Stair has double-double, Mercer pulls away from ETSU 71-55

Ethan Stair scored 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Mercer to a 71-55 win over East Tennessee State on Wednesday night.

Djordje Dimitrijevic led the Bears (11-11, 5-4 Southern Conference), who won their fifth straight, with 18 points, Maciej Bender added 14 and Victor Bafutto 10 points.

Dimitrijevic had a 3-pointers and a 3-point play on consecutive possessions to give Mercer an 11-point lead with just under eight minutes to go in the first half. The Buccaneers scored the last six points of the half to pull within 36-34.

Mercer went 12 of 18 from the field in the second half and outrebounded ETSU 25-11 to pull away.

Bo Hodges had 12 points for the Buccaneers (18-4, 7-2), whose five-game winning streak was snapped. Lucas N'Guessan added 11 points and Daivien Williamson 10.