Box Score
The Chicago State men's basketball team lost their home opener 66-61 to Mercer Thursday night at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago. The Cougars never led and trailed by double digits but battled back to a one-point deficit on several occasions and had possession with a chance to tie or take the lead but came up just short in the five-point loss.
Wesley Cardet led the Cougars with 17 points,
Jahsean Corbett added 16 and
Deshawn Jean-Charles rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15. Corbett recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds to lead all players while Cardet pulled down nine and had a team-high five assists.
1st Half - Mercer 33, Chicago State 30
-Mercer jumped out to a 5-0 and 7-1 lead three minutes into the game, the only Cougars point courtesy of a
Jahsean Corbett free throw
-
Cameron Jernigan scored the first Cougars bucket on a dunk to pull CSU within five, 8-3
-Wesley Cardet extended the modest Cougars run with a three and it was a two-point game, 8-6
-Two Bears free throws led to a traditional three-point play by
Deshawn Jean-Charles who converted a layup and the plus one to pull the Cougars with one, 10-9
-At the point, Mercer went on a 7-0 run to extend the lead to eight, 17-9, with 11:13 remaining in the half
-The Cougars countered with a 4-0 run on back-to-back dunks, one by Jean-Charles and another by
Brent Davis
-Mercer countered with a three to go back up seven, 20-13, at the 10:18 mark
-Davis then converted a pair of free throws to pull CSU within five, 20-15
-Following a Mercer made free throw, Davis hit a three and it was 21-18 with 7:21 to play
-Wesley Cardet made two free throws then the Bears went on a 6-0 to go back up nine, 29-20, at the 3:20 mark
-Cardet then made a pullup jumper and Corbett made two free throws and a jumper capped by a Davis free throw which pulled CSU with two, 29-27, at the 1:33 mark
-The Bears responded with a bucket and two free throws and the Cougars responded with a Corbett layup and free throw to cap the scoring in the first half with Mercer leading 33-30
2nd Half - Mercer 33, Chicago State 31
-Chicago State opened the scoring with a free throw and driving layup by Corbett and the score was tied for the first time since the early going, 33-33
-Mercer then went on an 10-0 run over the next four minutes before a Mercer turnover led to a powerful Cardet dunk and it was 43-35 at the 14:32 mark
-The Bears scored six of the next eight to extend the lead to 12, 49-37, with 11:54 left to play
-Corbett then made a layup followed by a Jean-Charles three and the 5-0 run cut the lead to 49-42
-Mercer hit a three, Corbett countered with a bucket and the Bears scored again to go back up 10, 54-44
-
A.J. Neal hit two free throws and Jean-Charles converted a driving layup to start a 9-0 Cougars run and only trail by one, 54-53
-Mercer stopped the run with a driving layup to go up three, 56-53 with 3:34 remaining in regulation
-Cardet made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one and the Bears made one of two on the other end giving CSU possession with a chance to tie or take the lead but missed a pair from beyond the three-point arc and the Bears gained possession and hit a three as the shot clock expired and were up five, 60-55, with 1:53 remaining
-Jean-Charles then hit a three and it was back to a two-point game, 60-58
-Mercer converted six free throws down the stretch to go up 66-59 with 13 seconds left to play and two Cardet free throws closed out the scoring with the Bears earning a five-point win, 66-61
Mercer 66, Chicago State 61
The Cougars will be back in action Sunday, November 12, traveling to Evansville, Indiana to face the University of Southern Indiana at Screaming Eagles Arena at 3:30 p.m.
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University Athletics is composed of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994.
Follow the Cougars
For complete coverage of Chicago State University athletics, follow us on social media @ChiStateCougars (Twitter), @ChiStateCougars (Instagram), /ChiStateCougars (Facebook), or visit the official home of Chicago State athletics at GoCSUCougars.com.
