Bears Drop 79-74 Battle Against Furman

Saturday, January 25

Macon, Ga.

4:30 p.m.

Mercer University

10-11,3-5SoCon

Furman

16-5,4-4SoCon

Furman

Mercer

1/25/2025 7:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Ahmad Robinson led Mercer with 24 points

MACON, Ga. – Ahmad Robinson scored a game high 24 points, but Mercer ended up on the short end of a 79-74 game against Furman Saturday evening inside Hawkins Arena.

Trailing 77-74 with 15 seconds to play, Mercer (10-11, 3-5) had two good looks at a potential game-tying three-pointer but neither shot found its way in the basket as Furman (16-5, 4-4) held on for the win.

Furman went 30-for-55 (54.5%) from the field and Mercer went 29-of-64 (45.3%) from the field. Three-point shooting numbers were similar with Furman making 10 three-pointers and shooting 40 percent form deep and Mercer connected on 11 three-pointers while shooting 39 percent from deep. The Bears did a good job of taking care of the ball as they committed a season low six turnovers on the day.

Robinson went 8-for-13 (61.5%) from the field on his way to scoring 24 points. He also added six assists and three steals. Alex Holt had an efficient day from the floor going 8-for-9 (88.9%) on his way to scoring 17 points. Tyler Johnson added 16 points while shooting 4-for-8 from three-point range.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Furman 79, Mercer 74
RECORDS: Mercer 10-11, 3-5 (SoCon); Furman 16-5, 4-4 (SoCon)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST HALF
Johnson made his second three-pointer of the game to put Mercer ahead 10-7 in the opening minutes. A jump shot from Marcus Overstreet gave the Bears a 19-13 lead. Furman then went on a 16-2 run to take a 29-21 lead with seven minutes to go in the first half.

Five of Mercer's last six field goals of the first half were three-pointers. Robinson and Johnson each made two three-pointers over that stretch as the Bears went into the half trailing by just three points at 41-38. Mercer went 8-for-15 (53%) from three-point range in the first half.

2ND HALF
A layup from Robinson, followed by back-to-back layups from Holt was part of a quick 6-0 run for the Bears early in the second half to make it a 54-51 lead for the Paladins. Furman responded with a quick run of its own, going on a 9-2 run to go back up by double figures at 63-53. Cam Bryant came up with a big play on both ends of the court as he stole the ball from Furman's Pjay Smith Jr and quickly went the other way and pulled up for three and drained the shot to bring Mercer within one at 64-63 with seven minutes to play.

Furman led 74-48 with just over two minutes to play, before Robinson made a three-pointer and followed it the next offensive possession with a free throw to make it a 74-72 lead for the Paladins with 1:23 to play. Then, Furman's leading scorer PJay Smith Jr. made a crucial three-pointer with 59 seconds to play to make it a two-possession game at 77-72. After two free throws from Robinson made it 77-74, Furman missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 19 seconds left. Johnson and Brady Shoulders got two good looks at a game-tying three-pointer but neither shot fell as the Bears fell 79-74.

NOTABLES
+ Mercer had a season low six turnovers.
+ The Bears shot 45.3 percent from the field; their best field goal percentage in a conference game this season.
+ Alex Holt went 8-for-9 (88.9%) from the field on his way to scoring 17 points. His 88.9 field goal percentage was his best in a SoCon game this season.
+ Robinson's 24 points marked his eighth game this season with at least 20 points.

UP NEXT
Mercer returns to Hawkins Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 29 against The Citadel. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED
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