MACON, Ga. – Despite a solid performance in senior Michelle Merritt's season debut, the Wofford College women's basketball team fell, 80-51, to the Bears of Mercer in Hawkins Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
Merritt, a center from Miami, Florida, played her first game of the season against Mercer (11-8, 3-0 SoCon), after sustaining a foot injury during the preseason. After rehabilitating for nearly three months, the senior saw 18 minutes off the bench for Wofford in her 2015 debut. She worked hard in the low post, shooting 5-of-6 on the day for a team-high 10 points, while helping hold Mercer bigs Teanna Robinson and Madi Mitchell to a combined four points.
 
Wofford (4-13, 0-3 SoCon) had one other 10-point scorer in junior guard Jordan Frazier. Frazier went 2-of-5 from beyond the arc while knocking down a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
 
For Mercer, four Bears scored in double figures. Kahlia Lawrence and December SoCon Player of the Month Precious Bridges both netted 20 for Mercer, while Alex Williams and Brianna Williams added 18 and 10 points respectively. The Bears dominated the battle on the boards, 47-24, creating 27 second chance points. Alex Williams and Lawrence both earned double-doubles in the Mercer victory.
 
Outside of Merritt's performance, Wofford had little to get excited about. By the second media timeout, Mercer had built a 13-point lead on a 17-4 run created by a host of Bears. The Terriers tried to fight back in the first, but it seemed that Mercer had an answer for every Wofford bucket. The Bears led by as many as 18, entering the locker room with a 14-point lead at the half.
 
The second half had much of the same, with Mercer jumping out to a 55-34 following a Alex Williams layup with 11:52 left on the clock.  Wofford allowed 17 second chance points in the last 20 minutes in the 29-point defeat.
 
The Terriers take Sunday off before closing out the out-of-conference schedule against NAIA foe Bluefield College in the confines of the Benjamin Johnson Arena. Tipoff is at 6:00 p.m.