Men’s Basketball Defeats UIC, 72-68

Saturday, November 23

Chicago, Ill.

5 p.m.

Mercer University

4-2,0-0SoCon

Illinois - Chicago

2-4,0-0Horizon

Mercer

UIC

11/23/2019 9:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

The Bears had four score in double-figures in the win

By: Travis Rae

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Mercer men's basketball team opened the Boca Raton Beach Classic presented by Sport Changes Life with a 72-68 victory over UIC on Saturday evening. The Bears shot 40 percent from the floor in the win over the Flames.

Mercer (4-2) had four players score in double-figures in the win and were led by Ethan Stair who had 24 points, for his fourth game over 20 points on the season. Djordje Dimitrijevic followed with 16 points, James Glisson III added 12 and Maciej Bender rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.

Over the first three and a half minutes of the contest, the Bears jumped out to an 8-2 lead over the Flames (2-4). During the stretch, Stair led the Bears with five points. After stretching the lead to nine, 12-3, on a Glisson III jumper, the Flames slowly started chipping away at the lead.

Over a three-minute stretch, the Bears saw its lead go from nine points to one point, after Tarkus Ferguson hit two free-throws. Mercer slowly extended its lead back to seven points, 24-17, after a layup by Stair with 4:28 left before halftime. The Bears continued to add to the lead and the Bears took a 10-point lead, 33-23, into halftime.

Opening the second half of the contest, the Bears stretched the lead to 16 points, 41-25, after a fast-break layup by Glisson III. The Bears and Flames traded baskets and with 12:09 left in the second half, Mercer held a 51-36 lead.

Mercer continued to hold onto a double-figure lead until the Flames scored on three by Michael Diggins and a layup by Godwin Boahen cut the Bears lead down to five, 55-50, with 6:17 left in the contest. The Bears answered back as Dimitrijevic, and Stair hit back-to-back threes and a layup by Glisson grew the lead back to 13, 63-50.

The Flames would make one last push at the Bears late in the second half. With Mercer leading by eight, 69-61, the Flames battled back trimming Mercers lead down to four, 70-66, after a three by Diggins. The lead was as close as two, 70-68, but the Bears Dimitrijevic sealed the win with a pair of free throws. The Bears defeated the Flames, 72-68.

NOTABLES

The Bears had four players score in double-figures led by Stair with 24 points.
The Bears collected 21 assists on 26 made baskets against the Flames.
Djordje Dimitrijevic filled the stat sheet as he scored 16 points, collected nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
Maciej Bender scored 10 points and collected 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. The 11 rebounds are a career-high for Bender.
Mercer shot 40 percent in the contest against UIC on Saturday night.
The win for the Bears was the first win in program history over UIC.

UP NEXT
The Bears return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 26 when they travel to Olean, N.Y. to face St. Bonaventure as part of the Boca Raton Beach Classic. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

How to Follow the Bears:
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.