MACON, GA. – The College of Charleston women's basketball team (5-6) closed out its non-conference schedule Wednesday, finishing off the 2015 calendar year with a close loss to the Mercer Bears (8-5) by a score of 66-58.

Jackie Luna-Castro brought the Cougars to within two in the fourth quarter on a three-pointer with 3:16 to play. The Bears however wouldn't let The College break down the door on their lead, holding on in the closing minutes, at last pulling away thanks to free throw shooting by way of CofC intentional fouls. Luna-Castro would finish the game with 16 points, six boards, a career-best five assists and a block.

Junior Breanna Bolden once again had a solid outing, putting in 14 points and seven rebounds as well as five steals. The effort moved her past Patrice Bryant for sole possession of sixth place on the career steals list for the CofC Division I era. At 177, she sits just one behind fifth place Rachel King (2001-05).

Mercer never trailed in the affair, and though they took a significant lead in the second period, the College never quite went away, keeping the deficit within single-digits for the majority of the game. Rebounding was once again a sore spot for the Cougars, particularly on the offensive glass where they were out-worked 20-7. Furthermore, while the College did a good job capitalizing on their free throw attempts, they were limited to eight trips to the charity stripe over the course of the game (7-of-8).

“I saw a lack of aggression in the early stages of the game,” head coach Candice M. Jackson said. “We weren't ready for the adjustments they made for us. Any time a team gives up eight offensive rebounds in one quarter, it's going to be a tough game. Credit to Mercer, they had a very good game plan that beat the matchup.”

For the Bears, Linnea Rosendal put on a display from long range, scoring 21 of 22 of her points from beyond the arc. She was one of three Mercer players to score in double-digits. Amanda Thompson pulled down a game-high 12 boards, adding three steals.

With Macon, Ga. in the rear view, the 2015 calendar year comes to an end for the Cougars, and with it, CAA conference play at last begins. First up on the docket, CofC will hop on a plane bound for Philadelphia to do battle with the Drexel Dragons (4-7).

“Drexel shoots the ball amazingly well, and they're going to try and slow the game down,” Jackson said. “We'll need to pick up our intensity and improve our work on the offensive glass. We really just need to go for it. I think we're a very talented team, but now it really is crunch time for us to bring it all together.

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Daskalakis Athletic Center.