Charleston, SC -- (Sports Network) - Marcus Hammond scored 23 points to lead the Charleston Cougars to an 84-74 victory over the Mercer Bears in the opening round of the Cougar Classic.

Andrew Goudelock added 18 points and six assists for Charleston (5-6), while Dustin Scott tallied 16 points to go along with eight rebounds. Donavan Monroe contributed 12 points off the bench for the Cougars.

Brian Pfohl netted 16 points and collected seven boards for Mercer (4-7), while Sam Dolan tallied 15 points in the loss. James Florence posted 13 points, while Calvin Henry chipped in 11 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.

Charleston and Mercer both shot over 40.0 percent in the first half, but neither could take a lead into the break, as the matchup was tied at 37 apiece.

In the second stanza the Cougars connected on 11-of-13 shots from the foul line en route to the 10-point win.

Charleston connected on 11-of-25 three point attempts in the contest, while Mercer made only 3-of-13 shots from behind the arc.