– The Mercer men's lacrosse team fought back from an early deficit but fell short, falling 13-7 to the High Point Panthers Saturday afternoon at Vert Stadium. High Point clinched a share of the regular season title with the win. How It Happened High Point got off to a fast start, controlling the opening period of play. The Panthers netted five consecutive goals to start the game. With just two seconds remaining in the quarter, Matt Hughes found Scott Baird who finished strong to get the Bears on the board before the break. The Panthers continued to apply pressure, netting three unanswered goals in the second to stretch to an 8-1 lead before the half. Bryan Gibson added another goal for the Bears with 5:33 remaining in the third, assisted by Baird. Gibson quickly scored again just a minute later, this time assisted by Matt Quinn. High Point entered the final period of play holding a 12-3 lead. Mercer would not go away as the Bears out-scored the Panthers 4-1 in the final quarter. Matt Quinn tallied another assist, finding Nick Rockefeller with 13:10 remaining. Rockefeller assisted Coombs' for his 22nd goal of the season with 9:26 remaining in the game. Matt Quinn capitalized on a man-up opportunity with 6:37 left on the clock. Bryan Gibson completed his hat trick just minutes later, assisted by Baird. Mercer continued to battle and create opportunities but the deficit proved to be too large as the Bears fell, 13-7. With the loss, Mercer falls to 4-10, while High Point improves to 6-7. Notables » Despite the score line, Mercer recorded 36 shots on the day. » The Bears forced the Panthers' keeper to produce 13 saves. » Goalkeeper Bradley Hodoval tallied 12 saves on the day, his eighth game with double-digit figures this season. » Bryan Gibson netted a hat-trick, with three goals on five shots. » Scott Baird earned three points with two assists and one goal. » Mercer scooped 24 ground balls and went 15-19 on clears. » Mercer caused seven turnovers on the day. Records Update Mercer: 4-10, 2-5 SoCon High Point: 6-7, 6-1 SoCon