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RALEIGH, N. Steve Atwater Orange Jersey .C. -- Dunk City is long gone. Make way for the next bunch of bracket busters from the little-known Atlantic Sun Conference: Mercer. The 8,300-student school from Macon, Ga., delivered the biggest shocker in an already topsy-turvy NCAA tournament on Friday, going into Dukes backyard and knocking off the No. 3 seed Blue Devils 78-71. "This," Atlantic Sun player of the year Langston Hall said, "is what March Madness is all about." The 14th-seeded Bears -- with a starting lineup of five seniors -- came back from five points down in the last 4:52 as Dukes offence collapsed. They sent home one of the true blue-blood programs, coached by Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski and starring freshman Jabari Parker, sure to be one of the top NBA picks this year. Mercer is coached by former Oklahoma Baptist player Bob Hoffman, who has banged around the coaching ranks from womens teams to the American Basketball Association to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Developmental League. Next up: 11th-seeded Tennessee, which upset sixth-seeded Massachusetts 86-67, on Sunday in the third round. Jakob Gollon scored 20 points and Daniel Coursey scored 17, helping the Bears overcome a season-high 15 3-pointers from Duke. Mercer qualified for its first NCAA tournament since 1985 by winning the Atlantic Sun conference championship over Florida Gulf Coast, nicknamed "Dunk City" for the teams above-the-rim offence. A year earlier, the Bears lost that game and watched FGCU advance to the Sweet 16. "When they were going on their run, we were sitting at home thinking, Man, that could have been us," Anthony White Jr. said. Now it is. Mercer scored 11 straight points during the late 20-5 run that clinched the biggest victory in school history and sent the Blue Devils to their second first-game exit in three years. Quinn Cook scored 23 points and Rasheed Sulaimon added 20 for Duke. But their defence -- an uncharacteristic weakness all season -- did them in again while all those Mercer seniors simply got any shot they wanted. The Bears shot 56 per cent -- 58 per cent in the second half. "Theyre a team thats been together a long time," Duke forward Rodney Hood said. "They sliced us up. Theres no other way to put it." Duke went up 63-58 with 4:52 left after Parker converted a three-point play and Tyler Thornton hit three free throws. The Blue Devils didnt score again until the final minute. "I dont know if we panicked," senior Andre Dawkins said, "but we didnt do the things we needed to do." Like score. Or defend. Coursey countered by rattling in a jumper in the lane, and after two empty possessions for Duke, some slick ball rotation by Mercer set up Whites open 3 that tied it at 63. Hood picked up his fourth foul on the Bears next possession and Gollon hit two free throws to put Mercer ahead for good. By that point, Duke could do nothing right. Parker missed a 3-pointer in traffic before Hood was called for walking, leading White to give a fist-pump to those noisy Mercer fans who stood all day. The Bears hit 12 of 14 free throws in the final 2 minutes to seal it. After the buzzer sounded, the Bears players formed a circle on the sideline and danced. In the middle was guard Kevin Canevari, a Charlotte native whos one of the seven seniors on the roster. "We were confident all week," Canevari said. "We dont really look at it like were an underdog in this tournament. Obviously, everyones a great team, theres already been so many upsets." White finished with 13 points, and A-Sun player of the year Langston Hall and Ike Nwamu added 11 apiece for Mercer. Watching Florida Gulf Coast upset Georgetown and San Diego State last year gave the Bears an off-seasons worth of fuel. Hoffman said his players "worked harder than any team in the country individually to get a chance to get back to the same moment." Mercer has 1,176 wins as a program -- only 191 more than Krzyzewski has all by himself. Parker, one of a long list of high school All-Americans on Coach Ks roster, finished what might have been his final college game with 14 points. Hood -- a redshirt sophomore who also could be headed to the pros -- had just six points. Duke has been to 11 Final Fours and has four national titles under Krzyzewski, but his Blue Devils have lost their first tournament game five times. Parker said he doesnt know what his future plans are. Hood said he also was undecided because "I thought Id be playing after today." Michael Schofield Jersey . -- The Grenadiers de Chateauguay will play for gold after defeating the Toronto Young Nationals 6-1 on Saturday in the Telus Cup mens midget hockey championship semifinal. Julius Thomas Navy Blue Jersey . The Canadian defence was ripped apart on all three goals at Craven Cottage, the west London home to English Premier League side Fulham. The loss stretched Canadas winless streak to 12 games (0-9-3) during which time it has been outscored 24-2.Belgium striker Christian Benteke was ruled out of the World Cup after rupturing his Achilles tendon in training with English Premier League team Aston Villa on Thursday. Benteke will undergo surgery and "will be out for a minimum of six months," Villa said in a statement. It is a major blow for Belgiums chances in Brazil, with the 23-year Benteke having been battling with Romelu Lukaku to be the teams main striker. "Wishing you all the strength you need," Belgium captain Vincent Kompany said on Twitter, "and I hope you will recover quickly! Were all with you together." Belgium, which has emerged as one of the top teams in Europe in recent years, is well stocked in most departments in its squad but has a dearth of proven, all-out strikers. The powerful Benteke is Villas ttop scorer in this campaign with 11 goals, although he has struggled to recapture the form that made him one of the Premier Leagues most lethal strikers last season. John Elway Jersey For Sale. Fitness permitting, Lukaku and Benteke would have been fierce rivals to start in Belgiums opening Group H game against Algeria on June 17, especially after Lukakus superb season with Everton on loan from Chelsea. Russia and South Korea are the other teams in the group. "Its a terrible blow both for Christian and for the club," Villa manager Paul Lambert said. "He will miss the rest of the season, obviously, and also the World Cup. "But hell work hard because thats what he does and hell come back for us stronger than ever next season." Lukaku has scored six goals in 18 games for Belgium. ' ' ' |
