Saturday, December 1
Macon, Ga.
2 P.M.
Mercer University
4-4
64
vs
48
Kennesaw State
3-6
1
2
3
4
F
Kennesaw State
16
17
9
6
48
Mercer
15
11
27
11
64
Team Stats
KSU
MER
FG%
.377
.429
3FG%
.167
.278
FT%
.583
.500
RB
37
34
TO
19
7
STL
3
8
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
10
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Judy Stapleton
Second-Half Explosion Leads Bears to Victory
12/1/2018 5:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mercer outscores Kennesaw State 38-15 in second half
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Bears earned a hard-fought 64-48 victory over in-state rival Kennesaw State on Saturday afternoon inside Hawkins Arena. The Bears held the Owls to just 15 points scored in the second half, while netting 38 of their own to cruise to the 16-point triumph.
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STAT OF THE GAME
Mercer's defense forced 19 turnovers in the game, coming away with eight steals. The Bears were able to register 20 points off the Kennesaw State blunders, outscoring the Owls 20-4 in points-off-turnovers.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
KeKe Calloway had a monster second half for Mercer, finishing with 21 points in the final 20 minutes off 8-of-11 from the field. Calloway scored 17 points in the third quarter, knocking down four threes in the 10-minute span to outscore the Owls 17-9 by herself. Calloway finished the game with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Nobody led by more than three points in the first quarter as the two squads battled back-and-forth for 10 minutes with the Owls claiming the slim 16-15 advantage. The first quarter featured 12 lead changes, including six in the final three minutes of play. Linnea Rosendal finished with five of her seven points in the first quarter, while Shannon Titus chipped in for four.
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After the Bears score the first four points in the second quarter, the offense stalled for just seven points in the final nine minutes of the opening half. Kennesaw State reclaimed the advantage and stretched its lead to seven points heading into the locker room.
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The Bears came out of the locker room with a mission and determination to defend the home court, scoring six of the first seven points to trim the deficit to two, forcing a Kennesaw State timeout. With 6:57 left in the third quarter, Calloway drained her first of four three pointers to give Mercer the one-point advantage. From that point on, it was all Mercer as the Bears finished the third quarter on an 18-8 run, led by 17 points from Calloway.
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The fourth quarter was just the icing on the cake as Mercer held Kennesaw State to six points, its second-lowest point total in a quarter this season. Amanda Thompson boosted the Bears in the final quarter, scoring four points and grabbing four rebounds, while also swiping one steal.
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NOTABLES
COACH'S CORNER
Final Thoughts:
"I was disappointed in our effort and enthusiasm in the first half. However, we rebounded well in the second half after holding them to just 15 points in the half. Shannon played a complete game having to guard [Kamiyah] Street and shutting her down in the second half. We have got to be better and put four complete quarters together."
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Ability to score off turnovers:
"We have started to emphasize some things on defense that we haven't been doing very well in games. We have had some games that our shots haven't fallen so you have to bring defense into the mix. We haven't been doing that consistently enough and I thought we did an exceptional job of that in the second half."
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RECORDS UPDATE
NEXT GAME
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
Mercer's defense forced 19 turnovers in the game, coming away with eight steals. The Bears were able to register 20 points off the Kennesaw State blunders, outscoring the Owls 20-4 in points-off-turnovers.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
KeKe Calloway had a monster second half for Mercer, finishing with 21 points in the final 20 minutes off 8-of-11 from the field. Calloway scored 17 points in the third quarter, knocking down four threes in the 10-minute span to outscore the Owls 17-9 by herself. Calloway finished the game with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Nobody led by more than three points in the first quarter as the two squads battled back-and-forth for 10 minutes with the Owls claiming the slim 16-15 advantage. The first quarter featured 12 lead changes, including six in the final three minutes of play. Linnea Rosendal finished with five of her seven points in the first quarter, while Shannon Titus chipped in for four.
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After the Bears score the first four points in the second quarter, the offense stalled for just seven points in the final nine minutes of the opening half. Kennesaw State reclaimed the advantage and stretched its lead to seven points heading into the locker room.
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The Bears came out of the locker room with a mission and determination to defend the home court, scoring six of the first seven points to trim the deficit to two, forcing a Kennesaw State timeout. With 6:57 left in the third quarter, Calloway drained her first of four three pointers to give Mercer the one-point advantage. From that point on, it was all Mercer as the Bears finished the third quarter on an 18-8 run, led by 17 points from Calloway.
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The fourth quarter was just the icing on the cake as Mercer held Kennesaw State to six points, its second-lowest point total in a quarter this season. Amanda Thompson boosted the Bears in the final quarter, scoring four points and grabbing four rebounds, while also swiping one steal.
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NOTABLES
- With the win, Mercer improves to 4-4 on the season and 13-10 overall against Kennesaw State, winning its fourth consecutive game over the Owls.
- Calloway's 25 points lifted the Georgia native to 12th all-time in Mercer history with 1,379 career points, surpassing Caroline Nicholson (1,373).
- With her one block today, Rachel Selph is now tied with Alex Phillips for the third-most blocks in Mercer history (101).
- Head Coach Susie Gardner picks up career win No. 148 at Mercer following today's victory.
- Shannon Titus corralled a career-high nine rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass.
- Cierra Scott made her collegiate debut for the Bears today, coming in to play three minutes in the fourth quarter.
- Mercer forced 19 turnovers on the defensive end, while only handing the ball over seven times for a season-low.
- Mercer won the points-in-the-paint battle (32-30), while also claiming the second-chance points victory (14-11).
- The Bears held Kennesaw State to just 15 points in the second half, the lowest point total in a half this season by the Owls.
COACH'S CORNER
Final Thoughts:
"I was disappointed in our effort and enthusiasm in the first half. However, we rebounded well in the second half after holding them to just 15 points in the half. Shannon played a complete game having to guard [Kamiyah] Street and shutting her down in the second half. We have got to be better and put four complete quarters together."
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Ability to score off turnovers:
"We have started to emphasize some things on defense that we haven't been doing very well in games. We have had some games that our shots haven't fallen so you have to bring defense into the mix. We haven't been doing that consistently enough and I thought we did an exceptional job of that in the second half."
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RECORDS UPDATE
- Mercer: 4-4
- Kennesaw State: 3-6
NEXT GAME
- Mercer vs. Florida State on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena in Macon, Ga.
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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