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Schedule

Full
Jewel Smalls Wofford
Noah Sautter, WCU Athletics
54
Western Caro. WCU 5-23,2-11 SoCon
60
Winner Mercer Mercer 7-21,4-9 SoCon
Western Caro. WCU
5-23,2-11 SoCon
54
Final
60
Mercer Mercer
7-21,4-9 SoCon
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Western Caro. WCU 16 13 10 15 54
Mercer Mercer 15 13 14 18 60

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Denise Gideon, Director of Media Relations

Catamounts Break Program 3-Point Seasonal Record in Loss at Mercer

WCU closes out regular season at Samford Saturday

The Basics
Score: Mercer 60, Western Carolina 54
Records: Western Carolina 5-23, 2-11 SoCon, Mercer 7-21, 4-9
Location: Hawkins Arena, Macon, Ga.    
 
MACON, GA. – On a night when Western Carolina women's basketball broke the program record for most three-pointers in a season, and two players recorded double-doubles, the Catamounts couldn't cap those accolades with a win falling at Mercer 60-54 Thursday in the Ramsey Center. 
 
Turning Point:
Leading 34-30 with 7:08 left in the third, Western Carolina went six-plus minutes without scoring allowing Mercer to capture the lead and the Catamounts would never lead again. In the final two quarters, the Bears outscored the Catamounts 32-25. 
 
Individual Leaders
  • Sophomore Jewel Smalls (14 points and 13 rebounds) and freshman Andrea Martin Ruiz (14 points and 12 assists) each had double-doubles in the game. Andrea Martin Ruiz just missed a triple-double as she also had seven rebounds. 
  • Redshirt junior Lauren LaPlant had 13 points hitting three 3-pointers. 
  • Mercer's Shannon Titus scored almost half of the Bears' points as she poured in a game-leading 26 points. 
 
Inside the Box Score
  • The game was won at the free-throw line as Mercer was sent to the line 16 times hitting 13. The Catamounts went to the charity stripe just once hitting 1-of-2. If Mercer wasn't aided by the free throw shots, the team would have only scored 47 points
  • Western Carolina drained nine three-pointers in the game while Mercer hit just one. 
  • For the game, Western Carolina shot 42.3 percent from the field and held Mercer to 35.9 percent. 
  • The Catamounts out-rebounded Mercer 38 to 35. 
  • Each team dished out 15 assists. 
  • Western Carolina had 21 turnovers in the game equating to 20 Mercer points. 
News & Notes
  • In the second quarter, LaPlant drained her second three-pointer in the game helping the Catamounts break the program record for most three-pointers in a season. The 2019-20 team usurps the 2013-14 club who had 189. The current team has 193 and counting.
  • Andrea Martin Ruiz's 12 assists are a career-high for the freshman and rank fifth in the WCU record books for most assists in a game. She is the first player in program history, based on available records, to have a double-double in points and assists. 
  • Smalls recorded her 12th double-double of the season and is the most by a Catamount on the season based on available records. 
  • Based on available records, this is the first time Catamount women's basketball has had two players record a double-double in the same game. 
  • LaPlant ranks sixth in the WCU record books for most three-pointers in a career with 127. She needs 19 to take over fifth place. LaPlant will return for her redshirt senior season and have a chance to break the record set by Lauren Powell who hit 214 in her illustrious career from 2005-09. 
  • Smalls has 273 rebounds on the season ranking fifth in the WCU record books for most rebounds in a season. She has the most rebounds by a Catamount since the 2006-07 season when Chevon Keith ripped down 282 – a mark Smalls is now chasing to take over fourth. For her career, Smalls has 429 rebounds.
  • In the points category, Smalls had 675 points with 345 points scored this season. The 345 points best her freshman mark of 330. 
 
 
 
Up Next
Western Carolina closes out the SoCon regular season traveling to Samford for a 2 p.m. EDT match-up with the Bulldogs. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. 
 
For the latest information on Western Carolina women's basketball, follow @catamounts on Twitter or go to www.catamountsports.com.
 
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