Women's weekend success
Mercer women's basketball won by a nail-biting three points inside Hawkins Arena this past Saturday against the Samford University Bulldogs.
The 56-53 win improved the Bears to 6-10 on the season and 1-0 in Southern Conference play. The game was the first time Mercer won consecutive games this season, which has included a five-game losing streak after a 4-5 start. Nahawa Diarra '25, a guard, achieved her first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Kayla Smith '26 scored 17 points, a season-high, during the game, and went 11-for-11 in free throw attempts.
The Bears scored 10 points in the first quarter, 15 in the second, 18 in the third and 13 in the fourth. Diarra led the team with 10 rebounds and four assists, Smith led the team in three point attempts, converting two of three from deep.
The Bears will be on the road for their next game to take on East Tennessee State University (9-8 overall, 0-2 in SoCon) on Jan. 16, at Brooks Gymnasium.
Men's weekend loss
Mercer men's basketball hit the road this past Sunday as they took on Western Carolina University in a tough, 82-85 loss, losing their fifth-straight game against the Catamounts.
Forward Alex Holt '25 led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Ahmad Robinson '25 joined Holt in recording a double-double. Robinson also had a career-high of 13 rebounds, including three offensive boards. Mercer led after the first half, 44-40, but were outgunned by Western Carolina in the second half, 45-38, which sealed a win for the Catamounts.
The Bears were back in action Wednesday at Hawkins Arena to take on Samford University. Mercer dropped the close game, 75-74, pushing their losing streak to three in a row while the Bulldogs won their sixth in a row. The Bears were led by Robinson in the game as he recorded a season-high 29 points as he shot 7-for-14 from the field. The guard has been a pesky defender this season as he leads the SoCon in steals per game with 2.3, and he padded that average with five steals against the Bulldogs.
For much of the second half, Samford held Mercer back by about 10 points, but with eight minutes left in the game, the Bears made their move. Robinson shot 7-for-7 from the free throw line through that stretch, and Tyler Johnson '25, who added 20 points of his own in the game, put in a game-tying jumper with 25 seconds left in the game in an effort to upset the top team in the SoCon. Samford came out on top in the end, however, as a foul by Jah Quinones '26 placed the Bulldogs on the free throw line to win it with a second left on the clock.
In an effort to coax students to the game, it had a "StarWars night" theme for fans. The attendance for the home contest was the highest of the season for the Bears.
The Bears are now 9-9 on the season and 2-3 in conference play, and they will travel to Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday to take on Wofford College. The Terriers (9-9 overall, 3-2 in SoCon) are formidable at home, going 5-1 on their court this season.
