Thursday, January 25
Johnson City, Tenn.
7 P.M.
Mercer University
19-2, 6-0SoCon
85
at
65
ETSU
12-9, 5-1SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Mercer
21
24
13
27
85
ETSU
21
13
15
16
65
Team Stats
MER
ETSU
FG%
.583
.463
3FG%
.700
.333
FT%
.615
.667
RB
29
32
TO
10
16
STL
10
4
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Bears Run Streak to 16 Consecutive Wins
1/25/2018 10:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mercer in sole possession of first place in conference
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Mercer continued its winning ways on Thursday night, defeating ETSU 85-65 in Brooks Gym in Johnson City, Tenn. With the win, Mercer improves to 19-2, while running its win streak to 16 consecutive games. The Bears are also own sole possession of the top spot in the Southern Conference Women's Basketball standings.
Â
Stat of the Game
Mercer went on four critical scoring runs in which the Bears outscored the Bucs 35-3 combined during the four stretches. Most notably, Mercer posted 7-0 and 9-0 runs in the second quarter, which catapulted the Bears to a double-digit advantage.
Â
Player of the Game
Kahlia Lawrence sparked the Mercer offense in the first half, earning player of the game honors. Lawrence finished the game with 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The senior guard tallied 15 points, six rebounds and three assists by the conclusion of the first half.
Â
How It Happened
The Bears started off hot in the opening quarter, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage and connecting on each of their first four attempts from the floor. Mercer stretched its lead to 12-5 before ETSU stormed back following a 12-4 run to take the one-point advantage. The two squads battled back-and-forth over the final two minutes of the opening quarter, concluding the quarter knotted at 21 apiece.
Â
The second quarter began the way the first frame ended with both squads going toe-to-toe. With the Bears trailing 28-27, Mercer went on one of its patented 9-0 runs to pull ahead by eight. The Bears stretched their lead to 43-30 following the tough left-handed finish from Alex Williams. The Bucs scored four of the final six points in the half to trim the Mercer lead to 11 heading into the locker room.
Â
The Bears were outscored in the third quarter by the host squad, 15-13. Despite being outscored in the third frame, Mercer never led by less than seven points in the quarter.
Â
The fourth quarter proved to be the KeKe Calloway show as the junior guard registered 15 of her 21 points in the final 10 minutes of play. Calloway finished the quarter 6-of-7, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sydni Means also tallied eight points, four assists and just one turnover in the final 10 minutes as the Bears ran away with the 20-point victory following a 27-16 triumph in the fourth period.
Â
Notables
» Mercer improves to 17-18 all-time against the Bucs, including 8-8 under Coach Gardner.
» Head Coach Susie Gardner collected win number 133 at Mercer, tying Peggy Collins for the most wins in program history.
» Calloway connected on five threes, tying Andrea Congreaves for the single-season Mercer record for 77 three pointers made.
» The Bears improve to 19-2, winning their 16th consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» Mercer has now won 14 consecutive games by double-digits, dating back to a 15-point win over Davidson on Dec. 3.
» Mercer outscored ETSU in points off turnovers, 26-7, after forcing 16 blunders from the Bucs.
» The Bears posted five players in double figures, led by Lawrence and Calloway with 21 points.
» Sydni Means finished the game with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
» Rachel Selph and Amanda Thompson each ended the game with 10 points apiece, combining for 10 rebounds in the process.
» Mercer is now 10-0 in true road contests this season.
Â
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"The final score does not indicate how tough the game was. This game was a battle all night long and ETSU has a really good basketball team. I am really proud of how our players handled their pressure tonight."
Â
On the scoring runs
"We were able to create a little bit of scoring at the end of the second quarter due to our defense. I thought Kayla went in and came away with some really big steals in the second quarter. Sydni played an exceptional game, scoring 16 points and handling the press for 40 minutes."
Â
On the balanced scoring
"ETSU really honed in on Kahlia defensively, denying her the ball and having a hand in her face at all times. Sometimes when the opposing teams put a lot of emphasis on Kahlia, that allows KeKe to have a few more open looks."
