Bears Drop Road Opener At Florida Atlantic

Saturday, November 9

Boca Raton, Fla.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

1-1,0-0SoCon

Florida Atlantic

1-1,0-0AAC

Mercer

Florida Atlantic

11/9/2024 5:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic scored 20 points off of 25 turnovers and shot better than 45 percent in the opening half to key a 58-48 victory over visiting Mercer on Saturday afternoon in Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

The result snapped a four-game series win streak for the Orange & Black (1-1) who will return home on Tuesday to take on Western Kentucky (2-0) in Hawkins Arena. The triumph marked Florida Atlantic's (1-1) first win over the Bears since the 2005-06 campaign.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Florida Atlantic 58, Mercer 48
RECORDS: Mercer 1-1 (0-0 SoCon); Florida Atlantic 1-1 (0-0 AAC)
LOCATION: Boca Raton, Fla. (Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Florida Atlantic trailed by four points early on, but registered 54.5 percent shooting from the field and scored eight of the final 10 points of the period to build a 15-10 advantage. The Bears led 8-7 after Ariana Bennett's lay-in at the 2:55 mark, but FAU answered with eight-straight points to storm ahead for good.

2ND QUARTER

Neither side was able to find its shooting touch in the second quarter, but the Owls did just enough to maintain their distance on the scoreboard. The Bears made it a two-possession game, 18-12, following a fastbreak basket by Aliyah Collins just less than two minutes in, but FAU put together its second 8-0 run of the afternoon to quell the momentum.

3RD QUARTER

Mercer found its hot hand in the third quarter, but was unable to whittle away at its deficit. Mercer scored five-straight points to pull to within five, 30-25, after an Ashlee Locke layup at the 7:16 mark, but the Owls tacked up seven of the game's next nine points to extend their lead back to double digits.

4TH QUARTER

The Bears dealt a bulk of defensive damage in the final period, converting five turnovers into 11 points and cutting into their deficit. The hosts padded their lead out to 14 points, 44-30, just more than a minute into the final stanza, but Stephanie Utomi's bucket on the other end of the court ignited a surge that brought the deficit down to just eight points, 49-41, with 4-1/2 minutes remaining.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Ashlee Locke led all scorers with a career-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Locke also pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds to tack up her second double-double of the season.
+ Redshirt sophomore Aspen Johnson chipped in seven points and a trio of steals.

NOTABLES

+ The Bears totaled 24 points in the paint on Saturday, including 11 layups.
+ Mercer finished Saturday's outing with a dozen steals, and scored 21 points off of 24 Florida Atlantic turnovers.
+ MU also pulled down 10 offensive rebounds which led to nine second-chance points.

UP NEXT

Mercer will open up a two-game home stand on Tuesday when they lock horns with Western Kentucky (2-0) in Hawkins Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/Tickets.

STAY CONNECTED

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BACK THE BEARS

Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, email maf@mercer.edu.