Tuesday, November 6
Birmingham, Ala.
8 p.m.
Mercer University
0-1
67
at
75
UAB
1-0
1
2
F
Mercer
25
42
67
UAB
34
41
75
Team Stats
MER
UAB
FG%
.356
.389
3FG%
.231
.174
FT%
.760
.829
RB
34
46
TO
18
18
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballPhoto by: Michael Wade
Mercer Shows Fight In 75-67 Opening Road Loss at UAB
11/6/2018 11:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bears’ Youthful Squad Displays Grit And Promise In Season Opener
BIRMINGHAM, AL – Featuring a squad of 10 newcomers, including eight freshmen, Mercer hung tough with a talented University of Alabama at Birmingham squad before dropping a 75-67 season opener Tuesday night at Bartow Arena.
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First-year player Djordje Dimitrijevic led the Bears with 19 points in 20 minutes of action. Ethan Stair (12) and Jaylen Stowe (11) also scored in double figures. Freshman DJ Peavy came off the bench to score nine.
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UAB had four players score in double figures, led by Jalen Perry with 16. All-Conference performer Zach Bryant tallied 12 while Tavin Lovan and Lewis Sullivan scored 10 apiece. Makhtar Gueye pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
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The Blazers won the battle of the boards 46-34 and also knocked down 29 of 35 free throws.
Mercer took an early 12-8 lead in the first half thanks to back to back baskets by freshmen Fardaws Aimaq and DJ Peavy, with Peavy's bucket coming from behind the three-point arc. The Bears held a 16-14 lead before UAB went on a 14-4 run to grab a 28-20 advantage. The Blazers' Tyreek Scott-Grayson drained a three-ball at the 2:21 mark to put UAB up 31-22. UAB took a 34-25 lead into the locker room. Playing a host of freshmen in the opening stanza, the Bears displayed flashes of promise despite turning the ball over 14 times.
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UAB ran out to a 46-31 lead on a pair of Zach Bryant free throws with 14:15 remaining. The Bears then responded with a 9-0 run to slice the lead to 46-40. UAB's Jalen Perry knocked down consecutive three-point baskets in a span of 45 seconds to lift the Blazers back out to a double digit lead. Scott-Grayson's layup increased the lead to 16 at 66-50 with 2:29 left. Mercer wouldn't go away; however, as the Bears turned up the defensive pressure and cut the lead to six at 71-65 on two free throws by Marcus Cohen with 35 seconds remaining. The Bears misfired on several three-point attempts at the end and UAB prevailed 75-67.Â
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
First-year player Djordje Dimitrijevic scored a game-high 19 points in his Mercer debut. The 6-2 guard from Serbia hit five of 10 from the field and eight of 10 from the free throw line.
NOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "UAB is really big, long and athletic. We had some opportunities to make some layups in the first half and we didn't capitalize. We were determined; we weren't just going to walk out of here. We have a lot of film for these young players to learn from. Our guys responded and played better in the second half. UAB is the type of team that when they get some separation, their shots come a little easier. When we got into some rhythm; that's when we looked better. We will shoot the three a lot better than we did tonight. (On the play of Djordje Dimitrijevic) He's a tough nut. He can hit floaters with people on him. I got on him at halftime and he responded. Ethan (Stair) played well. Jaylen (Stowe) was a horse and came up with some big defensive plays. We should have gotten Ross (Cummings) some better shots than we did. The speed of the game got us a little tonight. I think the biggest think they learned was that they need to have a tougher mindset. We are going to have some growing pains. I need to figure out how to be more patient. I see a lot of promise in these guys. We will learn and get better."
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer returns home to host Piedmont College Friday, Nov. 9 with tipoff time set for 7 p.m. (ET) at Hawkins Arena.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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.
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First-year player Djordje Dimitrijevic led the Bears with 19 points in 20 minutes of action. Ethan Stair (12) and Jaylen Stowe (11) also scored in double figures. Freshman DJ Peavy came off the bench to score nine.
Â
UAB had four players score in double figures, led by Jalen Perry with 16. All-Conference performer Zach Bryant tallied 12 while Tavin Lovan and Lewis Sullivan scored 10 apiece. Makhtar Gueye pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Â
The Blazers won the battle of the boards 46-34 and also knocked down 29 of 35 free throws.
Mercer took an early 12-8 lead in the first half thanks to back to back baskets by freshmen Fardaws Aimaq and DJ Peavy, with Peavy's bucket coming from behind the three-point arc. The Bears held a 16-14 lead before UAB went on a 14-4 run to grab a 28-20 advantage. The Blazers' Tyreek Scott-Grayson drained a three-ball at the 2:21 mark to put UAB up 31-22. UAB took a 34-25 lead into the locker room. Playing a host of freshmen in the opening stanza, the Bears displayed flashes of promise despite turning the ball over 14 times.
Â
UAB ran out to a 46-31 lead on a pair of Zach Bryant free throws with 14:15 remaining. The Bears then responded with a 9-0 run to slice the lead to 46-40. UAB's Jalen Perry knocked down consecutive three-point baskets in a span of 45 seconds to lift the Blazers back out to a double digit lead. Scott-Grayson's layup increased the lead to 16 at 66-50 with 2:29 left. Mercer wouldn't go away; however, as the Bears turned up the defensive pressure and cut the lead to six at 71-65 on two free throws by Marcus Cohen with 35 seconds remaining. The Bears misfired on several three-point attempts at the end and UAB prevailed 75-67.Â
Â
PLAYER OF THE GAME
First-year player Djordje Dimitrijevic scored a game-high 19 points in his Mercer debut. The 6-2 guard from Serbia hit five of 10 from the field and eight of 10 from the free throw line.
NOTABLES
- The Bears feature one of the youngest teams in the Southern Conference. Mercer's roster has 10 newcomers, including eight freshmen. Five of the freshmen saw action against UAB. Center Fardaws Aimaq saw 18 minutes of action, scoring five points and grabbing five rebounds. Peavy hit all three of his field goals and both of his free throw attempts enroute to scoring nine points in 12 minutes of playing time.
- Stair had a solid season opener, connecting on four of six field goals and pulling down six rebounds.
- Stowe led the Bears in rebounding with seven caroms.
- Marcus Cohen dished out a team-high four assists
- Ross Cummings, a preseason All-SoCon selection, was held to just two points on one of seven shooting from the floor.
- The Bears were able to connect on just six of 26 three-point attempts.
Coach Bob Hoffman – "UAB is really big, long and athletic. We had some opportunities to make some layups in the first half and we didn't capitalize. We were determined; we weren't just going to walk out of here. We have a lot of film for these young players to learn from. Our guys responded and played better in the second half. UAB is the type of team that when they get some separation, their shots come a little easier. When we got into some rhythm; that's when we looked better. We will shoot the three a lot better than we did tonight. (On the play of Djordje Dimitrijevic) He's a tough nut. He can hit floaters with people on him. I got on him at halftime and he responded. Ethan (Stair) played well. Jaylen (Stowe) was a horse and came up with some big defensive plays. We should have gotten Ross (Cummings) some better shots than we did. The speed of the game got us a little tonight. I think the biggest think they learned was that they need to have a tougher mindset. We are going to have some growing pains. I need to figure out how to be more patient. I see a lot of promise in these guys. We will learn and get better."
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer:Â (0-1, 0-0 SoCon)
- UAB:Â (1-0, 0-0 C-USA)
Mercer returns home to host Piedmont College Friday, Nov. 9 with tipoff time set for 7 p.m. (ET) at Hawkins Arena.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's 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.
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