Second-Half Surge, Free Throws Push Bears Past Western Carolina

Thursday, January 8

Cullowhee, N.C.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

11-5,1-0SoCon

Western Carolina

3-12,0-1SoCon

Mercer

Western Caro.

Second-Half Surge, Free Throws Push Bears Past Western Carolina

1/8/2026 8:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Visiting Mercer scored 31 points off of 23 Western Carolina turnovers, went 30-for-38 from the free throw line and used a 19-6 run in the third quarter to fuel an 84-75 win over the Catamounts on Thursday evening in the Southern Conference opener for both sides.

Five players finished with double-figure scoring nights for the Bears (11-5, 1-0 SoCon) who improved to 2-0 in SoCon openers under head coach Michelle Clark-Heard, while also notching their sixth-straight victory this season as well. Western Carolina (3-12, 0-1) fell to 1-31 all-time in the 31-year-old series against the Orange & Black with the result.

Thursday's contest featured 11 tie scores and 10 lead changes, with the squads also combining for 45 fouls and 68 free throw attempts.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 84, Western Carolina 75
RECORDS: Mercer 11-5 (1-0 SoCon); Western Carolina 3-12 (0-1 SoCon)
LOCATION: Cullowhee, N.C. (Ingles Court)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Western Carolina got the better of play in the opening period, going 5-for-10 from the field and collecting 10 rebounds, on the way to forging a 15-13 lead through 10 minutes of action. The Catamounts rattled off six-straight points to eventually take an 11-7 advantage at the 4:20 mark, but Mercer tacked up six of the next seven points to swing the pendulum back in its direction.

2ND QUARTER

The Catamounts shot nearly 64 percent (7-for-11) in the second quarter, and closed out the opening half with an 11-2 run to lug a 39-32 lead into the locker rooms. Ariana Bennett gave the visitors a 30-28 advantage on a driving layup with 3:04 left before the break, but Taj Hunter's short jumper 35 seconds later ignited Western Carolina on the momentum-swinging surge.

3RD QUARTER

Mercer canned 53.3 percent (8-for-15) of its field goal attempts in the third stanza, while also shooting 11-for-14 from the free throw line, to begin turning the table. Western Carolina led by eight points, 46-38, after Grace Pack's layup at the 6:44 mark, but a pair of free throws by Nahawa Diarra on the other end of the court sparked the Bears on a 19-6 run over the next five minutes that gave them the lead for good.

4TH QUARTER

The Bears led by as many as 14 points, 75-61, following a pair of free throws from Stephanie Utomi with 5-1/2 minutes remaining, but Western Carolina would not go away quietly. The Catamounts whittled their deficit down to just five points, 79-74, with 54 seconds to play before the Bears went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe down the stretch to ice the outcome.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Senior Ariana Bennett scored a team-high 18 points on a 6-for-12 shooting night, while also turning in a pair of steals. She fueled her offensive output with a 6-for-8 tally from the free throw line as well.
+ Freshman Rania Curry tallied season-bests for both points (15) and rebounds (7), while also logging two steals and an assist. She was one of four players with five made free throws in the outing.
+ Junior Talia Kemp went 5-for-5 from the field and finished the outing with 14 points, three assists and a pair of steals.
+ Junior Abigail Holtman and senior Nahawa Diarra chipped in 13 points apiece. Diarra complemented her offensive numbers with six rebounds, while Holtman registered a pair of blocks.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer improved to 31-1 against Western Carolina in a series that dates all the way back to the 1995-96 season. The Bears have now won 13-straight contests with the Catamounts.
+ The Bears used Thursday's result to push their overall win streak out to six games – the longest win skein for the program since the 2021-22 squad rattled off 12-straight wins before falling to UConn in the NCAA Tournament.
+ MU registered its most free throws (30) in a game since tallying 36 made free throws in a 70-60 home win over Florida Atlantic on Jan. 2, 2006.

UP NEXT

Mercer will close out its two-game Southern Conference road trip on Saturday when it makes the short hop east to take on UNC Greensboro (11-5, 1-0 SoCon) inside Bodford Arena. Start time is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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BACK THE BEARS

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