Tuesday, November 23
Cancun, Mexico
3 p.m.
Bucknell University
1-4,0-0Patriot
68
vs
78
Mercer
2-3,0-0SoCon
1
2
F
Bucknell
32
36
68
Mercer
37
41
78
Timmerman’s Big Day Not Enough as Bison Fall to Mercer, 78-68
11/23/2021 5:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico – Junior center Alex Timmerman made the most of his first career start, scoring 22 points of 10-for-12 shooting to go with eight rebounds, but Mercer used a big run in each half to outlast Bucknell 78-68 on Tuesday afternoon at the Cancun Classic.
Xander Rice tallied 20 points and Andrew Funk had 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the shorthanded Bison (1-4), who will now have a quick turnaround before playing Rider in the Mayan Division consolation game on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
Bucknell was playing without two starters, as center Andre Screen couldn't go due to injury, and wing Josh Adoh dressed but was held out as he recovers from illness. The Timmerman-Rice-Funk triumvirate combined for 58 of the team's 68 points.
Long-range shooting and points off turnovers went decisively in Mercer's favor. The Bears (2-3) outscored the Bison 33-12 from the 3-point arc, with Funk accounting for all four of Bucknell's made threes as the team finished 4-for-18.
Bucknell committed 13 miscues in the game compared to 10 for Mercer, but the Bears took advantage to the tune of a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers.
The Bison did cut a 19-point deficit down to seven by holding Mercer scoreless for a 6:20 stretch late in the game. Jacksen Greco's 3-pointer with 11:53 to go gave the Bears a 65-46 lead, but Mercer managed only four more field goals the rest of the way.
Down 73-56, Timmerman made a layup, Rice hit two free throws and an and-1, and Funk splashed a transition 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 73-66 with 2:30 to go. The Bison got yet another stop, but Rice was called for a palming violation while dribbling in traffic near mid-court, and then Felipe Haase ended Mercer's scoreless drought with a 3-pointer to restore a double-digit margin with 1:36 left.
Neftali Alvarez paced Mercer with 22 points, while Jalen Johnson and Kamar Robinson finished with 14 each. Bucknell shot 46.3 percent from the field, despite the tough day from outside the arc. Mercer hit at a 43.9-percent clip and went 11-for-31 from downtown.
Mercer outrebounded Bucknell 38-33 but held just a slim 5-4 edge in second-chance points.
There were nine lead changes during a back-and-forth first half. Elvin Edmonds IV hit both ends of a 1-and-1 around a lengthy delay due to a clock malfunction, giving the Bison a 22-21 lead. But Mercer made the first extended run for either side with a 9-0 spurt to go up 30-22 after Robinson's 12-footer.
Robinson, who scored 12 points off the bench in the half, hit a contested 3-pointer to give the Bears a 37-28 lead with 1:14 to go, but the Bison finished the half with back-to-back buckets from Timmerman to climb within 37-32 at the break.
The Bison held Mercer scoring leader Haase to just two points in the first half, but Haase opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer and a short jumper from the baseline, giving the Bears their largest lead to that point at 42-32.
Bucknell was hanging around down seven after two Rice free throws made it 48-41, but Mercer took control with a 14-3 run. Alvarez scored half of the Bears' points in that stretch, and Shawn Walker Jr. capped the run with 3-point play that made it 62-44 with 12:25 to go.
In the first game of the day, Middle Tennessee rallied from nine down at the half to defeat Rider 60-54.
Bucknell and Rider will be squaring off for the second time in a week. The Bison defeated the Broncs 81-74 at Sojka Pavilion last Wednesday, behind 23 points from Rice and 20 from Screen. Dwight Murray Jr. had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Broncs.
Xander Rice tallied 20 points and Andrew Funk had 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the shorthanded Bison (1-4), who will now have a quick turnaround before playing Rider in the Mayan Division consolation game on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
Bucknell was playing without two starters, as center Andre Screen couldn't go due to injury, and wing Josh Adoh dressed but was held out as he recovers from illness. The Timmerman-Rice-Funk triumvirate combined for 58 of the team's 68 points.
Long-range shooting and points off turnovers went decisively in Mercer's favor. The Bears (2-3) outscored the Bison 33-12 from the 3-point arc, with Funk accounting for all four of Bucknell's made threes as the team finished 4-for-18.
Bucknell committed 13 miscues in the game compared to 10 for Mercer, but the Bears took advantage to the tune of a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers.
The Bison did cut a 19-point deficit down to seven by holding Mercer scoreless for a 6:20 stretch late in the game. Jacksen Greco's 3-pointer with 11:53 to go gave the Bears a 65-46 lead, but Mercer managed only four more field goals the rest of the way.
Down 73-56, Timmerman made a layup, Rice hit two free throws and an and-1, and Funk splashed a transition 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 73-66 with 2:30 to go. The Bison got yet another stop, but Rice was called for a palming violation while dribbling in traffic near mid-court, and then Felipe Haase ended Mercer's scoreless drought with a 3-pointer to restore a double-digit margin with 1:36 left.
Neftali Alvarez paced Mercer with 22 points, while Jalen Johnson and Kamar Robinson finished with 14 each. Bucknell shot 46.3 percent from the field, despite the tough day from outside the arc. Mercer hit at a 43.9-percent clip and went 11-for-31 from downtown.
Mercer outrebounded Bucknell 38-33 but held just a slim 5-4 edge in second-chance points.
There were nine lead changes during a back-and-forth first half. Elvin Edmonds IV hit both ends of a 1-and-1 around a lengthy delay due to a clock malfunction, giving the Bison a 22-21 lead. But Mercer made the first extended run for either side with a 9-0 spurt to go up 30-22 after Robinson's 12-footer.
Robinson, who scored 12 points off the bench in the half, hit a contested 3-pointer to give the Bears a 37-28 lead with 1:14 to go, but the Bison finished the half with back-to-back buckets from Timmerman to climb within 37-32 at the break.
The Bison held Mercer scoring leader Haase to just two points in the first half, but Haase opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer and a short jumper from the baseline, giving the Bears their largest lead to that point at 42-32.
Bucknell was hanging around down seven after two Rice free throws made it 48-41, but Mercer took control with a 14-3 run. Alvarez scored half of the Bears' points in that stretch, and Shawn Walker Jr. capped the run with 3-point play that made it 62-44 with 12:25 to go.
In the first game of the day, Middle Tennessee rallied from nine down at the half to defeat Rider 60-54.
Bucknell and Rider will be squaring off for the second time in a week. The Bison defeated the Broncs 81-74 at Sojka Pavilion last Wednesday, behind 23 points from Rice and 20 from Screen. Dwight Murray Jr. had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Broncs.
Team Stats
Buck
Mercer
FG%
.463
.439
3FG%
.222
.355
FT%
.700
.900
RB
33
38
TO
13
10
STL
1
9
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
3
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballIn The Herd: Cornell Game Preview And Mark Mulhern Feature
Thursday, October 16
In The Herd: American Game Preview And Sarah Althouse Feature
Thursday, October 16
In The Herd: Season Opener And Shane Wynn And Kyla Kelly Features
Wednesday, October 15
2025 Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee Bob Rhein
Monday, October 13