Bears Suffer Setback at Georgia State, 88-81

Wednesday, December 16

Atlanta, Ga.

6:00 PM

Mercer University

6-1,0-0SoCon

Georgia State

4-1,0-0Sun Belt

Mercer

Georgia St.

Photo by: Alex Keller

12/16/2020 8:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Patrick Urey tied his career-best of seven rebounds.

By: Kraig Doremus

ATLANTA – A furious second half comeback fell short inside the GSU Sports Arena as Mercer lost to the Georgia State Panthers, 88-81, on Wednesday night.

Mercer (6-1) led briefly in the first half, taking the lead three separate times, with the last coming when Neftali Alvarez drove down the lane and converted a layup with 11:51 to go in the opening half. The Panthers, however, quickly forced a momentum swing, eventually taking a double-digit lead at multiple points over the first 20 minutes of action.

Georgia State (4-1) took a narrow, 18-17 advantage and embarked on a 11-2 run to extend its lead to 10 points. Mercer's lone points during the Panthers' spurt came courtesy of Leon Ayers III's second chance layup.

The Bears pulled within six, both times thanks to three-pointers from Jeff Gary, but the home team ended the half on a 7-0 run, capped off by Kane Williams' triple with 23 ticks of the clock left, to maintain a 47-34 lead at the intermission.

Georgia State led by as many as 20 with 12:41 left in the contest before the Bears slowly turned the tide, battling back to within single digits. Maciej Bender bookended the run – first with an old-fashioned three-point play and later with a thunderous dunk with 9:49 to go. Bender's jam made it a 69-60 contest.

The Panthers pushed their lead back to 14 with 5:49 remaining, but the Bears clawed their way back into things, making it a two-possession game late in the contest. Thanks in large part to the hustle of Patrick Urey and clutch shooting from Ross Cummings, Mercer trailed by only six, 83-77, with 57 seconds to play. A layup by Alvarez would provide a scare for Georgia State as the Bears needed only five points to tie, but three missed shots in the final moments allowed the Panthers to secure the 88-81 victory.

Mercer drops to 6-1, suffering its first loss on the season, while the Panthers improve to 4-2 overall with back-to-back wins.

The Bears shot 29-of-65 (44.6 percent) overall but struggled from three-point land, hitting only 7-of-27 tries (25.9 percent). Mercer took a staggering 25 free throws and converted 16 (64.0 percent). Five Bears finished in double figures with Alvarez's 17 leading the way. Gary scored 13 while Cummings added 12. Bender (11) and Haase (10) also contributed 10 or more points.

Georgia State shot 50 percent (35-of-70) on the night but also struggled from beyond the arc, making only 7-of-30 attempts (30.4 percent). Eliel Nsoseme had a night to remember, contributing 16 points while pulling down more than half of the Panthers' rebounds. Nsoseme ended the night with 20 boards – seven of which were offensive. Justin Roberts scored a team-high 17 in the win.

Coach Greg Gary Quotables

ON THE OPENING MINUTES AND GAME AS A WHOLE
"We came out flat, and you just can't do that. They [the Panthers] could be an NCAA Tournament team. It was surprising that we came out flat. I thought we'd start with more fight in us. Georgia State set the tone, and I commend them for that. Rob [Lanier] had them ready. We beat them at our place, so we knew they'd be ready, and they were. We have to watch the film and learn from it. They set a lot of ball screens, which we knew was coming. We gave them room and freedom [offensively]. We have to clean that up and get better at our ball screen defense."

ON STATE'S ELIEL NSOSEME
"If you're a fan he was fun to watch tonight. He played with so much energy and fight."

ON PATRICK UREY AND JACKSEN GRECO
"I can always count on Pat to be tough and do what he's supposed to. He fought like Georgia State did the first half, and he did a great job, there's no question. Jacksen played hard. He was moving, and his defense was good. He gave a great effort, and I was happy to get him some minutes."

NOTABLES

Mercer suffered a defeat for the first time this season, dropping to 6-1 overall.
The Bears split the season series, with each team winning on its home floor. Mercer defeated Georgia State in Hawkins Arena, 86-69, on Nov. 30, before suffering a setback at the GSU Sports Arena tonight.
The Black & Orange committed a season low nine turnovers.
Mercer's 13 offensive boards were the most of the season so far, surpassing the 12 grabbed in Sunday night's win over Georgia Southern.
Alvarez returned to double figures tonight, pacing Mercer with 17 points.
Urey provided quality minutes in relief, scoring four points and collecting seven rebounds.
Greco and Jovan Tucker were the two freshmen to see action in the game, logging a combined 13:54.

UP NEXT
The Bears will return to the friendly confines of Hawkins Arena on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest against Georgia Southwestern State. The game can be heard on the Mercer Sports Network (100.9 The Creek, Sports Mic) and seen on ESPN+.

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.