Mercer University
Davidson
Women's Basketball Defeated by Davidson, 75-60
11/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Sophomore Briana Williams scored a team-high 18 points as Mercer fell to Davidson 75-60 in Monday night's women's basketball game at John M. Belk Arena.
The loss dropped Mercer to 0-2 while Davidson pulled even at 1-1 on the year.
"We fought the entire game," Mercer head coach Susie Gardner said. "We're going to be fine, we just have some fine-tuning to do. It will take some of these bumps for us to find our way."
Williams scored 14 of her points in the second half as Mercer outscored Davidson 39-36 in the final 20 minutes. She was five-of-eight from the field in the second half, including connecting on three of her five three pointers in the period.
Freshman guard Precious Bridges scored 12 points in the losing effort on six-of-16 shooting from the field. Bridges also had a rebound, an assist and a pair of steals.
After going into halftime with a 17 point lead, the Wildcats' advantage swelled to as many as 23 in the second half. The final 5:17 of the game saw Mercer outscore the hosts 15-7. Briana Williams scored eight of Mercer's points during that stretch.
Mercer's 15-7 run was also aided by a full-court press defense that forced Davidson into five turnovers in the final 5:17. Overall, the Bears forced 25 turnovers and finished the game with a 27-15 advantage in points off turnovers.
Freshman Alicia Williams and junior Alex Phillips each scored seven points in the loss. All seven of Phillips' points came in the second half while five of Alicia Williams' seven came in the first half.
"I felt like there were some individuals that made a difference," Gardner said. "Alicia Williams laid it on the line the entire game. I'm proud of her effort and hustle."
Davidson's Laura Murray scored a game-high 19 points while Sophie Aleksandravicius contributed 17 of her own.
In the first half, Mercer held a 9-6 advantage before Davidson used a 12-0 run to move in front by nine with 10:47 to go. Mercer's scoring drought lasted for over five minutes and saw the Bears miss five-straight field goals.
With just under five minutes to go in the half, Mercer's deficit was 15 (30-15) before Bridges drained a baseline jumper to spark a 6-0 run for the Bears. Davidson head coach Michele Savage was forced to use a timeout to stop the shift in momentum.
Following the stoppage, the Wildcats finished the half on a 9-0 run to take a 39-21 lead into halftime.
Mercer returns to action hosting Georgia Southern on November 17. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
