Mercer University
Furman
Key Fourth Quarter Lifts Mercer Past Furman To Advance To SoCon Finals
3/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SoCon Tournament Central | Full SoCon Tournament Bracket
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Sydni Means scored a career-high-tying 25 points to lead the Mercer University women's basketball team past Furman on Friday morning as the Bears advanced to the Southern Conference Tournament championship game. Kahlia Lawrence netted 18 points for the Bears as Lawrence and Means accounted for 67 percent of Mercer's scoring.
Holli Wilkins led Furman with 18 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first 2:15, but a pair of three-pointers from the Paladins knotted the score, 6-6, halfway through the first period. After a quick 4-2 Mercer spurt, Furman closed out the first quarter with a 7-2 run that gave the Paladins a 15-12 lead. After going back-and-forth for the first 2:14 of the second quarter, Mercer used an 8-2 run to take a 24-22 lead before entering the locker room for halftime. The second quarter was slow offensively for both teams, as Mercer shot 17.6 percent and Furman connected on 6.3 percent of its shots.
Whitney Bunn opened the second half with a three-pointer for Furman, but Mercer answered with a 10-2 run that gave them their largest lead yet, 34-27, with 4:39 remaining in the third quarter. The Paladins answered with a 10-4 run of their own that cut the Bears' lead back to one, 38-37, but Mercer outscored Furman 5-3 in the final 1:08 of the third period to hold on to a 43-40 advantage entering the final quarter. The Bears dominated the start of the fourth quarter, using a 12-0 run to gain a 55-40 lead with just 4:48 left on the clock. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the game, but it was too little too late for the Paladins, as Mercer's early fourth quarter run put the game out of reach for Furman.
STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer committed a season-low two turnovers, which ranks second in the nation this season for team single-game turnovers.
NOTABLES
- Sydni Means netted a career-high-tying 25 points, recording her 13th double-figure performance and second 20+ point game of the season. Means went 9-of-10 from the free throw line and added five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
- Kahlia Lawrence scored 18 points for her 25th double-digit game of the season. Lawrence also had seven rebounds, an assist and a block.
- Rachel Selph notched a career-high seven blocks to move into 7th place on Mercer's single-season blocks leaderboard. Selph also had nine rebounds, four points and an assist.
- Linnea Rosendal tallied seven points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal for Mercer.
- Alex Williams grabbed eight rebounds and added six points, two steals and an assist.
- Brittnee Broadway registered four points and four rebounds, while Amanda Thompson grabbed a pair of rebounds.
- KeKe Calloway also had two rebounds and an assist for the Bears.
- Mercer notched a season-high eight blocks and committed a season-low two turnovers.
- Mercer connected on 37.1 percent of its shots from the field, hitting over 40 percent in three quarters.
- The Bears outrebounded the Paladins, 42-35, and outscored them in second chance points, 18-6.
- This is Mercer's second-ever appearance in a conference tournament championship game in the NCAA DI era. Mercer played in the 1993 TAAC championship game and fell to FIU.
QUOTABLES
"Obviously, with a quick turnaround, I have to give credit to Coach (Ben) Wierzba with the scout in the ballroom. Our focus was just amazing last night. From the get go, Kahlia (Lawrence) hit her first few shots, so that was a blessing, compared to yesterday. Sydni (Means) played an amazing basketball game, but everyone did. I felt like we played one of our better games of the year. I have so much respect for Jackie (Carson) and the job she does at Furman. I think she is class. I think her kids play hard and they are well-coached. I really respect Furman's entire program." – Head Coach Susie Gardner
RECORDS UPDATE
Mercer improves to24-7 overall and Furman moves to 15-16 on the season.
UP NEXT
No. 1 Mercer advances to the SoCon Tournament Championship and will face No. 2 Chattanooga on Sunday, March 6 at 1:00 p.m.
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.
