Thursday, February 14
Macon, Ga.
7 P.M.
Mercer University
17-7, 9-0SoCon
85
vs
73
UNCG
9-16, 3-7SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
UNCG
28
18
13
14
73
Mercer
19
18
22
26
85
Team Stats
UNCG
MER
FG%
.429
.582
3FG%
.357
.600
FT%
.875
.857
RB
31
28
TO
9
6
STL
4
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
7
FTM
0
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Rallies Past Spartans for Ninth SoCon Win
2/14/2019 10:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bears remain undefeated in conference play with 85-73 win
MACON, Ga. – Mercer maintained its perfect Southern Conference record as a trio of Bears combined for 64 points in a come-from-behind 85-73 victory over UNCG at Hawkins Arena on Thursday night.
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Linnea Rosendal (career-high 23 points), Rachel Selph (21) and Shannon Titus (20) all scored at least 20 points to rally Mercer from a nine-point halftime deficit. The Bears improved to 17-7 overall and 9-0 in SoCon play as they secured a regular-season sweep of the visiting Spartans (9-16, 3-7).
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Stat of the Game
Freshman point guard Tia Benvenuti – who logged a career-high 27 minutes – assisted on six of Linnea Rosendal's seven made three-pointers on Thursday. The duo's connection was particularly effective in the second half, as four of Benvenuti's assists to Rosendal came in the final 20 minutes of play.
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Player of the Game
Linnea Rosendal and Rachel Selph – who entered the game averaging 9.2 and 7.1 points per game, respectively – earned co-honors as they combined to shoot 16-of-20 from the field for 44 points. Selph chipped in six rebounds and three blocks and paced Mercer early with 12 first-half points. Rosendal tied a career-high of seven made three-pointers to set another career-high of 23 points. She was 7-of-8 from behind the arc.
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How It Happened
The Spartans were nearly unstoppable to open the game, hitting their first six shots from the field. UNCG never trailed in the first quarter and led Mercer, 28-19 through 10 minutes of play. Shannon Titus scored eight of Mercer's 19 first-quarter points.
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Both teams maintained their frenetic pace in the second quarter; Mercer and UNCG shot 57 percent and 53 percent, respectively, in the quarter. The Bears trailed by nine at halftime, cutting into their deficit slightly. A three-pointer by Rosendal with two minutes remaining pulled Mercer within five points of the Spartans before they scored the final four points of the frame.
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Like many times this season, Mercer made its critical run in the third quarter and outscored the Spartans 22-13 while holding them to only five field goals. The Bears scored 13 of the first 17 points in the second half and tied the game at 50 on a layup by Selph at the 4:56 mark. Just a minute later, a block by Selph led to a fast-break layup by Amanda Thompson that earned Mercer its first lead of the game.
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More lock-down defense in the fourth quarter put the game away for Mercer, which stifled the Spartans with another woeful shooting quarter (4-of-15). Rosendal drained four of her seven treys in the final 10 minutes.
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Notables
» The win was Mercer's 29th consecutive SoCon regular-season victory.
» Mercer improved to 12-0 against UNCG.
» Tia Benvenuti tallied a 9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She added two boards, two points and one steal.
» Amanda Thompson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. She had recorded double-digit rebounds in eight of nine SoCon games.
» Mercer shot 58.2 percent (32-of-55) from the field, its best mark this season.
» Shannon Titus scored at least 20 points for the second time this season.
» Rachel Selph's 21 points were two shy of tying her career-high.
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Coach's Corner
Opening statement:
"I thought we took a hard punch in the first half as UNCG played exceptionally well and hit nearly every shot they took," said head coach Susie Gardner. "A lot of that had to do with [UNCG] just playing really, really well. We had to change it up in the second half and amp it up a bit defensively, which we did.
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"We had great play from Tia [Benvenuti] with nine assists and one turnover. Linnea [Rosendal] was hitting shots from three-point range. It was just a great comeback for our kids and a really hard-fought win."
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On rebounding from UNCG's hot shooting in the first half:
"We talked about it at halftime…there was really nothing you could say other than [UNCG] was hitting shots. So, we had to change it up, and came back in a half-court trap that gave us some energy and momentum. I think our defense was key in the second half, but offensively, seeing Rachel [Selph] and Linnea hit shots was great."
