Adam Hunt
Senior Reporter / Columnist
02/11/2010 @ ETSU, L 71-83
Taking on the defending Atlantic Sun champions in their home arena was always going to be a difficult task. And despite 18 points from sophomore forward Lacy Ramon, Mercer were silenced by a powerful ETSU side who shot 50 percent from the field.
After trailing by as many as 22 in the first half, the Bears opened the second frame on a 23-13 run to close within five at 58-53 with 12:37 remaining on the clock.
However, the Buccaneers scored the game’s next eight points to go back on top by 13 with just over ten minutes left and never looked back.
Four Mercer players cracked double-digit scoring in the losing effort. Sophomore guard Neicey Lewis contributed 16 points while LaToya Jackson and Courtney Ford netted 12 and ten points, respectively. Ramon also added six rebounds and a steal to her output. Ford tallied five rebounds, five steals and five assists in the loss.
“We started the game not shooting the ball well,” Mercer head coach Janell Jones said afterwards. “We could have rolled over at any time, but, to our credit, we were real resilient and played hard.”
With the win, ETSU remained unbeaten at the MSHA Athletic Center and improved to 13-2 in Conference play. Mercer, on the other hand, dropped its fourth-straight contest and fell to 8-7.
02/13/2010 @ Campbell, L 60-66
Mercer guard LaToya Jackson continued her stellar senior season with a team-high 14 points, but the Bears could not recover from an early deficit and fell to Campbell 66-60 at the John W Pope Jr Convocation Center.
The Camels, who produced some lights-out offensive play, led by as many as 18 in the first half, but the Bears narrowed the advantage to just two with 7:25 remaining in regulation. Leading by a slim 51-49 margin, the Campbell out-scored Mercer 15-11 over the final minutes to capture the win.
“Campbell shot the ball lights-out in the first half,” said Mercer head coach Janell Jones. “After the ten-minute mark we gave up five key offensive rebounds and turned the ball over on key possessions. That will get you beat in a close game.”
Mercer’s Courtney Ford, Kourtney Carter and Neicey Lewis each netted 10 points in the losing effort. All ten of Carter’s points came in the first half.
With the victory, Campbell moved up to 9-7 in Atlantic Sun Conference action while Mercer suffered its fifth-straight loss and dropped to 8-8.
