SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Terriers had a look with 3.9 seconds left to send the game into overtime, however, the Wofford women's basketball team would suffer their first loss at Richardson Indoor Stadium this season, 81-79, against Mercer on Thursday night. Wofford drops to 2-4 in conference and 10-11 overall, while the Bears remain undefeated (6-0) in conference and move to 14-7 overall.
 
Sophomore Jamari McDavid led all five Terriers in double figures with 19 points (8-13 FG, 1-1 3FG), five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Junior Chloe Wanink followed with 14 points, including a game-tying three with nine seconds left, three rebounds, and two assists.
 
Junior Cairo Booker, sophomore Da'Ja Green, and freshman Alexis Tomlin all finished with 10 points each, as Booker matched a season-high eight rebounds, dished seven assists, and recorded two steals. Green added six assists and two rebounds, while Tomlin additionally grabbed two rebounds.
 
Senior Marissa Bayer (eight points, two rebounds, two steals) and freshman Niyah Lutz (six points, four rebounds) also provided solid contributions for Wofford in the contest.
 
The game started competitive from the opening tip, as both teams would trade baskets with Wofford up 13-10 behind an early nine-point spurt from Jamari McDavid. Buckets from Cairo Booker and Chloe Wanink would give the Terriers a five-point cushion before a Mercer three would go on to cut it to two, 17-15. The teams would then exchange scores again, as scores from MaryMartha Turner and Da'Ja Green would hold a one-point edge, 22-21, at the end of the first.
 
Mercer began to find its groove in the second, pushing a 10-point lead (40-30), behind their two leading scorers KeKe Calloway and Amanda Thompson, by the 4:43 mark. Another Thompson layup pushed the lead to 12, though, the Terriers clawed back, behind efforts from Green, Alexis Tomlin, and Niyah Lutz, to bring the game within seven points, 48-41, at the half.
 
Wofford shot well in the first half, connecting on 17-of-35 (48.6%) attempts from the floor, though, Mercer shot 54.8 percent (17-31 FG) from the field, including 4-of-7 (57.1%) from 3-point range, to hold the lead. The Terriers forced nine first half turnovers on Mercer, however, the Bears held the edge in rebounds, 20-16. Jamari McDavid paced the Terriers with 11 points in the first half.
 
The Terriers cut the deficit to one (50-49) to start the half, scoring five of the first seven points to force a Mercer timeout by the 7:30 mark. Mercer responded with scores from Linnea Rosendal and Calloway to push a five-point spread, though, McDavid would reel it back in to one just two minutes later, 55-54. The lead would fluctuate each next possession until Cairo Booker would give the Terriers a two-point lead, converting a spinning and-1 layup to make the score 59-57 with 1:59 left. Back-to-back scores from Wanink and Mercer's Shannon Titus then sent the game into the fourth tied at 64-64.
 
Both squads battled hard throughout the fourth, as Mercer struggled to push anything larger than a four-point spread throughout the frame. Down three (79-76), Chloe Wanink would come off a Cairo Booker handoff to bury a clutch game-tying 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining. Coming out of a timeout, Mercer's Shannon Titus would then drive it in herself for a hard finish to give Mercer the lead with just four seconds left on the clock. After a side-inbound skirmish placed the ball on the baseline for the Terriers, McDavid unfortunately came up short on a baseline alley-oop play, granting Mercer the 81-79 win at the buzzer.
 
Wofford finished 32-of-65 (49.2%) from the floor, including shooting 4-for-13 (30.8%) from beyond the arc. However, Mercer would conclude an efficient outing by shooting 50.8 percent (32-63 FG) from the field and 42.9 percent (6-14 3FG) from 3-point land for the contest. The Terriers also forced 18 Mercer turnovers while assisting on 17 makes, though, the Bears would control the glass, outrebounding Wofford 41-26, including 13 offensive boards.
 
Mercer was led behind Amanda Thompson's 21 points and 16 rebounds, followed by Keke Calloway with 20 points and six boards. Shannon Titus and Linnea Rosendal rounded out the double-figure scorers for Mercer with 15 and 10 points respectively.
 
Next, the Terriers prepare for a crucial SoCon matchup against Samford on Saturday, February 2, scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip at Richardson Indoor Stadium.