It doesn’t count on the schedule but in the hearts of the Clark Atlanta faithful they must feel like they have a winner. In the final ‘exhibition’ of the preseason, the Clark Atlanta men defeated Division I Mercer 71-64 in Macon, Georgia on Monday night.
It was a three headed monster for CAU that handled business on Monday night. Xavier Griffith led all scorers 17 points in just 19 minutes of action. Griffith was 5-7 from the field, 2-3 from downtown and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line.
Dez’Mond Perkins was right there with 16 points in 27 minutes of action. Perkins was 7-10 from the field with no turnovers, five rebounds and one assist. The 6’8″ forward started 16 games last season, averaging 7.3 points per game.
Chris Martin was a force as well scoring 14 points in 30 minutes of action. He was 2-4 on three point shots in the game.
Mercer held a slim 34-31 halftime lead in front of the 1,272 in attendance on Monday. But Clark Atlanta outscored the home team 40-30 in the second half.
CAU outrebounded Mercer 38-33 in the game and had a slight edge at the free throw line. The Panthers were 18-26 at the line while Mercer was 15-23.
Clark Atlanta begins the regular season on Friday Nov. 10 hosting the SIAC/GSC Crossover. It will play the University of West Florida Friday at 8pm and Valdosta State on Saturday. All games this weekend are in Epps Gymnasium.