NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Phillip Leonard scored 14 points to lead Mercer to a 71-61 win over Tulane at The Challenge in Music City on Thursday night.
Ethan Stair added 12 points and Jestin Lewis had 11, while Desmond Ringer and Stephon Jelks pumped in 10 apiece for the Bears (4-1).
Mercer shot 52 percent from the field on 48 attempts and controlled the boards 38-23. Jelks also had 10 rebounds.
Trailing by a point midway through the first half, Mercer took control with a 19-2 run that included a 3-pointer from Jelks and stretched across both sides of the break to make it 35-19 with 17:51 left to play. The Bears hung on to the lead the rest of the way.
Tulane (2-3) was led by Louis Dabney's 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Dylan Osetkowski added 13 points and Cameron Reynolds had 11 for the Green Wave.
