MACON, Ga. – The Wofford women's basketball team nearly pulled out an upset against the Mercer Bears on Saturday afternoon, though, the Bears would hold on for a 65-59 victory at Hawkins Arena to claim their fourth straight SoCon regular season title with a perfect 14-0 record in conference. Despite the loss, junior Chloe Wanink broke Jenny Nett's '02 single-season record for most consecutive double-digit scoring games, notching her 14^th straight with 17 points in the contest.
 
Wofford finishes the regular season 15-14 overall and 7-7 in conference, as the finish marks the first time the Terriers have finished over .500 since the '01-'02 season (16-13, 9-9 SoCon). The seven wins in conference also marks the most SoCon wins since the '06-'07 team, which held a 7-11 SoCon record.
 
Junior Chloe Wanink led all three double-figure scorers on the day with 17 points, five rebounds, and one steal. Wanink was 3-of-7 (42.9%) from beyond the arc and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line in a team-high 37 minutes of play.
 
Sophomore Da'Ja Green finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 35 minutes, while freshman Niyah Lutz rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
 
Junior Cairo Booker and freshman Alexis Tomlin both net eight points each in the contest, as Booker recorded five rebounds, an assist, and steal, while Tomlin finished with eight boards, an assist, and two blocks on the day.
 
Chloe Wanink opened the scoring for the Terriers, knocking down a jumper and 3-pointer for a 5-2 lead in the opening minutes. After an Amanda Thompson finish in the paint followed, back-to-back steals for fast break layups by Da'Ja Green and Jamari McDavid ensued to hold a 9-4 edge. Mercer would tie the score on a 5-0 run before MaryMartha Turner found classmate Alexis Tomlin on a dump down layup, though, KeKe Calloway went on to drill a buzzer-beating three at the end of the quarter to hold a 12-11 advantage at the end of the first.
 
Trailing 18-17 midway through behind buckets from Green, Cairo Booker, and Niyah Lutz, Mercer's Rachel Selph would score five straight to give the Bears a five-point cushion, 22-17. Wofford's freshmen gave the Terriers a boost going forward, as Alexis Tomlin found Chloe Wanink for a knockdown three to cut it to two. Tomlin would then go on to convert a three-point play at the line two possessions later to give Wofford a one-point lead, as a Niyah Lutz trey ball followed to hold a 26-22 advantage heading into the locker rooms.
 
Neither teams allowed for easy looks in the first half. Wofford hit 11-of-35 (31.4%) from the floor, though, the Terriers shot 37.5 percent (3-8 3FG) from beyond the arc to support the halftime lead. On the contrary, Wofford held Mercer to 35.7 percent shooting (10-28 FG) from the floor and just 1-of-5 (20.0%) from 3-point range, while holding the rebound advantage over the Bears, 25-19.
 
Da'Ja Green nailed a triple to start the second half, though, Mercer used an 11-4 run to knot the game at 33 by the 5:32 mark. Mercer's Linnea Rosendal traded threes with Green, as both teams would exchange baskets over a three-minute span before Rosendal would finish a fast break layup to give the Bears a 42-40 lead with 1:23 left. A Lutz free throw would then send the score at 42-41 heading into the fourth.
 
A pair of free throws and a jumper by Chloe Wanink gave the Terriers a three-point margin, however, Mercer would climb back to gain a 48-46 lead with a Shannon Titus layup. A Green free throw and Wanink triple held a two-point Wofford lead, as both teams would trade leads before a Rosendal trey ball at 5:53 (53-50) would give the Bears the advantage for good. A Cairo Booker lay-in cut the deficit to one, but the Terriers wouldn't come any closer for the remainder of the contest. The scoring margin would fluctuate between four to six points going forward, with Wofford seeing scores from Tomlin, Lutz, Booker, and Green, though, the Bears would convert seven free throws in the bonus down the stretch to earn the 65-59 victory at the end of regulation.
 
The contest consisted of nine lead changes throughout the course of the game, including the score being tied 10 times.
 
Mercer held the Terriers to a season-low 28 percent (21-75 FG) shooting from the floor, though, Wofford hit 6-of-18 (33.3%) from deep. The Bears finished shooting 45 percent (27-60 FG) from the field and 33.3 percent (4-12 3FG) from beyond the arc. However, the Terriers held a plus-15 rebound margin (55-to-40) over the Bears, as Wofford pulled down a season-high 27 offensive rebounds for 22 second chance points in the contest.
 
Next, the Terriers await the finish of ETSU-UNCG to determine whether they will receive a No. 4 or No. 5 seed, likely to face ETSU, in the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship presented by General Shale next Thursday, March 7-10. The No. 4/No. 5 matchup is slated for 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 7 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, North Carolina.