ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Wofford College women's basketball team met an early exit in the Southern Conference Tournament on Thursday night, as the No. 3 seed Mercer Bears toppled the Terriers, 75-54, in Kimmel Arena.
 
The Terriers couldn't defend the red-hot Bears, who shot 50 percent from the floor, capitalizing mostly on open space from mid-range. Mercer (18-13) was led by Freshman of the Year Kahlia Lawrence, who dropped 16 on the Terriers on 7-of-13 shooting. Two more Bears scored double-figures, with Alicia Williams netting a second-best 15, going 7-of-13, as well. Alex Williams recorded a double-double for the Bears with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
For Wofford (8-22) Jordan Frazier led the team with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Maria Corella was the only other Terrier to score double figures, netting 14 points on 5-of-11 from the floor, with two from deep. Ashton Fleming and Grayson Pinholster each grabbed a team-high four rebounds.
 
Mercer made an effort of crashing the boards, outrebounding Wofford, 42-23. It led to a 19-9 advantage in second chance points. The Bears also capitalized off of 15 Wofford turnovers, ending the game with a 25-5 lead in points off of turnovers.
 
The game was close early on, with both teams finding early runs. Mercer began with an 8-0 surge before the Terriers jumped out to a 11-3 run to knot up the game at 11-all with 12:20 left in the first.
 
From there, the Bears began to run away. A 10-2 Mercer run took the Terriers to an eight-point deficit, as Alex Williams and SoCon Player of the Year Precious Bridges went to work. Wofford got two threes from Chanel Stokes and Corella on back-to-back possessions to cut the game to four points with 5:43 remaining.
 
"We knew we were going to have to scratch and claw to get back in the game," said 11th-year head coach Edgar I. Farmer Jr. "Mercer hit some tough shots when we were trying to make a run. It just seemed like it was an uphill battle."
 
The gap would never come closer than the four points.
 
Mercer stopped the Terriers on three straight possessions and scored on three consecutive trips down the floor. It opened the lead to 12, but the Terriers managed to cut it to nine by halftime.
 
The second half was an even stronger showing by the Bears. A 7-0 run put Mercer comfortably ahead for the first time, 50-33 and Wofford never closed the gap to less than 15.
 
Mercer's defense held Wofford to just five points in the final five minutes, preventing any hopes of a late run.