Oh, Mercer

One play could have altered the end result of Auburn’s upset loss to Mercer on Wednesday night.

The first 39-plus minutes, however, is what put so much pressure on Quantez Robertson to make a play with 9.4 seconds on the clock and the Tigers down by 2.

The end result was controversial, as Robertson was belatedly whistled for a charge, but there was no debate over who was the deserved winner after the Bears’ 78-74 victory against the Tigers.

The Bears dominated where winning teams do, on the glass and at the free-throw line, and Auburn wasn’t at liberty to vent over one play that could have gone either way.

“There’s a thousand (calls) in there that dictate the result of the game,” Lebo said.

Robertson’s drive to the hoop, though, officially sucked the air out of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum and sent Auburn to a 1-1 record after its loss in the first round of the Chicago Invitational.

After Daniel Kusnyer sunk a free throw to give the Bears their 2-point advantage, Robertson drove from the far baseline to the left side of the key under Auburn’s hoop. Robertson and three Mercer players hit the floor, as the referee on the spot ruled the ball out of bounds in Auburn’s favor.

But the side official saw differently. He overruled the call and whistled Robertson for a charge, sending the 100 or so visiting Mercer fans under the hoop into a frenzy.

“He called the call,” Robertson said. “It’s a foul if he called (it), and if not, it’d be our ball out of bounds.”

Calvin Henry sunk both free throws for Mercer to ice its second victory against an SEC opponent in three days. The Bears dominated the glass in similar fashion at Tuscaloosa in a 72-69 victory over the Crimson Tide.

“(Mercer) deserved to win this game,” Lebo said, “and Mercer did.”

The Bears outrebounded the Tigers, 46-21, including a 14-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. The extra chances via rebound proved vital, as the Tigers had just seven turnovers to the Bears’ 19.

“They just annihilated us on the glass,” Lebo said. “Of course, that was the emphasis coming in, and they just destroyed us.”

Three days earlier, Mercer outrebounded the Crimson Tide, 56-38.

“I’d like to tell you we do all kinds of neat tricks, and work hard on it, and run ball drills and all kind of crazy rebounding drills,” Mercer coach
Bob Hoffman said. “But all we do is talk about trying to get position and pursuing the ball.”

The Bears gave Auburn plenty of opportunities to cash in at the foul line, but the Tigers struggled to convert, particularly in the second half.
Auburn was 2-of-8 from the foul line in the final seven minutes.

“That’s frustrating,” Lebo said.

Mercer point guard James Florence was the biggest source of Auburn’s frustration, as the slasher with a jump shot led the Bears with 25 points. His acrobatic shot at the first-half buzzer put Mercer ahead by 4 at the break.

Auburn came back quickly and held a slim lead for a bulk of the second half, which featured six ties and seven lead changes. Mercer forward Brian Mills’ two free throws with 4:50 gave the Bears a lead they would not relinquish.

Tay Waller, who led Auburn with 22 points, was mostly unavailable in the waning minutes because of cramps. Forward Korvotney Barber, who finished with 17 points, was also limping late in the game.

Around the rim ...
Freshman guard Frankie Sullivan, who missed Auburn’s first game with a high ankle sprain, made his Tigers’ debut Wednesday. He made his first shot, a 3-pointer, but only made one more after that, as he finished with seven points in 11 minutes of action. “Frankie’s going to be good but he made some mistakes,” Lebo said. “We had to play him a little bit more than I would have liked.”

agribble@oanow.com | 737-2561