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 19-2 (6-0 SoCon)
» ETSU: 12-9 (5-1 SoCon)
Â
Next Game
» Mercer: at Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Â
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Â
Â
Stat of the Game
Mercer went on four critical scoring runs in which the Bears outscored the Bucs 35-3 combined during the four stretches. Most notably, Mercer posted 7-0 and 9-0 runs in the second quarter, which catapulted the Bears to a double-digit advantage.
Â
Player of the Game
Kahlia Lawrence sparked the Mercer offense in the first half, earning player of the game honors. Lawrence finished the game with 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The senior guard tallied 15 points, six rebounds and three assists by the conclusion of the first half.
Â
How It Happened
The Bears started off hot in the opening quarter, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage and connecting on each of their first four attempts from the floor. Mercer stretched its lead to 12-5 before ETSU stormed back following a 12-4 run to take the one-point advantage. The two squads battled back-and-forth over the final two minutes of the opening quarter, concluding the quarter knotted at 21 apiece.
Â
The second quarter began the way the first frame ended with both squads going toe-to-toe. With the Bears trailing 28-27, Mercer went on one of its patented 9-0 runs to pull ahead by eight. The Bears stretched their lead to 43-30 following the tough left-handed finish from Alex Williams. The Bucs scored four of the final six points in the half to trim the Mercer lead to 11 heading into the locker room.
Â
The Bears were outscored in the third quarter by the host squad, 15-13. Despite being outscored in the third frame, Mercer never led by less than seven points in the quarter.
Â
The fourth quarter proved to be the KeKe Calloway show as the junior guard registered 15 of her 21 points in the final 10 minutes of play. Calloway finished the quarter 6-of-7, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sydni Means also tallied eight points, four assists and just one turnover in the final 10 minutes as the Bears ran away with the 20-point victory following a 27-16 triumph in the fourth period.
Â
Notables
» Mercer improves to 17-18 all-time against the Bucs, including 8-8 under Coach Gardner.
» Head Coach Susie Gardner collected win number 133 at Mercer, tying Peggy Collins for the most wins in program history.
» Calloway connected on five threes, tying Andrea Congreaves for the single-season Mercer record for 77 three pointers made.
» The Bears improve to 19-2, winning their 16th consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» Mercer has now won 14 consecutive games by double-digits, dating back to a 15-point win over Davidson on Dec. 3.
» Mercer outscored ETSU in points off turnovers, 26-7, after forcing 16 blunders from the Bucs.
» The Bears posted five players in double figures, led by Lawrence and Calloway with 21 points.
» Sydni Means finished the game with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
» Rachel Selph and Amanda Thompson each ended the game with 10 points apiece, combining for 10 rebounds in the process.
» Mercer is now 10-0 in true road contests this season.
Â
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"The final score does not indicate how tough the game was. This game was a battle all night long and ETSU has a really good basketball team. I am really proud of how our players handled their pressure tonight."
Â
On the scoring runs
"We were able to create a little bit of scoring at the end of the second quarter due to our defense. I thought Kayla went in and came away with some really big steals in the second quarter. Sydni played an exceptional game, scoring 16 points and handling the press for 40 minutes."
Â
On the balanced scoring
"ETSU really honed in on Kahlia defensively, denying her the ball and having a hand in her face at all times. Sometimes when the opposing teams put a lot of emphasis on Kahlia, that allows KeKe to have a few more open looks."
Â
Records Update
» Mercer: 19-2 (6-0 SoCon)
» ETSU: 12-9 (5-1 SoCon)
Â
Next Game
» Mercer: at Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Â
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Â
Mercer 38 | Princeton 14 Post Game Press Conference (10.11.25)
Sunday, October 12
Mercer v. UNC Greensboro Women's Soccer Highlight Reel: 10/11/2025
Sunday, October 12
Mercer Football Press Conference (Week 7 vs Princeton)
Monday, October 06
Mercer 45 | Samford 21 Post Game Press Conference 10//5/25
Sunday, October 05
