Mercer University
Samford
Women's Basketball Edges Samford To Grab Top SoCon Spot
2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Kahlia Lawrence scored 19 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers as the Mercer University women's basketball team squeaked past Samford, 63-61, on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Mercer took sole possession of first place in the conference standings. Sydni Means and Linnea Rosendal each scored 13 points to round out the double-figure scoring performances.
Taylor Reece led Samford with 18 points and six rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Samford started the game hot, gaining a 4-0 lead before Mercer took back some momentum and used a 9-2 run to go up 9-6 with 2:02 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs used another 7-0 run that went into the second period to reclaim the lead, 13-9. The teams traded baskets in the second period and neither went up by more than five points in the 10-minute span. Mercer went back up 24-19 with 3:26 remaining in the half after a 9-0 spurt that lasted 1:32. Samford again outscored Mercer in the final minutes of the period, using an 11-2 run to give the Bulldogs a 30-26 advantage heading into the locker room.
Mercer turned the tables on Samford in the second half, opening up the period with an 11-2 run of its own and taking a 37-32 lead. The teams went back-and-forth for the rest of the third quarter, as neither team scored more than three consecutive points until Samford netted four straight points to close out the period and narrowly retake the lead, 48-47.
A 6-1 Mercer run at the beginning of the final period gave Mercer a 53-49 advantage with 5:49 left on the clock, but Samford answered with an 8-0 spurt to take its own 4-point lead, 57-53, less than two minutes later. Mercer's next 5-1 run tied the game for the seventh time, 58-58, with 2:36 remaining. Kahlia Lawrence hit a jump shot with 2:01 on the clock and Samford missed its' next three shots as Mercer held on to its 60-58 advantage. Samford fouled Sydni Means to send her to the line with seven seconds remaining and she hit both to push Mercer's lead to 62-58. The Bulldogs closed the gap to one point, 62-61, with a trey four seconds later and again sent Means to the line. This time, Means hit the first free throw and missed the second, which kept Samford from being able to get off a final shot and gave Mercer the 63-61 victory.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer shot a blistering 50 percent from the field, which included 66.7 percent in the second quarter.
NOTABLES
- Kahlia Lawrence scored 19 points for her 21st double-figure game of the season and ninth in conference play. Lawrence also led Mercer with eight rebounds and three steals, while adding three assists.
- Sydni Means tallied her 10th double-digit game of the season with 13 points. Means also had six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
- Linnea Rosendal netted 13 points for her 14th double-figure game of the season and added three rebounds and a steal.
- Rachel Selph recorded six points, a career-high-tying four blocks, four rebounds and an assist.
- KeKe Calloway also scored six points and grabbed two rebounds.
- Amanda Thompson registered five rebounds and four points, while Alex Williams had two points, two rebounds and a block.
- Mercer outrebounded Samford, 28-23.
- The Bears hit 90.9 percent of their free throw shots, missing just the final attempt of the game.
- Mercer's 9-1 SoCon record puts the Bears at the top of the conference standings with just four games left in the regular season.
QUOTABLES
"We knew that this game was going to be a possession game. Samford is a great basketball team and they are well-coached. We preached all week that it could be any possession; it could be a defensive rebound, it could be a free throw box out, it could be a charge, it could be a turnover, it could be an assist. It really was a possession game. It was back and forth, up and down, tied, they had the lead, we had the lead, and fortunately at the end we had the lead. I'm really proud of our entire team, but I'm also really proud of Sydni (Means) in clutch free throw situations, stepping up and knocking those down." – Head Coach Susie Gardner
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer moves to 19-6 overall and 9-1 in SoCon play, while Samford is now 16-9 on the season and 8-2 in league action.
UP NEXT
Mercer will hit the road for the final time in the regular season and take on ETSU on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 p.m. in Johnson City, Tenn.
For all the latest information on Mercer women's basketball, please visit MercerBears.com or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Mercer basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @MercerWBB or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Mercerwbb.
