Men’s Basketball falls to NCAA Division I Mercer

CANTON, Ga. (November 27, 2021) – The Milligan University men's basketball team fell at NCAA Division I Mercer 88-49 on Saturday afternoon in an exhibition matchup.

Jackson Gabriel opened the game with three straight three-point makes as the Buffs' kept pace with Mercer in the game's opening minutes. After the game was tied at nine just three minutes into the contest, the Bears reeled off 13-straight points in a 3:34 span to take a 22-9 lead.

After an 8-0 spurt by Mercer, Trevor Hensley scored four consecutive points with a layup and two free throws to make it 30-15 Bears with seven minutes to play in the first half. Gabriel helped the Bufs trim the lead to 14 with his fourth three of the first half, but the Bears ended the half on a 12-1 run and led 46-21 at halftime.

The Buffs hung with Mercer in the first eight minutes of the second half as Mercer outscored Milligan by just three points (16-13) and led 62-34 with 12 minutes to play.

Milligan had a pair of four-point spurts in the final nine minutes with a pair of free throws by Sami Sanad and a layup by Julian Wilson on the next trip down the floor. Sanad also sank two free throws and Levontae Knox converted a layup soon after.

Gabriel led Milligan with 17 points on five-of-eight shooting from deep. Hensley had eight points and five assists. Sanad recorded six points and six rebounds.

Mercer shot 54.3 percent from the field for the game and had three scorers in double-figures.

Milligan returns to action Monday night at Alabama Huntsville.