Saturday, January 13
Birmingham, Ala.
3 P.M.
Mercer University
16-2, 3-0SoCon
73
at
59
Samford
8-10, 0-3SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Mercer
14
25
20
14
73
Samford
19
13
13
14
59
Team Stats
MER
SAM
FG%
.470
.462
3FG%
.333
.333
FT%
.818
.700
RB
34
33
TO
5
18
STL
14
3
Game Leaders
Pts
31
FGM
14
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Mercer Runs Winning Streak to Baker’s Dozen
1/13/2018 7:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kahlia netted a game-high 31 points in the win
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mercer defeated Samford by the final score of 73-59 in the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala., running its win streak to 13 consecutive games. Kahlia Lawrence notched a game-high 31 points, marking the third consecutive game that a Mercer player has scored 30-or-more points.
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Stat of the Game
The Bears played stifling defense today, holding Samford's leading scorer to just four points on the evening. Mercer also swiped 14 steals during the contest, just two shy of the season-high 16 steals against Winthrop.
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Player of the Game
Kahlia Lawrence garnered the player of the game honors, knocking down 31 points on 14-of-25 shooting. Lawrence's 14 made field goals marked a new season high for the senior guard.
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How It Happened
The opening quarter belonged to the Bulldogs as the host team pulled away late in the quarter following the see-saw battle in the first five minutes. The Bears led 8-6 in the opening stanza before Samford ended the quarter on a 13-6 run for the five-point advantage.
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Samford extended its lead to a game-high seven points on three occasions in the first 1:30 of the second quarter. The Bears outscored the Bulldogs 9-2 over the next three minutes to tie the game at 28 apiece with 5:18 left in the half. With 4:12 remaining in the half and the Bears trailing by one, Mercer went on an 8-0 spurt to conclude the half, taking a 39-32 advantage into the locker room. Lawrence netted 15 of her 31 points in the second stanza.
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Mercer began to slowly pull away in the third quarter as the pace of the game quickened to the Bears' liking. Mercer opened a double-digit advantage after back-to-back buckets by Sydni Means and Lawrence. The Bears would hold onto that double-digit advantage the rest of the game, stretching their lead to a game-high 16 points with 33 seconds left in the third quarter.
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Both squads drew even in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points apiece. Mercer knocked down 40.0 percent of its shots in the final quarter en route to the 14-point win. KeKe Calloway and Amanda Thompson joined Means and Lawrence in double figures in the fourth quarter, each bringing their game totals to 10 points.
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Notables
» Mercer improved to 15-5 all-time against Samford, winning its 12th consecutive game against the Bulldogs and ninth under head coach Susie Gardner.
» Lawrence's 31-point outing marked the third consecutive game that a Mercer player has scored 30-or-more points. The senior guard is now just three points shy of 2,000.
» The Bears improve to 16-2, winning their 13th consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» Mercer's defense held Samford's leading scorer Hannah Nichols (15.1 ppg) to just four points on the day.
» The Bears posted four players in double digits for the fifth time this season, improving to 5-0 when doing so.
» Lawrence pushed her career field goals made to 822, passing Myrel Huskey (809) for fourth all-time in program history.
» KeKe Calloway registered 10 points in the victory, moving her to within eight points of the 1,000-point plateau.
» Head Coach Susie Gardner collected win number 130 at Mercer and is just four wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history.
» Mercer is now 9-0 in true road games this season following the win over the Paladins.
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Coach's Corner
On the win streak
"We are fortunate that we have some very good scorers. Samford is always one of the toughest teams to play because of the type of offense they run. We have really focused on our defense lately and have grown as a team."
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On the defensive effort
"We are fortunate to have really good defenders on our team. Players like those challenges of guarding a tough player like [Hannah] Nichols. Alex Williams and Kayla Potts were assigned to her and they did an exceptional job."
