Saturday, January 28
Macon, Ga.
2:00 PM ET
Mercer University
17-4, 6-1SoCon
59
vs
49
Samford
9-13, 2-5SoCon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samford | 5 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 49 |
| Mercer | 15 | 6 | 19 | 19 | 59 |
Team Stats
SAM
MER
FG%
.302
.348
3FG%
.310
.125
FT%
.571
.839
RB
37
35
TO
14
7
STL
2
9
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
14
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Means Powers Mercer Past Samford for Fifth Straight Win
1/28/2017 4:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sydni Means scores 20 points behind career-high 14 made free throws
MACON, Ga. – Sydni Means connected on a career-high 14 made free throws to pace Mercer to its fifth straight win in Southern Conference play, a 59-49 victory over Samford at Hawkins Arena on Saturday afternoon.
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Means, a junior point guard, led all players with a game-high 20 points and made all six of her free throw attempts in the final minute of play while Kahlia Lawrence added 16 points and Alex Williams hauled in 12 rebounds. The Bears (17-4, 6-1 SoCon) outscored the Bulldogs 15-5 in the first quarter to build a cushion they never lost control of, despite being outscored 29-25 over the second and third frames.
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The loss dropped Samford to 9-13 overall and 2-5 in conference play. Mercer now looks ahead to its two-game road trip next week, which starts with a highly anticipated contest at Chattanooga (12-9, 6-1 SoCon). The Mocs dropped their first league game of the season Saturday, a 65-48 defeat at Furman.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer jumped out to a 15-5 advantage after the first quarter behind a stifling defensive presence. The Bears held Samford to 1-of-13 shooting in the frame while forcing a pair of turnovers. Samford failed to score a single point over the final two minutes and 11 seconds of the quarter. Meanwhile, Lawrence got off to a hot start with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.
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The Bears took a 21-15 lead into the halftime intermission. However, after outscoring the Bears 10-6 in the second quarter, Samford made things interesting with a pair of three-pointers by Katie Allen in the final 42 seconds of the third quarter to make it a 40-34 contest.
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With the lead in hand, Mercer was able to rely on Means over the final quarter as she made 7-of-8 free throw attempts to help outscore the Bulldogs 19-15 and put the game away.
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NOTABLES
"We had a long week to prepare for [Samford]…their team is unique. Samford runs the clock for extended periods of time; their possessions are longer, so they don't take as many shots over the course of a game. That's why games against them tend to be low-scoring contests. It was critical that we made stops.".Â
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"I've talked about Sydni [Means] since last year. Everyone always talks about Kahlia's [Lawrence] scoring, and thankfully we have Kahlia, but Sydni drives the ship. She gets the set, she plays great defense; what a luxury to have your point guard be your best free throw shooter when teams are fouling at the end."
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RECORDS UPDATE
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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Means, a junior point guard, led all players with a game-high 20 points and made all six of her free throw attempts in the final minute of play while Kahlia Lawrence added 16 points and Alex Williams hauled in 12 rebounds. The Bears (17-4, 6-1 SoCon) outscored the Bulldogs 15-5 in the first quarter to build a cushion they never lost control of, despite being outscored 29-25 over the second and third frames.
Â
The loss dropped Samford to 9-13 overall and 2-5 in conference play. Mercer now looks ahead to its two-game road trip next week, which starts with a highly anticipated contest at Chattanooga (12-9, 6-1 SoCon). The Mocs dropped their first league game of the season Saturday, a 65-48 defeat at Furman.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercer jumped out to a 15-5 advantage after the first quarter behind a stifling defensive presence. The Bears held Samford to 1-of-13 shooting in the frame while forcing a pair of turnovers. Samford failed to score a single point over the final two minutes and 11 seconds of the quarter. Meanwhile, Lawrence got off to a hot start with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Â
The Bears took a 21-15 lead into the halftime intermission. However, after outscoring the Bears 10-6 in the second quarter, Samford made things interesting with a pair of three-pointers by Katie Allen in the final 42 seconds of the third quarter to make it a 40-34 contest.
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With the lead in hand, Mercer was able to rely on Means over the final quarter as she made 7-of-8 free throw attempts to help outscore the Bulldogs 19-15 and put the game away.
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NOTABLES
- Mercer improved to 10-2 at home this season.
- The Bears set season-highs in free throws made (26) and attempted (31).
- Mercer won its ninth straight game against Samford and improved to 12-5 overall in the series.
- Means reached the 20-point milestone for the first time this season and third time of her career. It is the lone contest she has led Mercer in scoring this season.
- Means additionally set a career-high in attempted free throws (20). She shot 70 percent from the line in the contest.
- Williams grabbed 12 rebounds, marking her fourth game this season of reaching double-figure boards.
- Amanda Thompson recorded a career-best three blocks, helping Mercer to a 7-0 advantage in the category. She added two points, two steals and one rebound.
- KeKe Calloway notched 10 points for her 12th game of double-digit scoring. Lawrence reached double figures for the 17th time.
"We had a long week to prepare for [Samford]…their team is unique. Samford runs the clock for extended periods of time; their possessions are longer, so they don't take as many shots over the course of a game. That's why games against them tend to be low-scoring contests. It was critical that we made stops.".Â
Â
"I've talked about Sydni [Means] since last year. Everyone always talks about Kahlia's [Lawrence] scoring, and thankfully we have Kahlia, but Sydni drives the ship. She gets the set, she plays great defense; what a luxury to have your point guard be your best free throw shooter when teams are fouling at the end."
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RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer: 16-4 (5-1 SoCon)
- Samford: 9-12 (2-4 SoCon)
- Mercer: at Chattanooga on Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
- Samford: at ETSU on Feb. 2 at 10 a.m.
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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