Mercer Defense Shines In Second Half As Bears Defeat Georgia State, 78-67

Tuesday, December 2

Macon, Ga.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

6-2,0-0SoCon

Georgia State

1-8,0-0Sun Belt

Georgia St.

Mercer

Mercer Defense Shines In Second Half As Bears Defeat Georgia State, 78-67

12/2/2025 10:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Mercer held Georgia State to just 21 second half points

MACON, GA – Armani Mighty recorded his fourth double-double of the season with a game high 22 points and Mercer's defense locked down the Panthers in the second half as Mercer earned a 78-67 win over Georgia State Tuesday night from Hawkins Arena.

The Bears (6-2, 0-0) have now won four straight games and improve to 4-0 at home this season.

After a high-scoring first half in which each team scored 46 points and shot better than 50 percent from the field, Mercer held Georgia State to just 21 second half points. The Panthers shot just 7-for-28 (25%) from the field and had 11 turnovers in the second half.

For the game, each team had nearly identical numbers, but the Bears got to the free throw line more often, took better care of the ball and outrebounded the Panthers to help them earn the in-state win.

Mighty finished the game with a career high 22 points and 13 rebounds. He went 9-for-10 from the field. Baraka Okojie had 19 points and five assists. Brady Shoulders nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Mercer 78, Georgia State 67
RECORDS: Mercer (6-2, 0-0 SoCon), Georgia State (1-8, 0-0 Sun Belt)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST HALF
Mercer got out to an excellent start. After Georgia State made the first bucket of the game, Mercer went on a 17-0 run to go up 17-2. Shoulders made a jump shot in the paint to give Mercer a 25-9 lead with more than 12 minutes to play in the first half.

However, Georgia State would then go on a 20-6 run to get within two points at 31-29. The Panthers eventually took their first lead since the first minute of the game at 40-38 with three minutes to play in the first half. Shoulders made a three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer for the second game in a row to tie the game at 46 going into halftime.

2ND HALF
Georgia State scored the first five points of the second half, followed by the Bears scoring the next six to take a 52-51 lead. Connor Serven made a strong move in the post for a layup to give the Bears a 61-58 lead with 11:30 to go in the game.

Kyle Cuffe Jr. made a jump shot to cap an 11-0 run for the Bears as Mercer took a 67-58 lead. From there, Georgia State was never able to make it a one-possession game as Mercer continued to make things difficult for the Panthers offensively. Mercer made some free throws and got stops defensively to walk away with a 78-67 win.

NOTABLES
+ Mercer, now 6-2, is off to its best 8-game start since starting 7-1 in the 2020-21 season.
+ The Bears are now 4-0 at home this season.
+ Mercer held Georgia State to just 21 second half points. The Panthers made just 25.0 percent of their shots in the second half.
+ Armani Mighty recorded his fourth double-double of the season. He finished with a career high 22 points and 13 rebounds.
+ Mercer went 23-for-30 (76.7%) from the free throw line. Tied for the most made free throws in a game this season (Elon).
+ Mercer outrebounded Georgia State, 42-33. The +9 rebounding margin was a season best for the Bears.

UP NEXT
Mercer returns home to play Oglethorpe on Sunday. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. inside Hawkins Arena.

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