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On the pace of play
"We needed to push the pace. From the first possession, Samford was just walking the ball up the court. In the second half, we really wanted to turn up our defensive pressure and get up and down the court, which has been our strength. It is always good to come to Birmingham and get a win because they are so hard to play against."
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Records Update
» Mercer: 16-2 (3-0 SoCon)
» Samford: 8-10 (0-3 SoCon)
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Next Game
» Mercer: vs. UNCG on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
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Follow the Bears
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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Stat of the Game
The Bears played stifling defense today, holding Samford's leading scorer to just four points on the evening. Mercer also swiped 14 steals during the contest, just two shy of the season-high 16 steals against Winthrop.
Â
Player of the Game
Kahlia Lawrence garnered the player of the game honors, knocking down 31 points on 14-of-25 shooting. Lawrence's 14 made field goals marked a new season high for the senior guard.
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How It Happened
The opening quarter belonged to the Bulldogs as the host team pulled away late in the quarter following the see-saw battle in the first five minutes. The Bears led 8-6 in the opening stanza before Samford ended the quarter on a 13-6 run for the five-point advantage.
Â
Samford extended its lead to a game-high seven points on three occasions in the first 1:30 of the second quarter. The Bears outscored the Bulldogs 9-2 over the next three minutes to tie the game at 28 apiece with 5:18 left in the half. With 4:12 remaining in the half and the Bears trailing by one, Mercer went on an 8-0 spurt to conclude the half, taking a 39-32 advantage into the locker room. Lawrence netted 15 of her 31 points in the second stanza.
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Mercer began to slowly pull away in the third quarter as the pace of the game quickened to the Bears' liking. Mercer opened a double-digit advantage after back-to-back buckets by Sydni Means and Lawrence. The Bears would hold onto that double-digit advantage the rest of the game, stretching their lead to a game-high 16 points with 33 seconds left in the third quarter.
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Both squads drew even in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points apiece. Mercer knocked down 40.0 percent of its shots in the final quarter en route to the 14-point win. KeKe Calloway and Amanda Thompson joined Means and Lawrence in double figures in the fourth quarter, each bringing their game totals to 10 points.
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Notables
» Mercer improved to 15-5 all-time against Samford, winning its 12th consecutive game against the Bulldogs and ninth under head coach Susie Gardner.
» Lawrence's 31-point outing marked the third consecutive game that a Mercer player has scored 30-or-more points. The senior guard is now just three points shy of 2,000.
» The Bears improve to 16-2, winning their 13th consecutive game to set the program record for most wins in the NCAA Division I era.
» Mercer's defense held Samford's leading scorer Hannah Nichols (15.1 ppg) to just four points on the day.
» The Bears posted four players in double digits for the fifth time this season, improving to 5-0 when doing so.
» Lawrence pushed her career field goals made to 822, passing Myrel Huskey (809) for fourth all-time in program history.
» KeKe Calloway registered 10 points in the victory, moving her to within eight points of the 1,000-point plateau.
» Head Coach Susie Gardner collected win number 130 at Mercer and is just four wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history.
» Mercer is now 9-0 in true road games this season following the win over the Paladins.
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Coach's Corner
On the win streak
"We are fortunate that we have some very good scorers. Samford is always one of the toughest teams to play because of the type of offense they run. We have really focused on our defense lately and have grown as a team."
Â
On the defensive effort
"We are fortunate to have really good defenders on our team. Players like those challenges of guarding a tough player like [Hannah] Nichols. Alex Williams and Kayla Potts were assigned to her and they did an exceptional job."
Â
On the pace of play
"We needed to push the pace. From the first possession, Samford was just walking the ball up the court. In the second half, we really wanted to turn up our defensive pressure and get up and down the court, which has been our strength. It is always good to come to Birmingham and get a win because they are so hard to play against."
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Records Update
» Mercer: 16-2 (3-0 SoCon)
» Samford: 8-10 (0-3 SoCon)
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Next Game
» Mercer: vs. UNCG on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
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Follow the Bears
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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