MACON, GA. – The Wofford men's basketball team (13-12, 7-5) took down the Mercer Bears (11-14, 4-8) 77-66 on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena. The Terriers used a strong defensive effort to earn the series sweep against Mercer this season.
 
"We told our guys before the game," said head coach Dwight Perry. "In order to win this game, we were going to have to defend at a high level and be mentally tough. Mercer is a really good team. For us to come in here (Hawkins Arena) and get a double-digit win – I am really proud of this group."
 
The Terriers outshot Mercer, finishing the afternoon 40 percent (26-65) from the field while knocking down 12 threes at a 35.4 percent rate. Mercer closed the day out at 39.7 percent (27-68) shooting from the field and only converted on five of the team's 22 three-point attempts.
 
Three double-digit scorers paved the way for the team as Corey Tripp scored 19 points to pace all scorers on the afternoon. The senior guard has now scored 18 or more points in three-straight games. Dillon Bailey registered 11 points for his 11^th consecutive game with double-digit points. Kyler Filewich rounded out the group at 10 points.
 
"Mercer is a tough and scary team to play in the SoCon," said Corey Tripp. "Credit to the guys and the coaches for being able to come to Mercer and get it done today."
 
The bench played a large part in the 11-point win over the Bears with the group totaling 29 points compared to 13 from Mercer. Jeremy Lorenz and Luke Flynn led the effort off the bench, scoring nine points each. Luke Flynn totaled eight points while Kahmare Holmes added three points and four rebounds.
 
Both teams came into the afternoon as two of the top rebounding teams in the SoCon, but it was Wofford claiming the victory on the boards. The Terriers outrebounded Mercer 44-40 and pulled down 15 offensive rebounds. Kyler Filewich paced the team with seven rebounds along with six apiece from Corey Tripp and Jackson Sivills.
 
The Terriers tallied 15 assists on 26 made baskets while holding Mercer to just six helpers on 27 made field goals. Corey Tripp recorded four assists to go along with his 19 points and six rebounds. Kyler Filewich and Jeremy Lorenz followed behind with three assists each.
 
Corey Tripp found Kyler Filewich for the first score of the game by either team as Wofford took a quick 2-0 lead. Mercer responded with seven-straight points to gain its first advantage of the game, but the Terriers cut the deficit to one point after back-to-back threes from Kahmare Holmes and Corey Tripp. Another deep ball from Jeremy Lorenz accompanied by a Corey Tripp layup allowed Wofford to a 13-12 lead with 11:37 left in the half
 
Those two baskets sparked a 9-0 run for Wofford as the team took a five-point lead. The Bears would cut it to four points with 4:25 remaining in the first stanza, however, nine points from the Terriers compared to two by Mercer in the closing minutes of the half enabled the team to take a 38-27 lead into the break.
 
The Terrier defense was stout in the first frame, holding Mercer to just 29.4 percent shooting and 30.8 percent from three.
 
Mercer got on the board first in the final half of play with a free throw, but Justin Bailey hit a pair of his own on the other end. The Bears gained momentum from there, though, embarking on a 10-0 run to cut the Wofford lead to two points with 14:02 left in the contest. Dillon Bailey answered the call, scoring a layup to put a halt to the run. Luke Flynn followed that up with a three-pointer along with Dillon Bailey sinking a deep ball as the Terriers jumped back out to a 10-point advantage.
 
Another three-pointer from Dillon Bailey gave Wofford a 64-47 lead, its largest of the game, with 8:22 remaining in the game. Mercer was not done yet, rattling another 10 points that were unanswered to keep Wofford within striking distance. Corey Tripp scored back-to-back buckets to bring the team a comfortable advantage. Down the stretch, Wofford hit 8-of-9 from the charity stripe to seal a 77-66 win over Mercer.
 
The Terriers will close out their two-game road stint with a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, to take on The Citadel at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night. Wofford will return home for a nationally televised matchup with Samford at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on ESPNU.