MACON, GA - The CIU Men's Basketball team played their third NCAA Division 1 team of the season, as they took on the Mercer University Bear's in an exhibition Friday afternoon. Mercer (0-1) entered the game, coming off a loss to St. Johns University while CIU (2-1) went into the game off a loss to Allen University. CIU stayed close with their NCAA opponent for the majority of the game but would narrowly fall 84-76.

1st Half Mercer 37 CIU 32: Eric Graham started the scoring for the Rams netting all of CIU's 5 points before the under 16:00 minute media timeout. After a Zack Norris three-pointer, a layup from Tajae Anderson would bring the score to 14-12 with the Bears of Mercer leading. Coming up on the halfway point in the first half, the Rams would tie the game at 18-18 behind Jeff Mcilwain's first three-pointer of the season. Moments later, a three from Johnson and Brinson would give the Ram their first lead of the game 25-24. Then with three minutes to go in the half Darrian Oates would draw the foul and finish inside on his way to completing the three-point play. The score capped a 9-0 run for the Rams. The Bears would bounce back, however, to lead 37-32 at the end of the first half. John Johnson led the Rams in scoring for the 1st half with 6 points.

2nd Half Mercer 84 CIU 76: A tough fall-away from Jeff McIlwain would be the first points on the board for the Rams after Mercer started the half on a 6-0 run. After another bucket from McIlwain, freshman Syvon Holland would score five straight. But the Rams would be unable to stop the Bears from scoring and trailed 54-43 with 15:00 minutes left in regulation. Mercer would continue to build their lead until John Johnson would hit his third and fourth three of the game to keep Rams in it. A long scoring drought would ensue for both teams until the Bears drilled a three to take a 67-51 lead with 7:00 minute remaining. However, the Rams answered right back with a three from Corey Benton. Later, CIU would get back within ten off a Cole Piatko three-pointer. Piatko would then knock down a pair free throws and another deep three-pointer to cut the advantage to just 7. The Rams would keep the Bear's lead under double-digits but would finally fall 84-76 to their NCAA Division 1 opponent.

Game Notes

• Senior John Johnson led the Rams in scoring with 12-points on 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
• Cole Piatko brought the Rams energy off the bench with 10 points, including two clutch threes down the stretch.
• Freshmen Syvon Holland and Jalen Brinson combined for 15 points while Holland also pulled in 5 boards.
• CIU had a whopping 42 bench points to the Bears 28. 
• Once again, the Rams won the battle from deep knocking down 13 three-pointers on 41% shooting. The Bears shot a measly 31% from beyond the arc on just 5 made threes.

Coach Stockman Quotables

"Every game we talk about trying to get better as a team and learning from our mistakes."

"Our guys did a great job of in-game adjustments and competed at a high level. The bench stepped up and played extremely well on the defensive end, which opened up some opportunities offense. The guys on the floor toward the end of the game shared the ball well and played as a team."

"Moving forward, we just have to keep working and getting better every game and every practice."

Up Next 

The Rams play their home-opener, Saturday, November 9th at 4 PM versus Tennessee Wesleyan.