Thursday, March 1
Asheville, N.C.
11 A.M.
Mercer University
75
vs
44
Western Carolina
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
No. 25 Bears Roll into SoCon Semifinals
3/1/2018 12:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mercer recorded its record-setting 25th consecutive win
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The 25th-ranked and top-seeded Mercer Bears cruised past No. 8 seed Western Carolina in the opening round of the 2018 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament with a 75-44 victory. Kahlia Lawrence led all scorers with 23 points as Mercer advanced to its fourth consecutive SoCon semifinal contest.
Stat of the Game
Mercer dominated on the defensive end of the ball, forcing 24 turnovers from Western Carolina. The Bears only turned the ball over twice themselves. Mercer scored 28 points off turnovers, compared to zero for the Catamounts.
Player of the Game
Kahlia Lawrence proved once again why she is the three-time SoCon Player of the Year, scoring 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. The senior guard only played 27 minutes, but still finished the game as the leading scorer.
How It Happened
Mercer started the game on a 10-4 run and did not look back as KeKe Calloway buried two threes in the first three minutes of play. The Catamounts crept back to within three until the Bears concluded the quarter on a 6-0 run, featuring four of Lawrence's eight points in the frame.
The second quarter belonged to Mercer as the Bears outscored the Catamounts 13-7 for the 33-18 advantage at the half. Western Carolina trimmed the Mercer lead to single digits with 5:30 remaining in the quarter. However, the Bears responded with a 6-0 run for the 15-point margin.
The Bears put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring Western Carolina 22-11 to take the 55-29 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play. Lawrence scored eight of the Bears' 22 points in the quarter, bringing her game total to 23.
Mercer put up 20 points in the final quarter of play, holding the Catamounts to 15. The Bears' bench accounted for 12 of the team's 20 in the last quarter of play, boosting Mercer to the 31-point trouncing.
Notables
» Mercer earned its 25th consecutive win, breaking a long standing record of 24 consecutive wins in 1973.
» The Bears improve to 14-0 all-time against Western Carolina, including 1-0 in the Southern Conference Tournament.
» The Bears improve to 28-2, winning their 25th consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» Mercer is now tied with Chattanooga for the most consecutive wins in league history with 25.
» The Bears glided into their fourth consecutive SoCon semifinals with the win over Western Carolina.
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"Obviously I am very pleased with the score of the game. I thought we played with good energy and we had 19 assists and just two turnovers. I think Stephanie has done a great job this year with all of the adversity that their team went through."
On playing zone defense
"We were really good in transition today and we were able to run zone defense, which we had not done in a long time. It was nice to play zone again and be able to force turnovers in both sets of defenses."
Records Update
» Mercer: 28-2
» Western Carolina: 5-25
Next Game
Mercer will take on No. 5 seed Samford tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.
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
Mercer dominated on the defensive end of the ball, forcing 24 turnovers from Western Carolina. The Bears only turned the ball over twice themselves. Mercer scored 28 points off turnovers, compared to zero for the Catamounts.
Player of the Game
Kahlia Lawrence proved once again why she is the three-time SoCon Player of the Year, scoring 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. The senior guard only played 27 minutes, but still finished the game as the leading scorer.
How It Happened
Mercer started the game on a 10-4 run and did not look back as KeKe Calloway buried two threes in the first three minutes of play. The Catamounts crept back to within three until the Bears concluded the quarter on a 6-0 run, featuring four of Lawrence's eight points in the frame.
The second quarter belonged to Mercer as the Bears outscored the Catamounts 13-7 for the 33-18 advantage at the half. Western Carolina trimmed the Mercer lead to single digits with 5:30 remaining in the quarter. However, the Bears responded with a 6-0 run for the 15-point margin.
The Bears put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring Western Carolina 22-11 to take the 55-29 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play. Lawrence scored eight of the Bears' 22 points in the quarter, bringing her game total to 23.
Mercer put up 20 points in the final quarter of play, holding the Catamounts to 15. The Bears' bench accounted for 12 of the team's 20 in the last quarter of play, boosting Mercer to the 31-point trouncing.
Notables
» Mercer earned its 25th consecutive win, breaking a long standing record of 24 consecutive wins in 1973.
» The Bears improve to 14-0 all-time against Western Carolina, including 1-0 in the Southern Conference Tournament.
» The Bears improve to 28-2, winning their 25th consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» Mercer is now tied with Chattanooga for the most consecutive wins in league history with 25.
» The Bears glided into their fourth consecutive SoCon semifinals with the win over Western Carolina.
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"Obviously I am very pleased with the score of the game. I thought we played with good energy and we had 19 assists and just two turnovers. I think Stephanie has done a great job this year with all of the adversity that their team went through."
On playing zone defense
"We were really good in transition today and we were able to run zone defense, which we had not done in a long time. It was nice to play zone again and be able to force turnovers in both sets of defenses."
Records Update
» Mercer: 28-2
» Western Carolina: 5-25
Next Game
Mercer will take on No. 5 seed Samford tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.
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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