Fourth-Quarter Spurt Helps Wake Forest Turn Back Mercer

Thursday, November 13

Winston-Salem, N.C.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

2-2,0-0SoCon

Wake Forest

4-0,0-0ACC

Mercer

Wake Forest

Fourth-Quarter Spurt Helps Wake Forest Turn Back Mercer

11/13/2025 8:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Visiting Mercer drained a season-best seven 3-pointers and turned in a dominant performance on the offensive glass, but home-standing Wake Forest shot 45.3 percent from the field and used six-straight points in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good on the way to holding off the Bears, 66-61, on Thursday evening in LJVM Coliseum.

It was the second loss to an Atlantic Coast Conference team in as many weeks for Mercer (2-2) who finished Tuesday's outing with 19 offensive rebounds, as well as a double-digit edge in the rebounding column. The Demon Deacons (4-0), who rolled into the outing riding two-straight victories by 29 or more points, tallied 42 points in the paint to key the final outcome.

Thursday's contest featured seven tie scores and 11 lead changes. The Bears led for nearly 20 minutes (19:44).

THE BASICS

SCORE: Wake Forest 66, Mercer 61
RECORDS: Mercer 2-2 (0-0 SoCon); Wake Forest 4-0 (0-0 ACC)
LOCATION: Winston-Salem, N.C. (LJVM Coliseum)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Both teams shot 7-for-16 (.438) from the field in the opening period, but it was a trio of 3-pointers that inevitably led to Mercer holding a 17-16 edge after 10 minutes of play. The Orange & Black tacked up seven-straight points to take a 10-3 advantage following Micah O'Dell's trey at the 6:15 mark, but the Demon Deacons eventually closed out the quarter with four consecutive points to make it a one-possession game.

2ND QUARTER

Grace Oliver's second-chance bucket with 3:36 left before the intermission marked the first of seven-straight points by the hosts that allowed them to grab a 31-27 lead three minutes later. MU newcomer Rania Curry hit a bucket on the other end of the court to pull the visitors within a lone basket, but Opal Bird canned a free throw with one tick left to give Wake Forest a 32-29 lead heading to the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

Wake Forest went 7-for-11 in the third stanza, but the Bears forced seven turnovers to key a 19-15 advantage on the scoreboard in the stanza. Grace Oliver gave the Demon Deacons a 41-39 lead on a running layup with 3:57 showing on the scoreboard, but Nahawa Diarra made good on a trio free throws after a perimeter foul to push the Bears ahead, and Mercer eventually lugged a 48-47 advantage into the final period on Diarra's short jumper with 13 seconds left.

4TH QUARTER

Newcomer Elena Cabello hit a big 3-pointer to give Mercer a 57-56 advantage with just more than five minutes left in regulation, but Wake Forest answered with six-straight points to swing the momentum for good. The Bears made it a one-possession game, 62-59, following a turnaround jumper from Micah O'Dell with a minute remaining, but the hosts went 4-for-6 from the line down the stretch to ice the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Nahawa Diarra registered an MU career-best 21 points on Thursday evening, while also adding six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
+ Transfer Elena Cabello chipped in a season-best 11 points, including a 3-for-6 perimeter clip. She complemented her scoring with five rebounds, one assist and a steal.
+ Sophomore Stephanie Utomi turned in a career- and game-best 11 rebounds, while also tallying six points, two assists and two steals.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer amassed 19 offensive rebounds on Thursday night – their most offensive boards since pulling down 19 in a win over Charleston Southern last season (Nov. 22, 2024).
+ The Bears showed a 6-for-7 clip from the free throw line on Thursday. Wake Forest, in turn, went 15-for-22 from the charity stripe.
+ The Orange & Black registered a 44-34 advantage in the rebounding column at the final whistle. It is the first time that Mercer has out-rebounded its opponent by double digits since a 50-37 rebounding disparity in a 59-48 win over Charleston Southern last season.

UP NEXT

Mercer will continue its three-game road trip on Wednesday when it makes the trip to Jackson, Miss., to take on Jackson State (1-1) in the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. Tipoff is slated for Noon ET.

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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.