Box Score |   

The Basics
Score: Mercer 53, Western Carolina 46
Records: Western Carolina 5-21, 1-11 SoCon, Mercer 24-2, 11-0 SoCon
Location: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, N.C.

CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Western Carolina women's basketball put a scare in the Southern Conference's league-leading Mercer Thursday as the Bears escaped the Ramsey Center with a 53-46 win over the Catamounts.

The Catamounts hung tough against the Bears as the game was tied three times, the lead changed four times and the Catamounts built as much as a four-point lead early in the contest. Western Carolina just couldn't overcome the 25 turnovers in the game, with Mercer posting 31 points off WCU's miscues.

Senior forward Julia Brown led all scorers with 14 points. Lauren LaPlant came off the bench to add 10 hitting two of Western Carolina's five three-pointers in the game. Mercer's Amanda Thompson paced the Bears with 12 points.

Turning Point
With the scored tied at 27, with 5:04 left in the third period, Mercer went on its longest scoring run of the game, pouring in seven straight points, and kept Western Carolina at bay the rest of the contest.

Individual Leaders
- Brown just missed tying her season-high with 14 points. Brown added a block, a steal and five rebounds.
- LaPlant scored 10 points off the bench going 4-for-7 from the field and hitting a pair of three-pointers.
- Sherae Bonner ripped down eight rebounds to lead the team, with seven on the defensive side. - Thompson led Mercer with 12 points.
- The Bears KeKe Calloway and Kahlia Lawrence each had 10 points.

Inside the Box Score
- Western Carolina just edged Mercer in shooting at 39.6 percent from the field to Mercer's 39.5.
- Western Carolina also won the rebounding battle pulling down 37 boards to Mercer's 25. All but five of the Bears' rebounds were on the defensive side.
- The Catamounts battled through 25 turnovers in the game to Mercer's nine.
- Mercer scored 31 of its points off Western Carolina turnovers.

News & Notes
- With eight rebounds against Mercer, Bonner now has 846 career rebounds moving her into sixth place in the WCU record books.
- Brown's 14 points in the game mark the second time in the last three games she has scored in double figures.
- In the second straight game with Mercer, Western Carolina held the league's leading scorer Lawrence, averaging over 18 points per game, to just 10 points. It is the second lowest points Lawrence has scored in a game as she scored just eight in the win over Samford Feb. 3. In fact, the high-octane Lawrence seems to have stalled out as she is just averaging nine points per game over the last two contests.
- With the seven-point loss against Mercer Thursday night, Western Carolina is now 0-13 against the Bears. WCU has lost by seven points or less in the last three games in Cullowhee against Mercer.
- Western Carolina held Mercer to 53 points - the second-lowest scoring total for the Bears in a Southern Conference game this season. Mercer scored 48 points in the win over Samford last weekend.
- With her 14 points against Mercer, Brown now has 213 points on the year which is a season-high and marks the first time she has scored 200 or more points in her Catamount career.
- For the season, Western Carolina has hit 139 three-pointers ranking the team sixth in the WCU record books for three-pointers in a season. The Catamounts need just two three-pointers to move into fifth.

Up Next
Western Carolina plays its final home game of the season Saturday hosting Samford at 4:30 p.m. The contest is the second game of a doubleheader as Catamount men's basketball hosts ETSU at 2 p.m. Seniors Bonner, Brown, Emily Hatfield and JonTay Mitchem will be honored prior to the game.

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.