The Basics
 Score: No. 2 Seed Mercer 76, No. 7 Seed Western Carolina 67
 Records: Western Carolina 6-18; Mercer 17-6
 Location: Harrah's Cherokee Center, Asheville, N.C.  
 
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Nadia Marshall led with 22 points as No. 7 seed Western Carolina women's basketball ended its season with a 76-67 loss to No. 2 seed Mercer Thursday in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Championship presented by General Shale Brick in the Asheville Cherokee Center.

Turning Point:
Western Carolina enjoyed two leads in the first quarter but a pair of free throws and a last second bucket gave Mercer a 19-16 lead at the end of the half. The Bears would never trail again and used a 20-15 second quarter and a total of seven three-pointers to secure its spot in the semi-finals of the tournament.
 
 Individual Leaders

• Marshall led three Catamounts in double figures with her 22 points adding nine rebounds.
• Lauren LaPlant closed out her Catamount career playing all 40 minutes and ending the game with 11 points hitting two three-pointers.
• Rookie Zanoria Cruz also had 11 points in the game.
• Mercer's Amoria Neal-Tysor led all scorers with 27 points.

 
 Inside the Box Score

• Western Carolina won the fourth quarter outscoring Mercer 24-18.
• The Catamounts shot 45 percent from the field in the first half and ended the game shooting 42.6 percent. WCU just edged Mercer who shot 40 percent.
• Mercer benefitted from 26 trips to the free throw line hitting 22. Western Carolina went to the charity strip 16 times hitting 12.
• The Catamounts connected on three three-pointers in the game.
• Mercer just edged Western Carolina in rebounds 37 to 36.
• The Catamounts got 40 of its points inside the paint and scored 12 points off the nine Mercer turnovers.

QUOTES: HEAD COACH KILEY HILL:

"I'm proud of our kids, really proud of how they gave maximum effort. Our (lack of) depth caught up with us, but we gave it all we had.

On sophomore Nadia Marshall's 22 points and nine rebounds
"She's been sitting (with injuries) for about a year and a half, and we just got her back in November. She's an Energizer Bunny for us, and she's a warrior. If we can keep her healthy, she's going to be a very good player."

  News & Notes

• Marshall's 22 points marks the second time she has scored 20 or more points this season. She has a career-high 26 points in the overtime loss to the Bears earlier this season.
• LaPlant ends her career with 171 three-pointers ranking fourth in the Western Carolina record books.
• LaPlant also closes out her Catamount career with 834 points.
• Western Carolina's 67 points is the most points the Catamounts have scored against a SoCon opponent this season.
• The 67 points also marks the second-straight season a Western Carolina team has scored 60 or more points in a SoCon tournament game.
• Kyla Allison closes out the season averaging 10.7 points per game and a total of 256 points.
• Marshall ends the year leading the team with 6.3 rebounds per game and 144 total.

 
 
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