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Records Update
» Mercer: 17-7 (9-0 SoCon)
» UNCG: 9-16 (3-7 SoCon)
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Next Game
The Bears stay home to host Western Carolina at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Hawkins Arena.
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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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Linnea Rosendal (career-high 23 points), Rachel Selph (21) and Shannon Titus (20) all scored at least 20 points to rally Mercer from a nine-point halftime deficit. The Bears improved to 17-7 overall and 9-0 in SoCon play as they secured a regular-season sweep of the visiting Spartans (9-16, 3-7).
Â
Stat of the Game
Freshman point guard Tia Benvenuti – who logged a career-high 27 minutes – assisted on six of Linnea Rosendal's seven made three-pointers on Thursday. The duo's connection was particularly effective in the second half, as four of Benvenuti's assists to Rosendal came in the final 20 minutes of play.
Â
Player of the Game
Linnea Rosendal and Rachel Selph – who entered the game averaging 9.2 and 7.1 points per game, respectively – earned co-honors as they combined to shoot 16-of-20 from the field for 44 points. Selph chipped in six rebounds and three blocks and paced Mercer early with 12 first-half points. Rosendal tied a career-high of seven made three-pointers to set another career-high of 23 points. She was 7-of-8 from behind the arc.
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How It Happened
The Spartans were nearly unstoppable to open the game, hitting their first six shots from the field. UNCG never trailed in the first quarter and led Mercer, 28-19 through 10 minutes of play. Shannon Titus scored eight of Mercer's 19 first-quarter points.
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Both teams maintained their frenetic pace in the second quarter; Mercer and UNCG shot 57 percent and 53 percent, respectively, in the quarter. The Bears trailed by nine at halftime, cutting into their deficit slightly. A three-pointer by Rosendal with two minutes remaining pulled Mercer within five points of the Spartans before they scored the final four points of the frame.
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Like many times this season, Mercer made its critical run in the third quarter and outscored the Spartans 22-13 while holding them to only five field goals. The Bears scored 13 of the first 17 points in the second half and tied the game at 50 on a layup by Selph at the 4:56 mark. Just a minute later, a block by Selph led to a fast-break layup by Amanda Thompson that earned Mercer its first lead of the game.
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More lock-down defense in the fourth quarter put the game away for Mercer, which stifled the Spartans with another woeful shooting quarter (4-of-15). Rosendal drained four of her seven treys in the final 10 minutes.
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Notables
» The win was Mercer's 29th consecutive SoCon regular-season victory.
» Mercer improved to 12-0 against UNCG.
» Tia Benvenuti tallied a 9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She added two boards, two points and one steal.
» Amanda Thompson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. She had recorded double-digit rebounds in eight of nine SoCon games.
» Mercer shot 58.2 percent (32-of-55) from the field, its best mark this season.
» Shannon Titus scored at least 20 points for the second time this season.
» Rachel Selph's 21 points were two shy of tying her career-high.
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Coach's Corner
Opening statement:
"I thought we took a hard punch in the first half as UNCG played exceptionally well and hit nearly every shot they took," said head coach Susie Gardner. "A lot of that had to do with [UNCG] just playing really, really well. We had to change it up in the second half and amp it up a bit defensively, which we did.
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"We had great play from Tia [Benvenuti] with nine assists and one turnover. Linnea [Rosendal] was hitting shots from three-point range. It was just a great comeback for our kids and a really hard-fought win."
Â
On rebounding from UNCG's hot shooting in the first half:
"We talked about it at halftime…there was really nothing you could say other than [UNCG] was hitting shots. So, we had to change it up, and came back in a half-court trap that gave us some energy and momentum. I think our defense was key in the second half, but offensively, seeing Rachel [Selph] and Linnea hit shots was great."
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Records Update
» Mercer: 17-7 (9-0 SoCon)
» UNCG: 9-16 (3-7 SoCon)
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Next Game
The Bears stay home to host Western Carolina at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Hawkins Arena.
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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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