MACON, Ga. – The Samford women's basketball team dropped a 76-69 decision at Mercer in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.
 
With the loss, Samford fell to 14-15 overall and 6-8 in Southern Conference play. Mercer improved to 14-16 overall and 8-6 in league play.
 
Samford was led in the loss by Sadie Stetson with 16 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from three-point range. Kennedy Langham scored 14 points, while Lexie Pritchard added 12 points.
 
For Mercer, Stacie Jones scored 30 points. Mackenzie Johnson added 23 points for the Bears.
 
Samford jumped out to an early 7-2 lead with 7:24 to go in the first quarter following a jumper by Pritchard. Mercer fought back to cut the lead to one point at 11-10 with 4:26 left in the first period after a pair of free throws by Johnson. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to six points at 20-14 at the 1:26 mark in the first quarter after a three-pointer by Stetson. Samford held a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Bulldogs stretched their lead to nine points at 27-18 with 7:16 left in the second quarter after a jumper by Langham. Mercer came back to cut the lead to two points at 29-27 with 4:52 to go in the second period following a jumper by Jones. Mercer took a 36-34 lead with 39 seconds to go before halftime on a jumper by Jones, and the Bears took that two-point advantage into the locker room at halftime.
 
Samford came back to take a three-point lead at 39-36 with 8:55 to go in the third quarter after a jumper by Pritchard. Mercer then went on an 11-3 run to take a 47-42 lead with 6:06 left in the third period following a layup by Jones. The Bears extended their lead to 11 points at 59-48 with 2:27 left in the third after two free throws by Jones. Mercer held a 62-52 lead at the end of the third quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, Samford cut the lead to five points at 62-57 with 8:46 to go after a jumper by Pritchard. With Mercer leading, 70-65, the Bears scored the next six points to push their lead to 76-65 with 1:04 to go, and Mercer finished with the 76-69 win.
 
Next up for the Bulldogs is the Southern Conference Tournament, which will begin Thursday in Asheville, N.C.
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
For the latest news and information on Samford women's basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordWomensBasketball (Facebook), @SamfordWBB (Instagram) and @SamfordWBB (Twitter).
j