No. 1 UNCG 77, No. 5 ETSU 65

ASHEVILLE. N.C. – UNC Greensboro picked an opportune time to have its best 3-point shooting performance of the season, and the result was a 77-65 win over ETSU in the semifinal round of the 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship presented by General Shale Brick at Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville.
 
The top-seeded Spartans (20-8) shot 50 percent from beyond the 3-point line and made a season-high 12 treys to advance to Monday's title game, a 7 p.m. tipoff against either No. 6 VMI or No. 7 Mercer.
 
Two-time league Player of the Year Isaiah Miller as usual did a little bit of everything for UNCG, finishing with a game-high 21 points, along with seven rebounds and five assists.
 
His baskets included a pair of 3-pointers and a couple of spectacular dunks from the 6-0 senior guard.
 
No. 4 seed ETSU (13-12) struggled to guard the Spartans' long-range shooting while also failing to defend their 2020 title.
 
The Buccaneers trailed the entire second half but cut the deficit to five points twice, the last at 68-63 with 3:17 remaining.
 
But the Spartans, who had made just one of their last 10 field-goal attempts and hadn't made a basket in over four minutes, got a 3-pointer from Keyshaun Langley in the final two minutes to help his team hold on.
 
Ty Brewer finished with 15 points and nine rebounds for the Bucs.
 
A flurry of 15 3-pointers ended with Miller's long-range bomb at the buzzer to give the Spartans a 40-39 lead at intermission.
 
ETSU opened up a 28-19 lead 12 minutes into the game, making 6-of-12 treys.
 
UNCG responded with a 16-4 run to take the lead, making five straight baskets during the surge. Three of those buckets were 3-pointers from freshman reserve guard A.J. McGinnis.
 
The Spartans made 8-of-15 3-pointers in the first half, while ETSU was 7-of-19 from long range.

No. 7 Mercer 73, No. 6 VMI 59
   
ASHEVILLE. N.C. – Three games, three nights, three wins – Mercer continued its improbable run to a league title Sunday night with a 73-59 win over VMI in the semifinal round of the 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship presented by General Shale Brick at Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville.
 
The seventh-seeded Bears (18-10) will attempt Monday night to become the first SoCon team since Clemson in 1939 to win the title by taking four games in four days when they battle No. 1 seed UNC Greensboro (20-8) for the tournament championship and automatic NCAA berth in a 7 p.m. tipoff televised nationally by ESPN.
 
A strong game from guard Neftali Alvarez and a big edge in 3-point shooting put the Bears in the title game for the first time joining the conference in 2014-15. Back when the SoCon allowed non-members to participate in its tournament, Mercer played in the 1922 title game, falling to North Carolina, 40-25, in the first championship since the formation of the league a year earlier.
 
Alvarez had 23 points and Mercer made 11-of-31 from beyond the 3-point line, while No. 6 seed VMI struggled from long-range, making just 4-of-25 attempts.
 
Felipe Haase added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Bears. Myles Lewis finished with a double-double for the Keydets, with 24 points and 14 rebounds. 
 
A sizeable advantage in 3-point shooting allowed the Bears to take a 33-26 lead at intermission.
 
Mercer made 7-of-18 from beyond the 3-point line, while the Keydets were just 1-of-12 from long range.
 
Kamar Robertson, Alvarez and Haase each hit a pair of treys for Mercer in the opening 20 minutes. 
 
The Bears jumped out to an early 22-11 lead before VMI responded with a 12-2 run to cut the deficit.
 
But Mercer answered with 3-pointers from Alvarez and Haase to set the halftime advantage. 
 
Mercer, just 2-6 in SoCon tournament play as a member of the league before this week, kept a comfortable lead for almost the entire second half.
 
Showing little fatigue from using just seven and six players in their last two games, the Bears finished strong by making six of their last eight shots from the field.
   
2021 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship presented by General Shale Brick schedule
Friday, March 5 (ESPN+)
Game 1 - (8) The Citadel 100, (9) Western Carolina 68
Game 2 - (7) Mercer 87, (10) Samford 59
 
Saturday, March 6 (ESPN+/Nexstar)
Game 3 - (1) UNCG 80, (8) The Citadel 70
Game 4 - (5) ETSU 63, (4) Chattanooga 53
Game 5 - (7) Mercer 62, (2) Wofford 61
Game 6 - (6) VMI 91, (3) Furman 90 (OT)
 
Sunday, March 7 (ESPNU)
Game 7 - (1) UNCG 77, (5) ETSU 65
Game 8 - (7) Mercer 73, (6) VMI 59
 
Monday, March 8 (ESPN)
Game 8 - (1) UNCG vs. (7) Mercer, 7 p.m.