Jones scores 15 in Samford's 70-57 win against Mercer in Southern Conference Tournament

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Rylan Jones and Garrett Hicks scored 15 points each in top-seeded Samford's 70-57 victory over eighth-seeded Mercer on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament.

Jones went 6 of 10 from the field (3 for 5 from 3-point range) for the Bulldogs (27-5). Hicks shot 6 of 10 (3 for 5 from 3-point range). Achor Achor had 12 points and shot 4 of 11 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line.

The Bears (16-17) were led in scoring by David Thomas, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Mercer also got 13 points from Jake Davis. Jalyn McCreary finished with 11 points and two blocks.

Samford took the lead with 11:18 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 37-28 at halftime, with Jones racking up 10 points. Achor scoring a team-high seven points after intermission.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.