ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) Jalyn McCreary had 11 points in Mercer Bears's 66-41 win over Citadel on Friday night in the opening game of the Southern Conference tournament.

Mercer, the No. 8 seed, advances to face top-seeded Furman in the quarterfinal round Saturday.

McCreary shot 5 of 14 from the field for the Bears (13-18). Michael Zanoni scored 10 points while shooting 3 for 8, including 2 for 6 from beyond the arc. Shannon Grant recorded nine points and was 2 of 3 shooting and 5 of 8 from the free throw line. The victory broke a five-game skid for the Bears.

Madison Durr led the way for the Bulldogs (10-21) with 19 points. David Maynard added nine points for The Citadel Bulldogs. In addition, Stephen Clark finished with six points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Mercer took the lead with 17:36 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. Kamar Robertson led his team in scoring with five points in the first half to help put them up 27-10 at the break. Mercer pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a 16-point lead to 24 points. They outscored Citadel by eight points in the final half, as McCreary led the way with a team-high nine second-half points.

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