Sunday, November 13
Jacksonville, Fla.
8:00 PM ET
Mercer University
1-1
54
vs
76
Florida
2-0
1
2
F
Mercer
14
40
54
Florida
36
40
76
Team Stats
MER
UF
FG%
.373
.361
3FG%
.368
.320
FT%
.529
.800
RB
32
47
TO
17
13
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
Mercer Falls to Florida, 76-54
11/13/2016 10:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ria'n Holland scored a game-high 21 points but Mercer could not overcome a slow start in a 76-54 loss to Florida at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville Sunday evening.
The Bears (1-1) and Gators (2-0) were even in second half scoring as each team put up 40 but a 22-point deficit at halftime kept Mercer spending most of the game trying to climb back into contention.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ria'n Holland has played two games in a Mercer uniform and has two games with 20-plus points to his credit. The redshirt junior scored 21 to lead all players in scoring Sunday night as he drained five shots from behind the arc in the second half alone.
STAT OF THE GAME
Look to rebounds for the deciding factor in this game as Florida posted 20 offensive rebounds and scored 24 second chance points while Mercer only posted 10 offensive rebounds with 12 second chance points. Overall, Mercer was out-rebounded 47-32.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams were slow to start in the first half with each team only shooting 33 percent from the field but Florida took a 22-point lead into half after the Gators hit four 3-pointers while Mercer took until the second half to hit its first three. The Gators were also buoyed by opportunities at the foul line as Florida shot 30 free throws to Mercer's 17.
But it was a full team effort on the box score for Mercer as each of the 12 players that dressed for the game scored at least one point and all but two brought down at least one rebound.
COACH HOFFMAN'S TAKE
"We knew they were long and athletic but once you got on the floor with them you then knew it at a higher level. Their length caused all kinds of problems for us tonight, especially on the glass. The 20 offensive boards, to me, is really the difference in the game. They were running and hitting like trampolines and getting over us because we weren't getting on their bodies."
"I think our team found out a little bit more about ourselves and I think we are going to have a really good season once we figure out all the little nuances of us, what we do and how we do it. I'm excited about the season but not excited about tonight for sure."
On 14 first half points:
"They recovered so well and that's what happens. We would make some good plays and get them moving the wrong way but they could recover so quick because of their length. They could make up for their mistakes so well. That is going to help them for a while, there is no doubt about it. But the 14 points hasn't happened very often to a team I have coached because I like to think we try to score the ball but we couldn't do that in the first half. The second half, we got in a rhythm a little bit, changed a few angles and tried to do some things a little different. It worked well, especially when we put Ria'n Holland at the point and ran some double ball screens. That caused them a little bit of difficulty."
RECORDS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
NOTABLES
The Bears (1-1) and Gators (2-0) were even in second half scoring as each team put up 40 but a 22-point deficit at halftime kept Mercer spending most of the game trying to climb back into contention.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ria'n Holland has played two games in a Mercer uniform and has two games with 20-plus points to his credit. The redshirt junior scored 21 to lead all players in scoring Sunday night as he drained five shots from behind the arc in the second half alone.
STAT OF THE GAME
Look to rebounds for the deciding factor in this game as Florida posted 20 offensive rebounds and scored 24 second chance points while Mercer only posted 10 offensive rebounds with 12 second chance points. Overall, Mercer was out-rebounded 47-32.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams were slow to start in the first half with each team only shooting 33 percent from the field but Florida took a 22-point lead into half after the Gators hit four 3-pointers while Mercer took until the second half to hit its first three. The Gators were also buoyed by opportunities at the foul line as Florida shot 30 free throws to Mercer's 17.
But it was a full team effort on the box score for Mercer as each of the 12 players that dressed for the game scored at least one point and all but two brought down at least one rebound.
COACH HOFFMAN'S TAKE
"We knew they were long and athletic but once you got on the floor with them you then knew it at a higher level. Their length caused all kinds of problems for us tonight, especially on the glass. The 20 offensive boards, to me, is really the difference in the game. They were running and hitting like trampolines and getting over us because we weren't getting on their bodies."
"I think our team found out a little bit more about ourselves and I think we are going to have a really good season once we figure out all the little nuances of us, what we do and how we do it. I'm excited about the season but not excited about tonight for sure."
On 14 first half points:
"They recovered so well and that's what happens. We would make some good plays and get them moving the wrong way but they could recover so quick because of their length. They could make up for their mistakes so well. That is going to help them for a while, there is no doubt about it. But the 14 points hasn't happened very often to a team I have coached because I like to think we try to score the ball but we couldn't do that in the first half. The second half, we got in a rhythm a little bit, changed a few angles and tried to do some things a little different. It worked well, especially when we put Ria'n Holland at the point and ran some double ball screens. That caused them a little bit of difficulty."
RECORDS
- Mercer: 1-1 (0-0 SoCon)
- Florida: 2-0 (0-0 SEC)
- Mercer: hosts Georgia Southern on Sunday, Nov. 20 in Macon, Georgia
- Florida: faces St. Bonaventure on Thursday, Nov. 17 in Lakeland, Florida.
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
NOTABLES
- Mercer is now 8-6 all-time against Florida
- The Bears are now 65-117 all-time against current members of the Southeastern Conference
- The last time Mercer started the season 1-1, the Bears went on to the quarterfinals of the CIT.com Tournament
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