MACON, Ga. (School Release) - The Mercer men's basketball team ramped up its preparation for the 2012-13 season with its annual Orange and White game on Sunday afternoon at Stratford Academy.
The squad was split into two teams for the contest, which featured two 15-minute periods. Bud Thomas, T.J. Hallice, Langston Hall, Chris Smith, Daniel Coursey, Anthony White, Jr. and Darious Moten comprised the Orange team while Travis Smith, Kevin Canevari, Jakob Gollon, Jibri Bryan, Monty Brown, Dylan Poston, Ike Nwamu and Lawrence Brown made up the White team.
Thomas led the victorious Orange team in scoring with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. The Highlands Ranch, Colo. native also went 2-of-4 from three-point territory and contributed three rebounds and two steals in a winning effort.
Gollon paced the White team in scoring, matching Thomas with 13 points of his own on a 5-of-9 showing from the field. The Stevens Point, Wis. product also nailed a game-high three three-pointers to go along with four rebounds.
Joining Thomas and Gollon in double-figures in the contest were Coursey (11 points, six rebounds and three blocks) and Monty Brown (10 points, six rebounds and three steals).
After leading 29-20 at halftime, the White team increased its lead to 11 points, at 31-20, when Travis Smith canned a mid-range jumper with 14:50 left in the second half.
It would be all Orange from that point forward, however, as they out-scored the White team by a 32-16 advantage the rest of the way. The Orange team took the lead for good when White Jr. hit a jumper to make the score 41-39 with 5:25 left in the game.
Both teams played well down low, with the Orange team holding a slight 29-20 edge in points in the paint. Both squads also crashed the boards hard, coming away with 10 offensive rebounds apiece.
The next time Mercer returns to the court it will be the real deal, as it hosts Sewanee on November 10 as part of homecoming weekend. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Hawkins Arena.