Macon, Ga. – Baraka Okojie scored 25 points while Brady Shoulders and Armani Mighty combined for 21 points and 21 rebounds to lead Mercer to a 69-64 victory over Furman in a battle for third place in the Southern Conference standings Wednesday night at Hawkins Arena.
 
With its 13^th straight home win, Mercer improved to 12-0 at Hawkins Arena this season and upped its record to 16-10 overall and 8-5 in the SoCon. Furman suffered its third straight loss to fall to 16-10 overall and 7-6 in league play.
 
After leading most of the night, Furman was held to just one field goal over a stretch of almost eight minutes midway through the second half as Mercer fashioned a 14-6 run to grab the lead. A three-pointer by Cole Bowser and halfcourt alley-oop toss from Alex Wilkins to Cooper Bowser put the Paladins back in front 56-55 with five minutes to go, but the Bears responded with a 7-0 run to take control. 
 
Furman held Mercer without a field goal over the final 2:57 and rallied to trim the deficit to 65-64 on Charles Johnston's putback with 22.1 seconds remaining. Okojie, who went 12-for-14 at the foul line, answered for Mercer by draining a pair of free throws and Shoulders followed a missed three by Furman with two more conversions at the foul line with 12 seconds to go to secure the win for the Bears.
 
Mercer shot just 36% from the field and was outscored by 15 points from three-point range but held an 18-8 scoring edge at the foul line and 30-26 margin in the paint. The Bears finished with a 44-37 rebounding advantage, including a 24-15 margin in the second half.
 
In addition to Okojie's game-high 25 points, Shoulders totaled 14 and Zaire Willians added 13. Mighty pulled down a game-best 14 rebounds.
 
Furman shot 38% but went just 10-for-33 from behind the arc and 8-of-13 at the foul line. Asa Thomas scored a team-high 14 points while Johnston and Cooper Bowser added 11 apiece. Tom House added 10 points.
 
The Paladins continue their road trip on Saturday afternoon when they visit the VMI Keydets in Lexington, Va. Tip-off at Cameron Hall is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
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