Bears Rally Back From Late Deficit To Stun Western Carolina

Saturday, February 1

Cullowhee, N.C.

1 p.m.

Mercer University

7-15,2-5SoCon

Western Carolina

11-11,1-6SoCon

Mercer

Western Caro.

Bears Rally Back From Late Deficit To Stun Western Carolina

2/1/2025 2:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Nahawa Diarra's rebound and ensuing layup with 23 seconds left gave visiting Mercer the lead for good as the Bears rallied all the way back from a 10-point deficit with seven minutes left in regulation to stun home-standing Western Carolina, 71-66, on Saturday afternoon at Ingles Court.

The triumph snapped a 5-game losing streak for the Bears (7-15, 2-5 SoCon) who improved to 29-1 all-time in the series with their Southern Conference counterparts. It was the fifth-straight setback for Western Carolina (11-11, 1-6) who fell to 1-13 all-time against Mercer in Cullowhee, N.C.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 71, Western Carolina 66
RECORDS: Mercer 7-15 (2-5 SoCon); Western Carolina 11-11 (1-6 SoCon)
LOCATION: Cullowhee, N.C. (Ingles Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Mercer registered an 8-for-16 clip from the field to forge a 20-15 lead through 10 minutes of play. Western Carolina scored 11 of the game's first 14 points, but the visitors closed out the stanza with a 17-4 run to storm ahead.

2ND QUARTER

Neither team was able to claim the hot shooting hand in the second quarter, but the Catamounts used a perfect 6-for-6 tally from the charity stripe to inevitably take a 31-29 advantage into the locker rooms. Ariana Bennett hit a pair of free throws midway through to help MU claim a 29-22 edge, but WCU scored the last nine points of the opening half to swing the momentum.

3RD QUARTER

Both teams shot sub-30 percent from the field in the third period, but the Catamounts drained a pair of 3-pointers, while also registering a 5-for-7 showing from the free throw line, to push their lead out to double-digits, 48-38, heading to the fourth quarter. Talia Harris's running layup with 5:44 remaining tied the score up at 34 apiece, but Zanoria Cruz's lay-in nearly two minutes sparked a game-changing 14-2 run for the hosts.

4TH QUARTER

Western Carolina used Zanoria's Cruz's old-fashioned 3-point play with 7:14 left to build its lead out to double digits, 54-44, but Ashlee Locke's layup just more than a minute later marked the first points of a 15-5 run for the Orange & Black who eventually knotted the score up at 59-all on a pair of free throws from Nahawa Diarra at the 2:48 mark. WCU tacked up the next five points, but Mercer answered with five of its own, including a big 3-pointer from Diarra with 68 ticks remaining.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Nahawa Diarra scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, and barely missed a double-double outing with eight boards as well. Diarra was 6-for-12 from the field on Saturday, and also tallied two steals and an assist.
+ Junior Ariana Bennett added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes of action. She was 5-for-11 from the field against the Catamounts.
+ Senior Ashlee Locke and junior Kayla Smith chipped in 13 points apiece. Smith registered a 3-for-8 clip from the perimeter, while Locke complemented her scoring with five rebounds and a career-best six assists.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer turned in 16 assists on 25 made field goals on Saturday. It is the third-highest assist total of the season for the Orange & Black who tallied 17 in the season opener with UNC Asheville (November 4) and 20 at Bethune-Cookman (November 30).
+ The Bears erupted in the fourth quarter, draining 10 of their 15 field goal attempts. It is the best fourth-quarter offensive performance for MU.
+ The Orange & Black scored 70 or more points for just the third time this season, and the first time since downing Bethune-Cookman, 70-64, on November 30. MU tallied 75 points in the season opener against UNC Asheville.
+ Saturday's comeback victory snapped a five-game skid for the Bears who also put a three-game road losing streak to bed as well.

UP NEXT

The Bears will close out their three-game road trip on February 8 when they make the short swing over to Birmingham, Ala., to take on Southern Conference rival Samford (7-15, 2-4 SoCon) inside the Pete Hanna Center. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. 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.