Friday, March 2
Asheville, N.C.
11 A.M.
Mercer University
29-2, 14-0
81
vs
44
Samford
15-16, 6-8
1
2
3
4
F
Samford
4
16
10
14
44
Mercer
22
18
16
25
81
Team Stats
SAM
MER
FG%
.327
.593
3FG%
.300
.429
FT%
.417
.727
RB
29
36
TO
15
6
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
Hot Start Propels No. 25 Mercer into SoCon Finals
3/2/2018 12:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bears roll onto 26th consecutive victory
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The 25th-ranked Mercer Bears used a scorching start to propel into the 2018 Southern Conference Championship, defeating Samford by the final score of 81-44. The Bears were led in scoring by Kahlia Lawrence with a game-high 23 points, while Sydni Means chipped in nine points and eight assists.
Stat of the Game
The Bears turned in their best shooting performance of the season, finishing 59.3 percent from the field on 35-of-59 shooting, including 3-for-7 from downtown.
Player of the Game
For the second consecutive game, Kahlia Lawrence finished with 23 points, this time on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from downtown. Lawrence also finished 3-for-4 from the charity stripe and added four rebounds and two assists.
How It Happened
Mercer dominated for the opening 10 minutes of the game, scoring the game's first 18 points to set the tone early on. The Bears cruised to a dominating 22-4 performance in the opening quarter, led by 10 points from 2018 SoCon Player of the Year, Kahlia Lawrence.
The second quarter proved to be much tighter as the Bears outscored Samford 18-16 to take the 40-20 advantage at the break. Mercer stretched its lead to 24 points with 4:43 remaining in the half, leading 32-8. The Bulldogs cut the deficit down to 16, however the Bears scored four unanswered to stretch their lead back to 20 before the break.
After yielding the first four points of the second half, Mercer responded with an 8-2 run to stretch its lead to 48-26 following a jumper by Lawrence. The Bears did not let off the gas, extending their lead to 28 points before Hannah Nichols capitalized on a layup at the buzzer.
The onslaught continued for Mercer in the final quarter, outscoring Samford 25-14 in the final quarter, stretching its lead to a game-high 37 points. Amanda Thompson led all scorers in the final quarter with eight points. Mercer's bench stepped up, scoring nine points in the quarter as LaKaitlin Wright tallied two points and four boards in just three minutes of play.
Notables
» Mercer earned its 26th consecutive win, pulling to within just one game of Chattanooga's SoCon record of 27 set in the 2003-04 season.
» The Bears improve to 17-5 all-time against Samford, winning their 13th consecutive battle with the Bulldogs.
» Mercer tied the program record with its 29th win of the season set in 1979-80.
» The Bears finished the game shooting a season-best 59.3 percent, while holding Samford to just 32.7 percent from the floor.
» With the win, Mercer will play in its third consecutive SoCon championship game.
» The Bears outrebounded the Bulldogs by the final tally of 36-29.
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"We have a lot of respect for Samford and we knew that our defense was going to be key, as was the need to shoot the ball better. Obviously we are playing really good defense and shooting exceptionally well and it was a great win for us. We wanted to be in the championship game and that's where we are."
On shooting 59 percent from the floor
"We didn't do anything differently, Kahlia was obviously hot and KeKe also hit her first few shots. Shooting is somewhat contagious, we work on shooting a lot because we know we have to hit shots in the championship. I think it's a combination of our extra hard work in the gym."
Records Update
» Mercer: 29-2
» Samford: 15-16
Next Game
Mercer will take on the second-seeded ETSU in the 2018 SoCon Championship. The contest will be played on Sunday at noon in 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
The Bears turned in their best shooting performance of the season, finishing 59.3 percent from the field on 35-of-59 shooting, including 3-for-7 from downtown.
Player of the Game
For the second consecutive game, Kahlia Lawrence finished with 23 points, this time on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from downtown. Lawrence also finished 3-for-4 from the charity stripe and added four rebounds and two assists.
How It Happened
Mercer dominated for the opening 10 minutes of the game, scoring the game's first 18 points to set the tone early on. The Bears cruised to a dominating 22-4 performance in the opening quarter, led by 10 points from 2018 SoCon Player of the Year, Kahlia Lawrence.
The second quarter proved to be much tighter as the Bears outscored Samford 18-16 to take the 40-20 advantage at the break. Mercer stretched its lead to 24 points with 4:43 remaining in the half, leading 32-8. The Bulldogs cut the deficit down to 16, however the Bears scored four unanswered to stretch their lead back to 20 before the break.
After yielding the first four points of the second half, Mercer responded with an 8-2 run to stretch its lead to 48-26 following a jumper by Lawrence. The Bears did not let off the gas, extending their lead to 28 points before Hannah Nichols capitalized on a layup at the buzzer.
The onslaught continued for Mercer in the final quarter, outscoring Samford 25-14 in the final quarter, stretching its lead to a game-high 37 points. Amanda Thompson led all scorers in the final quarter with eight points. Mercer's bench stepped up, scoring nine points in the quarter as LaKaitlin Wright tallied two points and four boards in just three minutes of play.
Notables
» Mercer earned its 26th consecutive win, pulling to within just one game of Chattanooga's SoCon record of 27 set in the 2003-04 season.
» The Bears improve to 17-5 all-time against Samford, winning their 13th consecutive battle with the Bulldogs.
» Mercer tied the program record with its 29th win of the season set in 1979-80.
» The Bears finished the game shooting a season-best 59.3 percent, while holding Samford to just 32.7 percent from the floor.
» With the win, Mercer will play in its third consecutive SoCon championship game.
» The Bears outrebounded the Bulldogs by the final tally of 36-29.
Coach's Corner
Opening Statement
"We have a lot of respect for Samford and we knew that our defense was going to be key, as was the need to shoot the ball better. Obviously we are playing really good defense and shooting exceptionally well and it was a great win for us. We wanted to be in the championship game and that's where we are."
On shooting 59 percent from the floor
"We didn't do anything differently, Kahlia was obviously hot and KeKe also hit her first few shots. Shooting is somewhat contagious, we work on shooting a lot because we know we have to hit shots in the championship. I think it's a combination of our extra hard work in the gym."
Records Update
» Mercer: 29-2
» Samford: 15-16
Next Game
Mercer will take on the second-seeded ETSU in the 2018 SoCon Championship. The contest will be played on Sunday at noon in 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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