Mercer Drops Close Game To Miami (Ohio), 75-72

Tuesday, November 26

Fort Myers, Fla.

1:30 PM

Mercer University

3-4,0-0SoCon

Miami (Ohio)

4-2,0-0MAC

Miami (OH)

Mercer

Mercer Drops Close Game To Miami (Ohio), 75-72

11/26/2024 5:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Ahmad Robinson led Mercer with 19 points

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Ahmad Robinson scored 19 points to lead all scorers, but Mercer dropped its game to Miami (Ohio), 75-72 on Tuesday afternoon in the Fort Myers Tip-Off championship game from Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

The Bears shot 27-of-62 (44%) from the field compared to the RedHawks who went 27-of-53 (51%) from the field. Mercer outrebounded Miami (Ohio) 32-27, including a 13-6 offensive rebounding edge. Neither team was very efficient from three-point range as both teams shot below 30 percent from deep for the game.

Robinson's 19 points came on 6-of-12 shooting and he led the Bears with six assists and three steals as well. Coming off arguably his best game as a freshman in the win on Monday over Jacksonville, freshman Brady Shoulders played well once again for the Bears on Tuesday with a career high 14 points on 50 percent shooting to go with three rebounds and a team best and career high four steals defensively.

Alex Holt - for the second consecutive game - finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Seven of Holt's rebounds came on the offensive end.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Miami (OH) 75, Mercer 72
RECORDS: Mercer 3-4 (0-0 SoCon); Miami (OH) 4-2 (0-0 MAC)
LOCATION: Fort Myers, FL (Suncoast Credit Union Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST HALF
The Bears trailed 8-5 in the early stages of the first half. Then, three free throws from Robinson, followed by two buckets from Holt was a 7-0 run for the Bears to give them a 12-8 lead five minutes into the game. After a jumper from Tyler Johnson made it an 18-13 lead for Mercer, the RedHawks went on a 12-1 run to take a 25-19 lead with more than 10 minutes to play in the first half.

The Bears scored the next six points to get within one at 25-24, however once again the RedHawks responded with a run of their own to go back up by nine at 33-24. Each team went cold from the field over the final four minutes of the first half. Shoulders made two three-pointers over the stretch for Mercer's only points in the final four minutes of the first half and Miami (Ohio) led Mercer 35-30 at halftime.

2ND HALF
After a steal by Shoulders led to a fastbreak layup for Johnson to make it a one-point game just minutes into the second half, Miami (Ohio) would go on a 9-0 run to take a 44-34 lead in which they made just one field goal during the scoring run and went 7-for-8 from the foul line.

A layup from Jah Quinones cut Mercer's deficit to six at 48-42 with 11 minutes to play. After a three-pointer from Angel Montas Jr., the RedHawks would score seven quick points in one minute of game action to take a 12-point lead at 59-47. The Bears went on an 8-0 run led by six points from Shoulders to get within three at 63-60 with more than four minutes to play. A layup from Robinson made it a one-possession game at 69-66 with one minute to go in the game. However, the RedHawks went 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the last minute to seal the win.

NOTABLES
+ Mercer outrebounded Miami (Ohio) 32-27, including a 13-6 offensive rebounding edge. Alex Holt had a season high seven offensive rebounds.
+ The Bears had 12 steals, the fifth game this season with 10 or more steals.
+ Freshman Brady Shoulders had a career high 14 points and four steals.
+ Ahmad Robinson's had three steals. He's had at least one steal in all seven games this season.
+ Alex Holt went 6-for-10 from the field, marking his sixth game this season in which he shot at leasst 50 percent from the field.

UP NEXT
Mercer returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 4. at home inside Hawkins Arena as West Georgia visits the Bears in Macon.

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