Stair with 24 points, 13 boards helps Mercer hold off UIC

CHICAGO -- Ethan Stair had 24 points and 13 rebounds as Mercer withstood a late Illinois-Chicago rally to take a 72-68 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Djordje Dimitrijevic added 16 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists and James Glisson III chipped in 12 points for Mercer (4-2) which has won four of its last five games.

The Bears were up 33-23 at the break and led 63-53 with 3:21 remaining in the game. UIC staged a late rally, finishing the game on a 15-9 run but could not close the gap.

Tarkus Ferguson had 19 points for UIC (2-4). Michael Diggins added 15 and Godwin Boahen finished with 11 points and six assists.