Men’s Basketball Withstands Rally, Defeats Mercer 68-64

Wednesday, December 5

Boca Raton, Fla.

7 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

7-2

Mercer

4-5

MER

Florida Atlantic

12/5/2018 11:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team held off a late rally from Mercer to defeat the Bears 68-64 on Wednesday night. Junior forward Jailyn Ingram had a game-high 22 points, while Richardson Maitre added a career-high 14. The Owls improved to 7-2 on the year.

The Start

Both teams struggled offensively in the early going, but FAU was able to take a 14-8 lead at the midway point of the first half. Eventually, the Owls found their rhythm, taking a 35-23 advantage on an Ingram jumper with 16:33 to go in the game.

The Turning Point

Mercer (4-5) responded with a 12-1 run over the next 3:43 to trim its deficit to one, 36-35, with just under 13 minutes left. FAU answered by pushing its lead back to a dozen at the six-minute mark.

The Finish

The Bears didn't go away and fought their way back to within one with just 1:21 on the clock. Ingram made his only triple of the game to push the Owls' lead back out to four with 41 ticks remaining. Mercer pulled to within two later, but FAU made its last five free throw attempts to help seal the victory.

Notables

· With the win, FAU took an 11-10 lead in the all-time series

· In addition to his 22 points, Ingram led the Owls with eight rebounds. It was Ingram's sixth 20-point game of the year

· Maitre had five rebounds, two steals and an assist to go along with his 14 points

· Anthony Adger posted 10 points, three assists, three steals and two boards

· Jaylen Sebree registered eight points, six assists, two rebounds and a steal in his first career start

Quotable

FAU Head Coach Dusty May

"Overall, (I'm) very pleased that we were able to find a way to win with some defensive effort and rebounding. (Mercer) is a good basketball team, to hold them 2-for-17 from three, we couldn't be happier with (the way) we followed the gameplan."

Looking Ahead

The Owls will take some time off for exams before traveling to Arkansas State on Friday, Dec. 14. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Eastern. Live audio can be heard on ESPN 106.3 FM. In-game updates will also be available at twitter.com/FAU_Hoops.