Tuesday, December 18
Gainesville, Fla.
8 p.m.
Mercer University
4-7
63
at
71
Florida
6-4
1
2
F
Mercer
28
35
63
Florida
34
37
71
Team Stats
MER
UF
FG%
.404
.421
3FG%
.304
.364
FT%
.667
.733
RB
34
38
TO
12
12
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Piper Hansen
Mercer Battles To The End, Falls 71-63 at Florida
12/18/2018 10:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mercer’s Stowe records first career double-double
GAINESVILLE, FL – Mercer displayed a warrior like attitude before falling 71-63 to the University of Florida Tuesday night at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
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Down 16 points (60-44) with 5:18 remaining, the Bears dug down and fought their way back into the game to cut the lead to six. Mercer would get within five, 66-61, before Florida held on to post the win.
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Jaylen Stowe recorded his first career double-double, tallying 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Ross Cummings led the Bears in scoring with 18 points, while Marcus Cohen, a native of Tampa, Fla., turned in a solid 10-point performance.
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The Gators connected on 12 three pointers, while the Bears hit seven, and that likely was the difference in the outcome. Noah Locke led Florida with 18 points, hitting five three point baskets. KeVaughn Allen scored 15 while Andrew Nembhard went for 10 and dished out a game-high seven assists. Kevarrius Hayes pulled down 11 rebounds for the Gators.
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Florida jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before Cohen and Cummings began to heat up and get the Bears back into the game. Coach Bob Hoffman also did a masterful job in alternating his team's defensive sets in the first half, which really stymied the Gators on offense. Back to back three point baskets by Djordje Dimitrijevic lifted Mercer to its only lead of the game, 25-23, at the 6:26 mark. The Bears were unable to connect on another field goal the remainder of the half though, going ice cold over the half's final six minutes. Locke's three pointer with two seconds left gave the Gators a 34-28 halftime advantage. Cummings drained three shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes to lead the Mercer scoring attack.
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Florida took a nine-point lead (44-35) on another three pointer by Locke at the 14:20 mark of the second half. Stowe's layup at the 12:08 mark cut the lead to 45-40. Florida then went on a 7-0 run to increase the margin to 12, 52-40. The lead ballooned to 16 at 60-44 before the Bears mounted a rally, going on an 8-0 run to cut the lead in half, 60-52. Ethan Stair converted a steal into a layup at the 1:27 mark to slice the lead to 60-54 and the Bears were in business. Mercer continued to battle against the Gators; with Stowe knocking down a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to draw the Bears within five, 66-61. Florida was able to sink some late free throws though to claim the 71-63 victory to even the overall series at 7-7.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Jaylen Stowe continued his exemplary play of late, with his first career double-double. Stowe tallied 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Over the past four games, Stowe is averaging 15.5 points and eight rebounds.
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NOTABLES
QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "They outplayed us, but our kids played their tails off. He (Jaylen Stowe) continues to be man-sized all over the court. I think our intensity was good and we just have to keep grinding and getting better. We have to stay locked down on defense the entire time and not let up. They hit some big threes; some really tough threes. We have some battlers on this team; we challenged them this week and for the most part, they responded. I loved our effort tonight; I don't like the outcome tonight, but I liked our intensity. We missed some early layups; we've got to hit those. We need a big crowd at home Friday night against UNC Wilmington."
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer returns to Macon to play host to the University of North Carolina Wilmington Friday, Dec. 21. Tipoff time at Hawkins Arena is set for 7 p.m. (ET).
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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Down 16 points (60-44) with 5:18 remaining, the Bears dug down and fought their way back into the game to cut the lead to six. Mercer would get within five, 66-61, before Florida held on to post the win.
Â
Jaylen Stowe recorded his first career double-double, tallying 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Ross Cummings led the Bears in scoring with 18 points, while Marcus Cohen, a native of Tampa, Fla., turned in a solid 10-point performance.
Â
The Gators connected on 12 three pointers, while the Bears hit seven, and that likely was the difference in the outcome. Noah Locke led Florida with 18 points, hitting five three point baskets. KeVaughn Allen scored 15 while Andrew Nembhard went for 10 and dished out a game-high seven assists. Kevarrius Hayes pulled down 11 rebounds for the Gators.
Â
Florida jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before Cohen and Cummings began to heat up and get the Bears back into the game. Coach Bob Hoffman also did a masterful job in alternating his team's defensive sets in the first half, which really stymied the Gators on offense. Back to back three point baskets by Djordje Dimitrijevic lifted Mercer to its only lead of the game, 25-23, at the 6:26 mark. The Bears were unable to connect on another field goal the remainder of the half though, going ice cold over the half's final six minutes. Locke's three pointer with two seconds left gave the Gators a 34-28 halftime advantage. Cummings drained three shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes to lead the Mercer scoring attack.
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Florida took a nine-point lead (44-35) on another three pointer by Locke at the 14:20 mark of the second half. Stowe's layup at the 12:08 mark cut the lead to 45-40. Florida then went on a 7-0 run to increase the margin to 12, 52-40. The lead ballooned to 16 at 60-44 before the Bears mounted a rally, going on an 8-0 run to cut the lead in half, 60-52. Ethan Stair converted a steal into a layup at the 1:27 mark to slice the lead to 60-54 and the Bears were in business. Mercer continued to battle against the Gators; with Stowe knocking down a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to draw the Bears within five, 66-61. Florida was able to sink some late free throws though to claim the 71-63 victory to even the overall series at 7-7.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior guard Jaylen Stowe continued his exemplary play of late, with his first career double-double. Stowe tallied 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Over the past four games, Stowe is averaging 15.5 points and eight rebounds.
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NOTABLES
- Stowe has scored in double figures over the past four games, including a career-high 18 point effort against Georgia Southern.
- Freshman Fardaws Aimaq came off the bench to score four points and grab six rebounds against the Gators.
- Mercer outscored Florida 19-11 over the game's final five minutes.
- Cummings was red-hot from three point land in the opening half, draining three of his four three balls in the first 20 minutes of play.
QUOTABLES
Coach Bob Hoffman – "They outplayed us, but our kids played their tails off. He (Jaylen Stowe) continues to be man-sized all over the court. I think our intensity was good and we just have to keep grinding and getting better. We have to stay locked down on defense the entire time and not let up. They hit some big threes; some really tough threes. We have some battlers on this team; we challenged them this week and for the most part, they responded. I loved our effort tonight; I don't like the outcome tonight, but I liked our intensity. We missed some early layups; we've got to hit those. We need a big crowd at home Friday night against UNC Wilmington."
RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer:Â (4-7, 0-1 SoCon)
- Florida :Â (6-4, 0-0 SEC)
Mercer returns to Macon to play host to the University of North Carolina Wilmington Friday, Dec. 21. Tipoff time at Hawkins Arena is set for 7 p.m. (ET).
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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