Bears Hold Off Gardner-Webb To Close Out Home Stand

Monday, November 10

Macon, Ga.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

2-1,0-0SoCon

Gardner-Webb

0-3,0-0Big South

Gardner-Webb

Mercer

Bears Hold Off Gardner-Webb To Close Out Home Stand

11/10/2025 9:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – Mercer shot a season-best 48.0 percent from the field, including a 3-for-4 clip over the game's final 4-1/2 minutes, to hold off visiting Gardner-Webb, 61-56, on Monday evening in Hawkins Arena.

It was the second win in the last three outings for the Bears (2-1) who have now registered consecutive wins in the series with their Big South rivals for the first time since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns. Monday's result kept the Runnin' Bulldogs (0-3) winless on the current campaign.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 61, Gardner-Webb 56
RECORDS: Mercer 2-1 (0-0 SoCon); Gardner-Webb 0-3 (0-0 Big South)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

The Bears scored the first four points of the evening to take a quick lead, but Sara Menendez's 3-pointer with 8:20 to play marked the first of nine-straight points for Gardner-Webb that swung the momentum. The Bears scored six-straight points to knot the score up at 16 apiece with 14 seconds left in the period, but Nyla Walker canned a 3-pointer with five ticks remaining to give the visitors a 19-16 edge through 10 minutes.

2ND QUARTER

Mercer tacked up seven of the first nine points in the second stanza to retake the lead and held on to the advantage for the remainder of the quarter. The Bears led by as many as six points, 30-24, following a rare 4-point play from Micah O'Dell with just under five minutes left, and another O'Dell trey with 34 seconds left allowed the hosts to lug a 33-29 lead into the break.

3RD QUARTER

The Bears canned 50 percent (6-for-12) of their field goal attempts in the third frame, but were unable to pad their lead. Mercer forged a five-point lead, 42-37, on Nahawa Diarra's triple at the 3:33 mark, but the Runnin' Bulldogs hung around and trailed by just three points, 46-43, heading to the final quarter.

4TH QUARTER

Gardner-Webb scored five-straight points to take its first lead, 51-50, since the opening quarter on a perimeter shot from Jaelyn Acker with 6:25 left to play, but Micah O'Dell drained a perimeter shot from the top of the key on the other end of the court to spark the hosts on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Newcomer Micah O'Dell scored 15 of her game-best 20 points in the opening half, while also adding four rebounds, four assists and a steal. O'Dell finished the night with a 7-for-12 shooting performance, including a quartet of 3-pointers (six attempts).
+ Seniors Ariana Bennett and Nahawa Diarra chipped in 10 points apiece. Bennett was 4-for-5 from the field with three rebounds and a pair of assists. Diarra collected six rebounds and three assists.
+ Sophomore Stephanie Utomi came off of the bench to register 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night. She also finished with four rebounds, two assists and a steal.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer won the rebounding battle for the second time this season, 32-30, while also logging a season-best 18 assists. It is the most assists for the Bears since they turned in 20 in a win at Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 30, 2024.
+ The Bears shot 48.0 percent (24-for-50) in Monday's outing – their best shooting night since canning 53.2 percent (25-for-47) in last season's home setback to East Tennessee State (Feb. 15, 2025). Mercer canned 52.1 percent (12-for-23) of their second half field goal attempts.

UP NEXT

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BACK THE BEARS

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