State has rolled so far this season, but Mercer proved a tougher nut to crack.
The Pack had a big lead but nearly gave it all up in the second half as the lead fell from 21 to just two.
Dimitrijevic Djordje led the Bears with 19 in the second half and 25 overall.
For State, it was probably a valuable game: the team got game pressure from a tough opponent, as Duke fans will remember, and overcame their own bad play to win. That’ll come in handy against Wisconsin.
So did State’s pressure as the Pack forced 23 turnovers.