LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) - Ria’n Holland had 16 points and Stephon Jelks added 13 with 11 rebounds as Mercer held off VMI 62-56 to gets its third straight win and even its Southern Conference record on Thursday night.
Holland hit 4 of 7 from deep, making 6 of 11 field goal attempts. Demetre Rivers added 13 points and Desmond Ringer grabbed 11 rebounds for Mercer (10-9, 3-3).
Coach Bob Hoffman picked up his 500th career victory, 189 of which have come at Mercer.
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The Bears took the lead for good when Jordan Strawberry nailed a 3 with 6:58 left in the first half. VMI stayed within striking distance but never regained the lead.
VMI’s Keith Smith drilled a 3-pointer to close to 59-56 with 43 seconds left. Strawberry made three free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Bubba Parham had 18 points and Smith added 17 for VMI (5-12, 0-6).
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