Mercer Holds Off Georgia State In 71-68 Win

Saturday, December 28

Atlanta, Ga.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

7-6,0-0SoCon

Georgia State

4-9,0-1Sun Belt

Mercer

Georgia St.

12/28/2024 6:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Ahmad Robinson finished one rebound shy of a triple-double

ATLANTA, Ga. – Ahmad Robinson scored a game-high 21 points and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double as the Mercer Bears went on the road and defeated Georgia State, 71-68 Saturday afternoon from the GSU Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia State missed a potential game-tying three-pointer before the final buzzer as the Bears held on for the win. Mercer went 27-of-65 (42%) from the field and Georgia State went 28-for-70 (40%) from the field. Mercer made 10 three-pointers in the game with eight of them coming in the first half.

Robinson scored 21 points to go with 10 assists, nine rebounds, and three steals. Tyler Johnson added 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Cam Bryant and Alex Holt also scored in double figures for the Bears with 11 and 10 points respectively.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Mercer 71, Georgia State 68
RECORDS: Mercer 7-6, 0-0 (SoCon); Georgia State 4-9, 0-1 (Sun Belt)
LOCATION: Atlanta, Ga. (GSU Convocation Center)

HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST HALF
A fastbreak dunk by Holt put Mercer ahead 9-6 in the opening minutes of the game. The Bears trailed 10-9, before proceeding to go on a 10-2 run capped off by a corner three from Jah Nze to go up 19-12 with more than 11 minutes to go in the first half.

A layup by Holt put Mercer in front by 10 points at 26-16 with eight minutes to play in the first half. Georgia State tied the game at 31 out of the under-four media timeout. The Bears made three three-pointers in the final four minutes of the half and took a 40-37 lead into halftime.

2ND HALF
Georgia State took its first lead of the game at 46-45 less than four minutes into the second half. However, Mercer responded by going on a 10-0 scoring run to go back in front 55-46 with 13 minutes remaining. Seven of Mercer's 10 points over the scoring run were fastbreak points.

The Panthers responded with a run of their own, going on a 15-1 run to take its largest lead of the game at 61-56 with six minutes to play. After going over seven minutes of game time without a made field goal, Bryant made a three-pointer to tie the game at 61. Robinson made an acrobatic layup with 1:23 to play that put the Bears ahead 69-66. After a bucket and defensive stop by the Panthers to make the score 69-68 Mercer, Georgia State had the ball with 32 seconds to play. Mercer came up with a clutch defensive stop and rebound. Johnson made two free throws on the other end and a last second corner three-pointer from Georgia State bounced off the rim as time expired and Mercer held on for the non-conference win.

NOTABLES
+ Mercer made 10 three-pointers; the eighth game this season with 10 or more made threes.
+ Ahmad Robinson finished one rebound shy of a triple-double. His 10 assists were tied for the most by a Mercer player this season and tied his career high.
+ Both teams relied on their starters for most of the scoring. Mercer had eight bench points and Georgia State had 11 bench points.
+ Fastbreak points were 15-8, Mercer.
+ Cam Bryant's 11 points tied his season high.

UP NEXT
Mercer will start conference play on New Year's Day as the Bears welcome Chattanooga to Hawkins Arena. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED
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