A furious second-half rally was not enough for Mercer in a 15-14 Southern Conference loss at Furman on Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium. The Bears (1-9, 1-3 SoCon) scored 11 second-half goals and outscored the Paladins (3-8, 1-3), 11-6 over the final 30 minutes of play. A sluggish start by Mercer would prove to be pivotal, however, as Furman held on to a lead it gained with eight minutes and 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Mercer trailed, 9-3, at halftime after the Paladins scored seven of eight goals from the 9:10-minute mark of the first quarter to the 9:31-mark of the second quarter. Michael Quinn opened the contest with a goal on an assist by John Tarver before the Paladins' run. Will McCarthy scored two of his match-high four goals in the first half and added an assist for a five-point day. Freshman Ashton Wood dominated in the face-off circle, winning 29 of 33 battles to help the Bears dominate the shots category (54 shots to Furman's 36). Down 11-4 with 12:19 on the clock in the third period, Mercer scored 10 of the match's final 14 goals, including three by Jake Priester, two by Pascal Coombs and two by McCarthy. Priester's third goal came with 4:46 left and cut Furman's lead to 14-13. After the Paladins extended their lead to two again, Sean Goldsmith found the back of the net with 1:56 left. A shot by Clay Welch went wide with three seconds remaining after Mercer earned a man-up scenario. Notables » Josh Tarver tallied 13 saves in 60 minutes of action between the pipes. » Five different Bears scored multiple goals, led by McCarthy's four. » Michael Quinn and Michael O'Brien had a team-best five ground balls apiece. » Mercer was successful in 21 of its 24 clear attempts. Records Update » Mercer: 1-9 (1-3 SoCon) » Furman: 3-8 (1-3 SoCon) Next Game The Bears will host High Point at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13 at Five Star Stadium.