GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG women's basketball (2-9, 0-2) comes up short in another tight game on Thursday, falling to visiting Mercer (7-4, 1-1) by a final of 53-43. The Spartans trailed by as much as 17 on the night, but an impressive third quarter performance put the home side within a point of the Bears before an eventual loss. 

After a slow start to the first, the Spartans fell behind early, as a 50-percent shooting average from the Bears gave the visitors a 21-9 lead after 10. UNCG's defense responded in the second quarter however, locking down the Bears' defense to just nine points in the period. 

Trailing 30-21 coming out of the halftime break, UNCG put pressure on their opponents in the third quarter, jumping on the Bears with a full court press and holding them to another nine-point period. After falling back 12, the Spartan offense went on a 12-4 run to close out the third, thanks in part to a pair of late three-pointers from Tori Powell.

The senior guard added her third of the second half early in the fourth, adding to Jaylynn Brown's trey, to put the hosts within a point of their opponents with seven minutes remaining. 

The top offense in the Southern Conference responded in the waning minutes however, ending the night on an 11-2 run to take game one of this weekend's series by a final of 53-43. Mercer's 53 points are the lowest the team has scored all year, with the Bears averaging over 70 on the season.

>> Powell led all Spartan scorers with 12 points on the night, all of which came from beyond the arc. She had three three-pointers in the final 20 minutes
>> Freshman Khalis Cain continues to be one of the best rebounders on the floor any given night, recording game-highs in boards (13) and offensive rebounds (5). She was a huge presence on the defensive side of the court as well, tying a career-high with three blocks and setting a new personal best with five steals
>> As a team, the Spartans combined for 18 offensive boards, scoring 10 of their 43 points (23.3%) on second chance opportunities

COMING UP NEXT
The Spartans rematch with the Bears on Saturday in Fleming for a 2 p.m. tipoff. Thursday night's loss put an end to the three-game winning streak UNCG had against Mercer.

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