Big First Half Carries App State Past Mercer

Saturday, December 21

Macon, Ga.

2 p.m.

Mercer University

Appalachian State

12/21/2024 4:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – Home-standing Mercer canned better than 65 percent of its field goal attempts amid a torrid second-half shooting effort, but visiting Appalachian State limited the Bears to just a trio of made field goals in the first stanza on the way to a 74-61 win over the Orange & Black on Saturday in Hawkins Arena.

The setback marked the fifth-straight loss for the Bears (4-10) who will now get an 8-day break from competition before closing out the calendar year at Kennesaw State on December 30. The triumph snapped a three-game skid for the Mountaineers (4-6) who improved to 5-1 all-time in the series with MU.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Appalachian State 74, Mercer 61
RECORDS: Mercer 4-10 (0-0 SoCon); Appalachian State 4-6 (0-0 Sun Belt)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Junior Ariana Bennett connected on both of Mercer's field goals in the opening quarter, while Appalachian State flourished with a 7-for-15 shooting clip on the way to an 18-10 lead after 10 minutes of action. Stephanie Utomi hit a pair of free throws at the 3:41 mark to make it a one-possession game, but the Mountaineers scored seven of the quarter's final nine points to separate themselves.

2ND QUARTER

The Mountaineers scored 10 points off of six turnovers by the Bears in the second quarter, and used a 22-5 scoring disparity in the stanza to lug a 40-15 lead into the locker rooms. Talia Harris's 3-pointer just more than a minute into the period brought MU to within seven points, 20-13, but Appalachian State with a half-ending 20-2 run.

3RD QUARTER

Mercer came out of the halftime gates on fire and shot nearly 67 percent from the field in the third quarter to keep itself in the contest. Appalachian State pushed its lead out to a game-high 31 points, 55-24, on two free throws from Asjah Inniss at the 4:36 mark, but Mercer tacked up 12 of the game's next 16 points to whittle its deficit down to 59-36 heading into the fourth quarter.

4TH QUARTER

The Bears clawed themselves back into the game with a phenomenal shooting effort in the final period, draining nine of their 14 field goal attempts (64.3 percent) before succumbing late. Ariana Bennett's second-chance layup with 2:27 to play signaled a 12-2 run that brought the Orange & Black to within 11 points, 72-61, with 44 ticks left.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Junior Ariana Bennett logged the third 20+-point performance of her collegiate career, scoring a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, as well as a 7-for-7 clip from the free throw line. She narrowly missed a double-double with eight boards as well.
+ Freshman Talia Harris scored 17 of her season-best 20 points in the second half. The Fishers, Ind., native went 7-for-9 from the floor in the game's final 20 minutes. She also had a pair of steals in the second quarter.
+ Junior Kayla Smith turned in three points, but produced season-highs for both steals (6) and assists (5) in 28 minutes of action. She also added a block to her stat line.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer won the rebounding battle (31-29) for the first time since out-boarding Charleston Southern (50-37) on November 22. The Bears also finished even in the rebounding column against Bethune-Cookman and Charlotte as well.
+ Kayla Smith's block early in the third period was enough to extend Mercer's streak of swats. The Bears have now registered at least one block in 42-straight games.
+ Mercer shot 94.7 percent (18-for-19) from the free throw line against Appalachian State – the best charity line performance since MU canned all 17 of their free throws at Western Carolina last season (February 15).

UP NEXT

The Bears will play their final game of the 2024 calendar year on December 30 when they make the short trip north to take on in-state nemesis Kennesaw State (5-5). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the KSU Convocation Center.

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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.