Bears Climb to No. 23 in USA Today Coaches Poll
3/6/2018 3:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's basketball team advanced two spots in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll on Tuesday afternoon. The Bears, previously ranked 25th, jumped up two spots to No. 23 after rolling through the Southern Conference Tournament en route to the 2018 SoCon Championship Title.
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The Bears, currently ranked 25th in the AP Top 25, are fresh off a 68-53 victory over ETSU in the SoCon Championship game, led by 29 points from the SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player in Kahlia Lawrence. Lawrence was instrumental in guiding Mercer to its first-ever SoCon Tournament Championship and NCAA Division I appearance. The senior guard was named to the SoCon All-Tournament First Team, alongside KeKe Calloway. Amanda Thompson and Sydni Means were tabbed to the SoCon All-Tournament Second Team.
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The Bears are amidst a 27-game win streak, tying the SoCon record for the longest win streak in league history with Chattanooga who achieved the feat in 2003-04. The Bears have the third-longest win streak in the NCAA, trailing only UConn (31) and Baylor (28).
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Mercer will await the NCAA selection show on Monday, March 12, at 7 p.m. where it will find out its next opponent as well as the date and location of the match.
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2017-18 USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll
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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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The Bears, currently ranked 25th in the AP Top 25, are fresh off a 68-53 victory over ETSU in the SoCon Championship game, led by 29 points from the SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player in Kahlia Lawrence. Lawrence was instrumental in guiding Mercer to its first-ever SoCon Tournament Championship and NCAA Division I appearance. The senior guard was named to the SoCon All-Tournament First Team, alongside KeKe Calloway. Amanda Thompson and Sydni Means were tabbed to the SoCon All-Tournament Second Team.
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The Bears are amidst a 27-game win streak, tying the SoCon record for the longest win streak in league history with Chattanooga who achieved the feat in 2003-04. The Bears have the third-longest win streak in the NCAA, trailing only UConn (31) and Baylor (28).
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Mercer will await the NCAA selection show on Monday, March 12, at 7 p.m. where it will find out its next opponent as well as the date and location of the match.
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2017-18 USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll
| Â Rank |
 School (record) |
 Points |
Last week's rank |
First-place votes |
| 1. | Connecticut (31-0) | 800 | 1 | 32 |
| 2. | Baylor (31-1) | 757 | 2 | 0 |
| 3. | Louisville (32-2) | 728 | 5 | 0 |
| 4. | Mississippi State (32-1) | 703 | 2 | 0 |
| 5. | Oregon (30-4) | 660 | 6 | 0 |
| 6. | Notre Dame (29-3) | 648 | 4 | 0 |
| 7. | South Carolina (26-6) | 623 | 8 | 0 |
| 8. | Texas (26-6) | 567 | 7 | 0 |
| 9. | UCLA (24-7) | 517 | 9 | 0 |
| 10. | Ohio State (27-6) | 500 | 14 | 0 |
| 11. | Florida State (25-6) | 478 | 11 | 0 |
| 12. | Oregon State (23-7) | 420 | 10 | 0 |
| 13. | Tennessee (24-7) | 410 | 12 | 0 |
| 14. | Missouri (24-7) | 324 | 13 | 0 |
| 15. | Texas A&M (24-9) | 322 | 16 | 0 |
| 16. | Maryland (25-7) | 293 | 17 | 0 |
| 17. | Georgia (25-6) | 271 | 18 | 0 |
| 18. | Duke (22-8) | 258 | 15 | 0 |
| 19. | South Florida (26-6) | 250 | 19 | 0 |
| 20. | Stanford (22-10) | 231 | 20 | 0 |
| 21. | Green Bay (28-3) | 193 | 21 | 0 |
| 22. | North Carolina State (24-8) | 148 | 22 | 0 |
| 23. | Mercer (30-2) | 70 | 25 | 0 |
| 24. | DePaul (25-7) | 40 | not ranked | 0 |
| 25. | Belmont (31-3) | 28 | not ranked | 0 |
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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Players Mentioned
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