foxsports
James Florence hit two free throws with 15 seconds left and Mercer held on to defeat the Bears 66-63 on Friday night in an Atlantic Sun Conference tournament semifinal.
Danny Emerson scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and Jeff Smith added 18 points for the sixth-seeded Bears (16-16).
Mercer will face East Tennessee State in the title game on Saturday.
Florence, a 2,300 career-point scorer, had just seven against Jacksonville, all coming in the second half.
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The Bears took a 61-58 lead on a three-point play by Emerson with 3:54, and the Dolphins (19-12) went 1-for-5 from the free throw line the rest of the way.
The game featured 13 ties and 13 lead changes.
Ben Smith scored 19 points for Jacksonville, Ayron Hardy 13 and Lehmon Colbert 11.
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