The Roadrunners have had their share of close losses this winter thanks to plenty of injuries and just plain bad luck.

And following another one of those heartbreakers -- a 76-67 loss to D-II power Mercer on the road Thursday --  head coach Rich Cooper remains upbeat that his club can qualify for the upcoming Region XIX tournament with only a handful of games left.

On the road, the Runners held a slim 34-33 halftime lead. But the visitors had no answer for Mercer's Tylisha Livingston, who dominated near the basket with 29 points and 16 rebounds. She was helped out by teammates Madison Diaz and Tyasia Stephenson, each with 16 points.

"We're so close to a breakout game," said Cooper. "We just need one win over a team like Mercer -- one for our confidence. We're getting better -- once we get that confidence win, who knows how far we can go."

On the positive side, point guard Naiyana Sabb (Gloucester Catholic) continues her torrid comeback following a recent injury. She led all RCGC scorers with 28 points, keeping her club close throughout. Forward Nikita Acker (Triton) added 10 points.

"Those two (Sabb and Acker) are improving with each game, and we're seeing a lot of good signs with our team chemistry," Cooper said. "There's still a lot we can accomplish."

Next up for the Roadrunners (9-10, 5-5) will be Passaic CC Saturday in a 12 noon start.