Box Score
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Mercer sophomore guard
Neicey Lewis scored a career-high 22 points, including 12 in the second half as the Bears mounted a furious rally at Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday evening. Although the Bears out-scored the Eagles 50-34 in the second half, FGCU held on for an 84-77 victory in the Atlantic Sun women’s basketball contest.
With their second-straight win, the Eagles improve to 14-4 (9-1 A-Sun) while Mercer drops to 10-9 (7-3 A-Sun).
After being down by as many as 28 in the first half, Mercer rallied to close within four in the final minutes. Mercer’s second half surge was fueled by 58% shooting from the field.
“I thought tonight’s game was a great ball game,” Mercer head coach
Janell Jones said. “We put up a great fight in our comeback against a very good ball club. They came out on fire but we went right back at them and fought till the end.”
Down by 13 (72-59) with 5:35 remaining, Mercer scored eight-straight points in just over a minute to cut the deficit to five.
With 1:47 showing on the clock, Mercer trailed 76-71 and raced towards the offensive end looking to tighten the gap. Senior
Courtney Ford beat a defender with a spin move in the paint and banked home a shot, seemingly bringing the Bears within three. After the ball went through the cylinder, the officials waved off the shot, charging Ford with a controversial traveling call.
Mercer would cut the lead to just four moments later, but FGCU proved to be too much down the stretch.
Mercer sophomore forward
Lacy Ramon tallied 20 points while Ford contributed 15 points in the losing effort. Ramon’s 20 point effort marked the second-straight game the Norman, Okla. native scored 20 points.
FGCU started the game on an 8-0 run before a bobbing and weaving Ford hit a layup to stop the bleeding. The Eagles continued the hot streak after Ford’s bucket, moving ahead 20-4 on the strength of 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
After FGCU took the 16-point advantage, Mercer outscored the hosts 8-6 over the next four minutes to bring the Bears within 14 at 26-12. FGCU broke away from the 26-12 lead over the final minutes of the period, pushing its lead to as many as 28 before the half.
Both teams came out firing to start the second half, each scoring four field goals before the first media timeout (59-38). After the stoppage, momentum swung in Mercer’s favor as the Bears rattled off a 29-13 run that elapsed 11:17.
Mercer returns to action in Macon against Stetson on Jan. 30. Game time at the University Center is slated for 1 p.m.