Bears Battle Past Visiting Auburn Montgomery

Friday, January 2

Macon, Ga.

7 p.m.

Mercer University

10-5,0-0SoCon

Auburn Montgomery

0-11,0-5Gulf South

Auburn Montgomery

Mercer

1/2/2026 9:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – Mercer scored 23 points off of as many Auburn Montgomery turnovers and bridged the second and third quarters with an 18-8 run on the way to a 66-55 victory over the visiting Warhawks on Friday evening in Hawkins Arena.

The triumph marked the fifth-straight win for Mercer (10-5) – its longest win skein since the 2021-22 season – while also slapping an emphatic cap on a 10-win non-conference slate for the Bears as well. Auburn Montgomery (1-11) designated Friday's contest as an exhibition contest and its win-loss tally remained unchanged.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 66, Auburn Montgomery 55
RECORDS: Mercer 10-5 (0-0 SoCon); Auburn Montgomery 1-11 (0-0 GSC)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Hawkins Arena)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Auburn Montgomery got a 3-pointer from Ameyah Gray just two minutes into the evening to take a lead, 5-2, it would hold on to for the next 17 minutes. The Bears shot just 4-for-14 (.286) in the first 10 minutes of the contest, and the Warhawks would eventually lug a 14-10 advantage into the second period.

2ND QUARTER

The Warhawks stretched their lead back to seven points, 20-13, on a pair of free throws from Ameyah Gray with 6-1/2 minutes left before the intermission, but the Bears chipped away at their deficit for the next four minutes before retaking the lead, 25-24, on a fast-break bucket by Talia Kemp. The hosts stretched their lead out to four points, 28-24, on an old-fashioned 3-point play from Stephanie Utomi 90 seconds later, but a late free throw by the visitors would make it a 28-25 contest heading into the locker rooms.

3RD QUARTER

The Bears shot better than 62 percent from the field in the third quarter to swing the momentum back to their side for good. Mercer scored 10-straight points to eventually forge a 42-31 lead following a fast-break layup from Talia Harris at the 2:49 mark, and then tacked up nine of the last 10 points of the period to carry a 53-36 advantage into the final stanza.

4TH QUARTER

Auburn Montgomery scored nine of the first 11 points in the fourth quarter to pull to within 10 points with seven minutes to play, but would not get any closer. The Bears answered with a 9-2 run of their own over the next 5-1/2 minutes before taking their foot off of the gas. Micah O'Dell hit a long-range jumper to give the hosts a 66-50 lead with 43 seconds left before the Warhawks closed out the game with five-straight points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Ariana Bennett notched her second collegiate double-double (first of season) with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a team-high 36 minutes of action. She also added three steals and a block.
+ Junior Abigail Holtman scored 16 of her game-high 18 points in the second half, while also turning in five rebounds and four assists. Holtman was 6-for-10 from the field across the last 20 minutes of action.
+ Junior Micah O'Dell and sophomore Stephanie Utomi scored nine points apiece. Utomi also posted five rebounds, four steals and three assists. It was the first game action for O'Dell in nearly a month.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer's 10 non-conference victories is the most for the program since the Bears took a 13-2 mark into the conference portion of the 2017-18 regular season.
+ The Bears recorded 15 assists (26 made field goals) on Friday against the Warhawks, and have now registered 15 or more assists in four of their last five outings. MU (7 blocks on Friday) have now tallied five or more swats in five-straight contests.
+ The Orange & Black has connected on 40 percent or better from the field in six contests this season. Mercer finished with a 43.3 percent success rate on Friday against Auburn Montgomery.

UP NEXT

Mercer will open the Southern Conference portion of its regular season schedule on January 8 when it makes the long trek to Cullowhee, N.C., to take on Western Carolina. Start time has been scheduled for 6 p.m. at WCU's Ingles Court.

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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.