Women’s basketball (1-1, 0-0 Southern Conference) opened its home slate with a challenging matchup against Clemson University (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Thursday night, Nov. 6, falling 72-51.
Mercer kept pace early, trailing by 11 points at halftime, but the visiting Tigers pulled away in the second half to seal the win. The Bears struggled to convert offensively, missing several open shots. Mercer shot 33 percent from the field in the game, including 38 percent from beyond the arc. While the Bears turned the ball over six times, they held Clemson to just five points off of those turnovers while scoring 13 of their own from Tiger turnovers.
Despite the defeat, the Bears showed moments of promise under Head Coach Michelle Clark-Heard, particularly in their defensive effort and rebounding presence. The crowd at Hawkins Arena was modest, with a quiet but loyal group of fans who stayed through the final buzzer. Among them was Patricia Griffin, a longtime supporter of Mercer, who said she left disappointed by the team’s performance.
“They’re wearing all this kinesiology tape and knee pads and all kinds of stuff but they still can’t do nothing,” Griffin said. “They’re throwing the ball everywhere but the net.”
Still, Griffin said she plans to keep showing up for home games this season.
“I’m disappointed, of course,” she said. “No one likes seeing their team get thrashed at home. Especially by a school like Clemson, you know. SoCon is no joke.”
Clemson Head Coach Shawn Poppie was animated on the sidelines throughout the game, urging the Tigers to stay aggressive on defense. Clemson’s energy on both ends of the court eventually overwhelmed the Bears, who couldn’t recover from the double-digit deficit in the final minutes. Poppie, in his second year at the helm of Clemson, is familiar with the Bears' system after his time leading the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a SoCon team.
The Bears will look to bounce back during their next game on Monday, Nov. 10 against Gardner-Webb University, with a 7 p.m. tip-off time in Hawkins Arena.
