Mercer University
Western Carolina
Women's Basketball Steams Past Western Carolina, 63-42
2/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MACON, Ga. – Kahlia Lawrence scored 20 points to lead the Mercer University women's basketball team to a 63-42 win over Western Carolina on Thursday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded baskets for the first 4:12, but a 7-0 spurt from the Bears put Mercer up 11-5 with 3:44 remaining in the first quarter. Mercer outscored Western Carolina 7-4 to close out the period and increase its lead to 18-9. The Catamounts opened the second quarter with a 5-2 run, cutting the Bears' lead to six, 20-14, very early in the period. Mercer answered with a 6-0 run of its own, again going up by double digits, 26-14. The Orange and Black held on to its double figure lead for the rest of the half, entering the locker room with a 34-21 advantage.
Mercer and Western Carolina went back and forth during the third quarter, as neither team took control of the game but the Bears maintained their double-digit lead. After the Catamounts opened the final period with five quick points, the Bears registered 10 unanswered points of their own, stretched the lead to 55-36 with 4:21 to play. In the final minutes of the game, Mercer outscored Western Carolina 8-6 to finish the game with a 63-42 advantage.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer outrebounded Western Carolina, 38-31, and outscored the Catamounts in second chance points, 18-8.
NOTABLES
- Lawrence led the Bears with 20 points, her 19th double-digit performance and 10th 20+ point game of the season. Lawrence also had six rebounds and two assists.
- KeKe Calloway recorded her 10th double figure game of the season with 12 points, while adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
- Rachel Selph pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds to go with her three points and team-high three blocks.
- Kayla Potts notched nine points and three rebounds for Mercer, tallying a career-high four field goals.
- Sydni Means registered six points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Bears.
- Amanda Thompson contributed seven rebounds, four points, two assists and a steal.
- Linnea Rosendal had three points and two steals, while Brittnee Broadway added two points and two rebounds.
- Ally Welch notched two points and a rebound and Callie Hackett registered an assist and a steal
- Ciarra Edwards had two points and Shon Kitchens grabbed a steal.
- Mercer shot 42.4 percent from the field, which included 46.7 percent in both the first and fourth quarters.
- Mercer once again won the turnover battle, 10-17, while also scored 10 points off Western Carolina turnovers.
QUOTABLES
"Our goal in this game was to come out with a lot of positive energy and to get all the hustle plays. I felt like from the opening tip, we were honed in; we dove on the floor, when somebody did something well, we had a lot of reactive emotion and that's what our goal was. Last time we played Western Carolina we beat them in overtime and this game I thought we showed marked improvement." – Head Coach Susie Gardner
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer improves to 17-6 overall and 7-1 in SoCon play, while Western Carolina drops to 6-16 on the season and 2-6 in league action.
UP NEXT
Mercer will host UNCG on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m. at Hawkins Arena. The game will be Mercer's Pink Out game this season, helping to raise awareness for breast cancer research.
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.
