MACON - Aleem Muhammad scored a career-high 32 points and Mercer held on after building a 15-point lead to beat Troy State 72-71 Monday night. <br>
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The victory gave the Bears (5-20 overall, 3-13 Atlantic Sun Conference) their first two-game winning streak of the season. <br>
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Mercer led 57-42 with 6:02 left but Troy State (15-8, 11-5) rallied to pulled within 70-66 with 28 seconds to play on Ben Fletcher's jumper. <br>
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Muhammad then made one free throw but Troy State's Rob Lewin was fouled and made both shots, cutting Mercer's lead to 71-68 with 18 seconds left. <br>
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Muhammad was fouled and missed both free throws, but Troy State's Herbert Evans missed a 15-footer. Mercer's Noel West was fouled and made one free throw, and Fletcher's 3-pointer at the buzzer left Troy State one point short. <br>
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Lamayn Wilson led Troy State with 26 points, while Fletcher added 20. <br>
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Clarence Baker had 13 for Mercer.
