MACON, Ga. – The Samford women's basketball team opened Southern Conference play with a hard-fought 56-53 loss at Mercer Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.
 
With the loss, Samford fell to 5-12 overall and 0-1 in SoCon play. Mercer improved to 6-10 overall and 1-0 in league action.
 
Samford was led in the loss by Claire Johnson with 14 points. Kennedy Langham had 12 points, while Annie Ramil added nine points and nine rebounds.
 
For Mercer, Kayla Smith led all scorers with 17 points. Nahawa Diarra added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bears.
 
Samford jumped out to an early 4-0 lead with 8:09 to go in the first quarter following baskets by Sadie Stetson and Langham. Mercer, however, answered with an 8-1 run to take an 8-5 lead with 2:06 to go in the quarter after a pair of free throws by Talia Harris. With Mercer leading, 10-6, three-pointers by Stetson and Johnson gave Samford a 12-10 lead at the end of the first period.
 
The Bulldogs built a 21-12 lead at the 5:44 mark in the second quarter after two free throws from Langham. Mercer fought back to cut the lead to four points at 23-19 with 3:24 to go in the second period after two free throws by Smith. The Bears closed to within two points at 25-23 with 57 seconds left before halftime after a free throw by Diarra. Samford held a 27-25 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
 
Mercer opened the third quarter with a 33-31 lead with 7:53 left in the period after a three-pointer by Smith. The Bears built their lead to seven points at 40-33 with 3:17 left in the third quarter after two free throws by Ariana Bennett. Samford fought back to cut the lead to three points at 43-40 at the end of the third period.
 
Samford closed to within one point at 47-46 on a three-pointer by Johnson with 7:38 to go. Mercer pushed the lead back out to five at 51-46 with 5:36 remaining after a layup by Diarra. The Bulldogs cut the lead to one point at 54-53 on a three-pointer by Aubrey Blankenship with seven seconds left. After Mercer hit two free throws, Samford was unable to score on its final possession, ending the game in a 56-53 Mercer win.
 
Samford will remain on the road when the Bulldogs play at Chattanooga on Thursday, Jan. 16. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. (CT) start from McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn.
 
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