Macon, Ga. – Grace Pack halted a three-minute scoreless open for Western Carolina on Saturday at Mercer, jumpstarting an 8-0 Catamount spurt early to grab a lead. The Catamounts held onto that lead throughout the first half, but Mercer rallied with 37 second-half points to earn a 61-51 win in Southern Conference play at Hawkins Arena.
For the second time in her last three games, Tina Bowers led the Catamount offense, just missing a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, setting a career high on the glass. Ally Hollifield matched Bowers with a dozen points and dished out seven assists and three steals.
Ariana Bennett led four Bears in double figures with 14 points. She was followed in scoring order by Nahawa Diarra (12), Micah O'Dell (10), and Talia Harris (10). Harris and O'Dell tied for the team lead in rebounding, picking up five boards apiece.
WCU (3-20, SoCon 0-9) returns home to open a two-game homestand by hosting the Furman Paladins on Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. Mercer (14-9, SoCon 4-4) hits the road for a quick turnaround, facing the ETSU Bucs on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.
How it Happened:
Neither team found much success early offensively before Grace Pack scored the first points of the day with 7:09 remaining in the opening quarter. Taj Hunter hit three free throws, and Ally Hollifield swished a 3-pointer to force an early Mercer timeout as the Catamounts leapt to an 8-0 lead.
However, the Bears rallied out of the timeout, outpacing WCU 10-5 to finish the frame, but the Catamounts held onto a 13-10 lead going into the second.
Nahawa Diarra pulled Mercer within one out of the quarter break, but the Catamounts rolled off seven straight points to go ahead 20-12. Mercer bounced back to tie the game at 20 after an 8-0 run. Betsey Burnett connected on a deep shot to put the Catamounts ahead 25-24 at halftime.
Tina Bowers scored five points for the Catamounts to open the third quarter, giving the Catamounts a 30-27 lead. But the Bears responded with the next six points to take their first lead of the afternoon. Mercer's lead grew to as much as five in the quarter, but back-to-back 3-pointers by the Catamounts, including a shot at the third-quarter buzzer by Hollifield, cut the deficit to two going into the fourth.
Pack hit a pair of free throws to open the final 10 minutes, tying the game at 40, but a 10-2 run by Mercer gave the Bears a 50-42 advantage with 3:44 to play. The Catamounts closed to within five points three times in the final minutes of the game, but the Bears went 5-for-5 from the free throw line late to secure the 61-51 win.
By the Numbers:
Freshman Tina Bowers provided a spark for the Catamounts offensively, posting 12 points and sinking both of her 3-point tries. Bowers leads the team in field goal percentage (23-of-54, 42.3%) and 3-point percentage (6-of-10, 60%) in conference play.
The two teams struggled in offensive efficiency in the first quarter, with neither team shooting above 27% from the floor in the frame (WCU 3-of-14, 21.4% | MER 4-of-15, 26.7%). The Bears found greater success in the remaining three quarters, shooting at least 43% to close out the game and finishing the day connecting on 45.1% of their shots.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina returns home to host the Furman Paladins on Feb. 12 for a 6 p.m. tip. Fans are encouraged to wear their white WCU gear to the game as the Catamounts look to "White Out Ramsey." WCU then hosts the Wofford Terriers on Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. before returning to the road to take on Chattanooga and ETSU on Feb. 19 and Feb. 21.
