"This team (Mercer) is very disciplined offensively and they make you work," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said. "They turn the ball over from one side of the court to the other multiple times in one shot clock possession.  They set good screens and the play good together."
 
"They are a tournament team and it showed because of their discipline, they play hard on defense and they crash the boards.  We couldn't make a shot and we got out of character shooting the ball fast and not staying with our offense and it played into their hands."
 
ASU did not shoot the ball very well coming out of halftime hitting only one of its first six shots, but Mercer was not any better only hitting one of their first nine.
 
It was there the Hornets begin to cut into the lead as Torloft Thomas hit three consecutive three point field goals and Jamel Waters hit another five points.  Before you knew it ASU had cut into the once 21 point lead and had it down to 50-36 with over seven minutes remaining, but that would be as close as the Hornets could get.
 
"In the second half we starting to compete some, attacked the basket," Jackson said.  "We thought we could get into the lane and get some things going, but we really couldn't match up with them size wise."
 
Thomas and Waters scored 31 of the Hornets 49 points with Thomas' 16 leading the way.  Waters finished with 15 and Steve Rogers had eight, all in the first half.
 
ASU couldn't seem to get a rebound against the taller Bears as Mercer grabbed 49 rebounds compared to only 23 for ASU.  The Hornets were again out shot at the free throw line 18-11.  Mercer hit 14 of their free throws while ASU hit seven.
 
The Hornets finished the game shooting 31 percent from the field and were a little better from beyond the three point line hitting 37 percent.
 
The host team shot 46 percent from the field and had four players in double digits led by Phillip Leonard's 14.  Ethan Stair had 12 and Stephon Jelks and Demetre Rivers had 10 each.
 
The Hornets went over seven minutes without scoring in the opening half as they went from a 12-11 score to trailing 23-11 before scoring again.  Mercer shot 54 percent from the field in building the 37-16 halftime lead.  ASU only shot 19 percent.
 
Rebounding was again a problem as ASU was out rebounded 26-10 and Mercer was able to score eight second chance points off five offensive rebounds.
 
ASU will have a few days off before heading to Florida where they will face another Southern Conference team in Chattanooga.  The two teams will meet Nov. 27 and play an early game at 11 a.m.