Second Half Surge Pushes Bears Past Florida Gulf Coast

Saturday, December 16

Macon, Ga.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

4-6,0-0SoCon

Florida Gulf Coast

3-9,0-0ASUN

FGCU

Mercer

Second Half Surge Pushes Bears Past Florida Gulf Coast

12/16/2023 4:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Postgame Presser

By: Makenzie Jones, jones_m@mercer.edu

MACON – Home-standing Mercer shot nearly 48 percent from the field in the second half, and used a 14-0 run midway through the latter stanza to negate a 9-point deficit and turn back visiting Florida Gulf Coast, 70-65, on Saturday afternoon in Hawkins Arena.

It was the second-straight win for the Bears (4-6) who have now won three-straight games in Macon against their former Atlantic Sun rivals. Florida Gulf Coast (3-9) has now dropped three of its last four outings.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 70, Florida Gulf Coast 65
RECORDS: Mercer (4-6, 0-0 SoCon); Florida Gulf Coast (3-9, 0-0 Sun Belt)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST HALF

The Bears connected on six of their first 12 shots from the floor, including a quartet of 3-pointers, on the way to grabbing a 17-6 advantage just 6-1/2 minutes into the afternoon, but then missed their next six shots to allow the Eagles to climb back into the contest. Florida Gulf Coast put together a 10-2 run over the next five minutes to make it a one possession game. The hosts scored four-straight points to eventually push their lead back out to seven points, 31-24, after a running layup from Anthony Benard, and eventually toted a 37-33 advantage into the intermission.

2ND HALF

Florida Gulf Coast opened the second half with an 18-5 run to eventually open up a nine-point lead, 51-42, following a turnaround jumper from Zach Anderson at the 11:29 mark. The table would turn after that, however, as Jalen Cobb's 3-pointer on the other end of the court sparked the Bears on a momentum-swinging 14-0 run over the next five minutes that gave them the lead for good. The Eagles made it a two-possession game, 64-60, on Dallion Johnson's trey with just more than two minutes to play, but Mercer answered with a bucket from Jah Quinones on the ensuing possession, and then canned all four of its free throws down the stretch to seal the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Jalen Cobb poured in a career-best 19 points, including a 5-for-7 clip from the perimeter. He also added two rebounds, one assist and a steal.
+ Senior Jalyn McCreary chipped in 13 points and a team-best six rebounds. He finished the afternoon with a 5-for-6 performance from the free throw line as well.
+ Sophomore Jah Quinones scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, while also matching a season-high with six boards as well.

NOTABLES

+ The Bears have now registered back-to-back wins for the first time since topping The Citadel in the 2022-23 regular season finale, and then again in the opening round of the 2023 Southern Conference Tournament.
+ Mercer has now out-rebounded three-straight opponents after posting a 34-28 advantage in the rebounding column on Saturday.
+ The Orange & Black matched a season-high (Georgia) with 10 3-pointers on Saturday, and shot 42 percent or better from the perimeter for the third time this season.

UP NEXT

The Bears will continue their six-game home stand on Tuesday when they welcome Queens (6-6) to Macon for a 7 p.m. matchup inside Hawkins Arena. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.

STAY CONNECTED

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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.