Box Score

The Basics
Score: Mercer 72, Western Carolina 50
Records: Western Carolina 3-17, 0-6 SoCon, Mercer 18-2, 5-0 SoCon
Location: Hawkins Arena, Macon, Ga.

MACON, Ga. -- Junior guard Angel Allen scored a career-high 21 points in Western Carolina women's basketball's 72-50 loss at Mercer Saturday in Hawkins Arena.

The Catamounts couldn't overcome the 21-6 first period lead Mercer. The Catamounts did battle back in the second period being outscored by just three, 19-16.

WCU won the third period 15-13 and benefitted from holding Mercer scoreless for the final 3:43 of the third. It was just a six-point advantage for the Bears in the fourth, outscoring Western 19-13. However, Catamount scoring droughts of over two-plus minutes in all four periods were the death nail for WCU.

Turning Point
Western Carolina scored just six points in the first period and could never climb out of the 21-6 first-period hole the Catamounts dug themselves in against Mercer.

Individual Leaders
- Allen led Western Carolina with 21 points and drained a career-high four three-pointers.
- Mercer's KeKe Calloway led all scorers with 23 points hitting all five of the Bears' three-pointers in the game.
- Sherae Bonner ripped down eight rebounds.
- Tembre Moates dished out a career-high four assists.
- The Bears' Sydni Means had 13 assists.

Inside the Box Score
- Allen hit four of Western Carolina's five three-pointers while Calloway hit all five for the Bears.
- Western Carolina shot 36.7 percent from the field and Mercer shot 43.5.
- Western Carolina went to the free throw line just twice hitting one ... On the flipside, Mercer was awarded 15 trips to the charity stripe hitting 13.
- The Catamounts crashed the boards outrebounding Mercer 42-33.
- Western Carolina committed 21 turnovers in the game and Mercer turned them into 24 Bear points.

News & Notes
- Bonner's one block in the game gives her 128 in her career and gives her third place outright in the Catamount record books. She needs three blocks to move into second place and overtaking former Catamount Brooke Johnson who ended her career with 130.
- Bonner also moved up the rebounding list going over the 800 career rebound mark with 806. The mark is not only good for the seventh place she is also just the seventh player in program history to have 800 or more career rebounds. She now needs 35 rebounds to move into sixth place.
- Western Carolina is now 0-12 on the road this season and currently on a six-game losing streak.
- Allen becomes just the second Catamount this season to score 20 or more points with her 21 against Mercer. She also had a career-best eight field goals ... Bonner is the only other Catamount to score 20 or more points this season as she has scored 20 or more points twice including a season-best 23 against Campbell.
- Western Carolina held the Southern Conference's leading scorer Khalia Lawrence, averaging 20 points per game in overall and conference games, to just 10 points - her lowest scoring total in a SoCon game this season and ties for the third-lowest scoring output of the season for the senior from Mercer.
- Bonner's 818 career points moved her into 24th place in the WCU record books.

Up Next
Western Carolina returns home Wednesday to host Warren Wilson, in the final non-conference game of the season, in the Ramsey Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game can be heard on the Catamount Sports Network.

For the latest information on Catamount women's basketball, follow @catamounts on Twitter or go to www.catamountsports.com.For the latest information on Catamount women's basketball, follow @catamounts on Twitter or go to www.catamountsports.com.