Macon, Ga. – Mercer used a 13-0 run out of the gates before withstanding a late charge from Western Carolina to earn an 88-76 Southern Conference victory on Wednesday night at Hawkins Arena.

Trailing 41-24 at the break, the Catamounts connected on nine second-half 3-pointers and shot 55.3 percent in scoring 52 points before the Bears claimed the 12-point victory.

Sophomore transfer Justin Johnson scored a team-best 14 points, connecting on five field goals with 11 points coming in the second half. Redshirt junior Cord Stansberry, graduate transfer Julien Soumaoro, and freshman Tahlan Pettway each finished with 11. Stansberry buried a pair of threes and had a perfect 5-of-5 night at the foul line, while Soumaoro connected on three 3-pointers, including one to push him past the 1,000-career point threshold. Pettway buried 3-of-4 threes to round out the trio. 

Freshman Samuel Dada rounded out WCU's double-figure scoring with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while pulling down six rebounds. Redshirt junior Marcus Kell led the visitors with seven rebounds, and Soumaoro dished out a team-best four assists. 

Zaire Williams led Mercer (13-7, 5-2 SoCon) with a game-high 23 points, connecting on three 3-pointers to go along with five rebounds and a team-best five assists. Armani Mighty, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, posted the lone double-double in the contest with 20 points and 15 rebounds as he made 9-of-10 field goals. Baraka Okojie rounded out the double-figure scoring with 19 points, while going 10-of-12 at the free throw line. Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Okojie led the Bears with three steals apiece. 

The Bears started fast with the game's first 13 points and 15 of the first 18 points to gain the early 12-point edge just six minutes into the midweek action. WCU, behind Pettway and Hyland, then scored seven of the next nine points to cut the deficit to eight, 15-7. Mercer used a 9-3 spurt to stretch the lead to 14, 24-10, midway through the opening half. 

The Bears were able to extend the advantage to a half-high 18, 33-15, with a 9-2 run before the Catamounts chipped away with six of the ensuing eight points. Free throws dominated the final two minutes as Mercer doubled up the Catamounts by the count of 6-3 to take a 41-24 lead to the intermission. 

The second half started back-and-forth with graduate transfer Tidjiane Dioumassi scoring the first five points for the Purple & Gold before Mercer scored 11 of the next 16 to stretch their lead to 24, 58-34, just four minutes into the second half. The Catamounts began to claw back over the next six minutes, though, with a 22-12 spurt that included nine in a row and a 15-4 run to fight all the way back to a 14-point game at 70-56. The spurt was spearheaded by Pettway, Johnson, and Soumaoro, who all contributed with multiple baskets. 

Mercer quickly extended its lead back to 17 before the Catamounts answered with a 12-5 burst to cut the deficit to 10, 78-68 with 4:37 to play. However, WCU was unable to get it any closer on Wednesday as the two teams traded baskets and trips to the free throw line down the stretch before the hosts claimed the 88-76 league win. 

Western Carolina shot 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the floor, including 21-of-38 (55.3%) in the second half. WCU buried 11 threes, making 9-of-19 (47.4%) after the halftime break with 11-of-15 at the charity stripe. Mercer posted a 45.6 (31-of-68) shooting, as the Bears made six 3-pointers, and were 20-of-28 from the free throw line. 

Mercer won the rebounding battle by four, 44-40, as the hosts had a 20-17 edge in offensive boards and a 24-23 advantage on the defensive glass. The Bears held the advantage in the paint, 44-30, as the Catamounts held the 40-12 lead in bench scoring as Johnson (14), Pettway (11), and Dada (10) led the way. Mercer turned 16 WCU turnovers into 21 points, while WCU forced seven turnovers that became seven points for the Catamounts. 

Western Carolina (6-12, 2-5 SoCon) is scheduled to return to the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center for a battle against VMI in the back end of a WCU SoCon hoops doubleheader. Men's tip-off is slated for 3:30 p.m., following the women's team hosting preseason favorite Chattanooga at 1 p.m.  Saturday's game will be the annual Pack the RAC. 

Fans are encouraged to check with CatamountSports.com for any weather-related schedule changes for this weekend's scheduled hoops double-header.

Both games on Saturday are slated to be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network available online at CatamountSports.com and on 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva for the men's game. Live stats are also available via a link on CatamountSports.com.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).