mercer's run with one of his eight triples, sparking a 9-2 run that put the Terriers back in front by seven. Collins scored eight of the nine points on the run without missing.
 
Once more, Mercer came back. This time, it came in the form of a 10-2 run to take the lead. Lewis hit two 3-pointers for Mercer's first eight points of the run before Ringer was good in the paint to put the Bears on top 46-45.
 
Collins and Lewis entertained the crowd by going shot for shot through the final minutes. Each player answered one go-ahead 3-pointer with another. Collins put Wofford ahead twice and both times Lewis answered on the other end.
 
Lewis put Mercer ahead by four, 60-56, with 2:00 left in regulation, but the game was far from over. Another momentum shift followed as Garcia hit from mid-range to make it a one-possession game. The Terriers got a stop on defense and Garcia was good again, this time burying a 3-point shot to put Wofford in front, 61-60, with 51 seconds left. Another stop on defense and two good free throws by Collins made it a 3-point game with less than 30 seconds to play.
 
Mercer raced down the floor, scored quickly and fouled Neumann with 18 ticks on the clock. Neumann went 1-for-2 at the line, setting up Ringer's game-tying shot to force overtime.
 
The extra 5 minutes was no different from the first 40. Mercer took the first lead, but Collins answered with a 3-ball to put the seesaw back in motion. Two free throws by Garcia put Wofford up 69-66 with 2:18 to play.
 
It was Wofford's final points of the game. Leonard scored to pull Mercer within a point with just over a minute left. Both of Collins' 3-point shots in the final minute were off and Ringer was able to win the game for Mercer.
 
The Terriers host Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Wofford's next Southern Conference game isn't until next Saturday, January 23, at Furman.
 
Terrier Notes:
- Collins scored a career-high 30 points. It was the first 30-point game by a Terrier since Karl Cochran scored 33 in a win at Chattanooga on January 5, 2015. Collins' 10 made field goals were also the most since Cochran had 12 in the same game.
- Collins became the 13th player in Terrier history to reach 1,500 career points.
- Wofford had two players score 20+ points for the first time since January 25, 2014, when Collins and Cochran scored 20 and 22, respectively, at Furman.
- Garcia's nine assists were the most since Brad Loesing had 10 on January 30, 2012 against Western Carolina.
- It was Wofford's first overtime game since January 9, 2014 at The Citadel. It was Wofford's first overtime loss since February 4, 2012 against Samford.
- Hawkins Arena set a new single-game attendance record with an announced crowd of 4,502.