Hot Shooting, Free Throws Key As Georgia Scoots Past Men’s Basketball

Friday, December 1

Athens, Ga.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

2-5,0-0SoCon

Georgia

5-3,0-0SEC

Mercer

Georgia

Hot Shooting, Free Throws Key As Georgia Scoots Past Men’s Basketball

12/1/2023 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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ATHENS – Home-standing Georgia shot nearly 53 percent from the field and utilized a monstrous 32-shot advantage at the free throw line to turn back the upset-minded Mercer men's basketball team, 80-69, on Friday evening inside Stegeman Coliseum.

The setback marked the second-straight loss for the Bears (2-5) who were whistled for twice as many fouls (28-14) on the evening, while mustering just a 5-for-10 showing from the free throw line. It was the third-straight victory for Georgia (5-3) who finished the contest with a 30-for-42 performance at the stripe.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Georgia 80, Mercer 69
RECORDS: Mercer (2-5, 0-0 SoCon); Georgia (5-3, 0-0 SEC)
LOCATION: Athens, Ga. (Stegeman Coliseum)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

Georgia canned 68 percent of its field goal attempts in the opening half, as well as posted a noticeable advantage at the free throw line, to inevitably tote a 44-31 lead into the break. Mercer used a steal from Anthony Bernard to bridge consecutive 3-pointers from Alex Holt that gave the Bears a 12-10 lead just more than seven minutes into the evening, but a pair of free throws from Jabri Abdur-Rahim at the midway point of the opening stanza signaled the start of nine-straight points by the Bulldogs that allowed them to pull away for good. The Orange & Black was whistled for 13 personal fouls in the opening stanza which fueled a 13-for-18 clip from the charity stripe for the hosts.

2ND HALF

Justin Hill hit the front end of a two-shot foul six minutes into the second half to give the Bulldogs an 18-point edge, 53-35, but the Bears followed with a 12-3 run over the next 2-1/2 minutes to whittle their deficit back to single digits. Mercer would not be able to climb any closer after that, however. The squads combined for a 1-for-9 showing from the field over the final three minutes of the evening, including an 0-for-4 performance from the Bulldogs who were held without a field goal for the last four minutes of the contest as well.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Jalyn McCreary logged a team-best 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while also contributing four steals and three rebounds.
+ Freshman Jake Davis came in off of the bench to register 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting across a team-best 32 minutes on the hardwood. Davis keyed his scoring output with a trio of 3-pointers (8 attempts).
+ Freshman David Thomas scored all 11 of his points in the second half. He also added three rebounds and a pair of assists.
+ Sophomore Jah Quinones scored 11 points and amassed a career-best seven assists. He also tallied a season-best five rebounds as well.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer's 20 assists on Friday is the most for the squad since tallying 21 in a 39-point home win over Milligan on Nov. 27, 2021. The Orange & Black had assists on 20 of their 28 made field goals (71.4 percent) against Georgia.
+ The Orange & Black went 10-for-23 from the perimeter on Friday in Athens – their most 3-pointers in a contest since hitting 10 in last year's regular season finale against the Citadel. It is the second time in the last three games (Tennessee State) that MU has shot 43 percent or better from 3-point territory.
+ The Bears were whistled for a season-high 28 fouls on Friday – the most for the squad since logging 28 fouls in a 3-point loss at Furman in February of last season. Six Bears finished Friday's contest with three or more fouls.

UP NEXT

The Bears will open up a 6-game home stand on Wednesday morning when they suit up to host South Alabama in an 11 a.m. contest at Hawkins Arena. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow Mercer Men's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Men's Basketball on Facebook.

BACK THE BEARS

Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit S upportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu.