Saturday, February 17
Greensboro, N.C.
4 P.M.
Mercer University
25-2, 12-0SoCon
57
at
54
UNCG
11-17, 5-8SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Mercer
8
15
14
20
57
UNCG
13
10
14
17
54
Team Stats
MER
UNCG
FG%
.361
.386
3FG%
.333
.200
FT%
.800
.889
RB
33
41
TO
9
16
STL
7
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Bears Clinch SoCon Title for Third Consecutive Season
2/17/2018 6:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mercer defeated UNCG 57-54 to finish 13-0 on the road
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Mercer women's basketball team defeated UNCG by the final score of 57-54 to clinch at least a share of the Southern Conference regular season title for the third consecutive season. With the win, Mercer improved to 25-2, including a perfect 12-0 in SoCon action. The Bears also extended their win streak to 22 games in a row.
Stat of the Game
Defense has been the key as of late and that proved to be the case in Saturday's win as Mercer forced 16 UNCG turnovers. The Bears also held UNCG below its season average in points and field goal percentage.
Player of the Game
Sydni Means stepped up in the clutch for the Bears, finishing the game with 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Means also buried four free throws in the final 24 seconds to put the game out of reach.
How It Happened
The Spartans led for all 10 minutes of the first quarter, jumping out to a 4-0 advantage before a Lawrence jumper put the Bears on board. UNCG stretched its lead to 9-2 before a three by Sydni Means cut the gap to four. The Spartans ended the quarter on a 4-3 run as Linnea Rosendal accounted for the Bears' three points.
Mercer outscored UNCG in the second quarter 15-10, tying the game at 23 apiece heading into the locker room. The Spartans led by as many as seven points in the second quarter but Mercer rallied to take its first lead of the game following a jumper by Rachel Selph with 4:13 remaining in the half. The Spartans closed the half on a 6-5 run to notch the game at 23-23 at the intermission.
UNCG started the second half on a 6-0 run, forcing a Mercer timeout with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter. The Bears came out of the timeout and responded with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 33-29 advantage. The Spartans hung tough, outscoring Mercer 8-4 over the final four minutes to even the game at 37 apiece heading into the final 10 minutes.
Mercer owned the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, outscoring UNCG 12-4 to claim the 49-41 advantage. The spurt was too much for UNCG to handle as the Bears were able to hit timely free throws down the stretch to walk away with the three-point win. The Spartans' Brandi Fier banked in a half-court three at the buzzer to cut the Mercer lead in half.
Notables
» For the third consecutive season, Mercer clinched at least a share of the SoCon regular season title.
» Mercer improves to a perfect 10-0 all-time against the Spartans, including 5-0 in Greensboro, N.C.
» The Bears improve to 25-2, winning their 22nd consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» With the win, Mercer moves to within one win of marking the most wins in a single season under Head Coach Susie Gardner.
» Sydni Means finished the game with nine assists, running her season total to 220, setting a new personal single-season best.
» Kahlia Lawrence finished with a game-high 15 points, while KeKe Calloway contributed for 12 points and a couple of timely three pointers.
» Amanda Thompson ended the game with eight points and nine total rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass.
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"We finished the game against a very good UNCG team. We battled and it proved to be a possession game throughout. I am just proud of the way that we had contributions from everyone that played."
On the play from Means and Thompson
"Sydni ran our team and she was able to knock down timely shots. In the end, they were fouling and we wanted to get the ball in Sydni's hands. Amanda Thompson played really well with six offensive rebounds against a team that is bigger than us in every position. She battled and had a huge offensive rebound with just over one minute left that kept the ball in our possession."
On clinching a share of the SoCon title
"I told the team in the locker room that they had just shared the SoCon regular season title and they weren't even aware of it. That shows you how focused this team is on the present game and the next opponent. It is really difficult to win a regular season championship. I am proud of this group from being picked preseason number five as freshman, to now having three SoCon Regular Season titles. Credit to them and their hard work."
Records Update
» Mercer: 25-2 (12-0 SoCon)
» UNCG: 11-17 (5-8 SoCon)
Next Game
» Mercer: vs. Chattanooga on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
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.
Stat of the Game
Defense has been the key as of late and that proved to be the case in Saturday's win as Mercer forced 16 UNCG turnovers. The Bears also held UNCG below its season average in points and field goal percentage.
Player of the Game
Sydni Means stepped up in the clutch for the Bears, finishing the game with 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Means also buried four free throws in the final 24 seconds to put the game out of reach.
How It Happened
The Spartans led for all 10 minutes of the first quarter, jumping out to a 4-0 advantage before a Lawrence jumper put the Bears on board. UNCG stretched its lead to 9-2 before a three by Sydni Means cut the gap to four. The Spartans ended the quarter on a 4-3 run as Linnea Rosendal accounted for the Bears' three points.
Mercer outscored UNCG in the second quarter 15-10, tying the game at 23 apiece heading into the locker room. The Spartans led by as many as seven points in the second quarter but Mercer rallied to take its first lead of the game following a jumper by Rachel Selph with 4:13 remaining in the half. The Spartans closed the half on a 6-5 run to notch the game at 23-23 at the intermission.
UNCG started the second half on a 6-0 run, forcing a Mercer timeout with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter. The Bears came out of the timeout and responded with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 33-29 advantage. The Spartans hung tough, outscoring Mercer 8-4 over the final four minutes to even the game at 37 apiece heading into the final 10 minutes.
Mercer owned the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, outscoring UNCG 12-4 to claim the 49-41 advantage. The spurt was too much for UNCG to handle as the Bears were able to hit timely free throws down the stretch to walk away with the three-point win. The Spartans' Brandi Fier banked in a half-court three at the buzzer to cut the Mercer lead in half.
Notables
» For the third consecutive season, Mercer clinched at least a share of the SoCon regular season title.
» Mercer improves to a perfect 10-0 all-time against the Spartans, including 5-0 in Greensboro, N.C.
» The Bears improve to 25-2, winning their 22nd consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» With the win, Mercer moves to within one win of marking the most wins in a single season under Head Coach Susie Gardner.
» Sydni Means finished the game with nine assists, running her season total to 220, setting a new personal single-season best.
» Kahlia Lawrence finished with a game-high 15 points, while KeKe Calloway contributed for 12 points and a couple of timely three pointers.
» Amanda Thompson ended the game with eight points and nine total rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass.
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"We finished the game against a very good UNCG team. We battled and it proved to be a possession game throughout. I am just proud of the way that we had contributions from everyone that played."
On the play from Means and Thompson
"Sydni ran our team and she was able to knock down timely shots. In the end, they were fouling and we wanted to get the ball in Sydni's hands. Amanda Thompson played really well with six offensive rebounds against a team that is bigger than us in every position. She battled and had a huge offensive rebound with just over one minute left that kept the ball in our possession."
On clinching a share of the SoCon title
"I told the team in the locker room that they had just shared the SoCon regular season title and they weren't even aware of it. That shows you how focused this team is on the present game and the next opponent. It is really difficult to win a regular season championship. I am proud of this group from being picked preseason number five as freshman, to now having three SoCon Regular Season titles. Credit to them and their hard work."
Records Update
» Mercer: 25-2 (12-0 SoCon)
» UNCG: 11-17 (5-8 SoCon)
Next Game
» Mercer: vs. Chattanooga on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
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.
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