Saturday, February 9
Birmingham, Ala.
3 P.M.
Mercer University
15-7, 7-0SoCon
68
at
52
Samford
7-15, 2-5SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Mercer
13
24
20
11
68
Samford
9
15
14
14
52
Team Stats
MER
SAM
FG%
.483
.321
3FG%
.500
.238
FT%
.875
.813
RB
39
28
TO
11
10
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Defense Leads Mercer Past Samford on Road
2/9/2019 8:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mercer remained undefeated in Southern Conference play with a 68-52 win at Samford on Saturday afternoon at the Pete Hanna Center.
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KeKe Calloway dropped a game-high 22 points as the Bears (16-7, 8-0 SoCon), who led by as many as 20 points mid-way through the fourth quarter, clinched the regular-season sweep of the host Bulldogs (7-16, 2-6).
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Stat of the Game
With a 13-point lead at halftime, Mercer put together a dominant defensive performance in the second half. Mercer held Samford to just eight field goals over the final two quarters of play as the Bulldogs shot just 29.6 percent from the field over that stretch.
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Player of the Game
KeKe Calloway's strong first half helped her earn player of the game honors on Saturday. The senior shot 6-of-10 from the field for 13 first-half points and finished the contest with a game-high 22 points while adding eight rebounds and two steals.
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How It Happened
An early three-pointer by Linnea Rosendal and two jumpers apiece by KeKe Calloway and Shannon Titus helped the Bears own a 13-9 advantage through the first 10 minutes of action. Mercer pulled away in the second quarter, out-scoring Samford 24-15 in the frame. Calloway scored nine of her 13 first-half points during the stretch.
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Consecutive three-pointers by Rosendal and Calloway extended Mercer's advantage to 27-19 with 4:51 remaining before halftime and sparked an eventual 12-0 run by the Bears. A jumper by Titus with three seconds left in the half iced a strong first-half performance.
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While its defense stifled Samford over the final 20 minutes of action – the Bulldogs hit just eight field goals in the second half – Mercer shot 50 percent, including multiple buckets by Calloway, Amanda Thompson and Rachel Selph. Thompson grabbed seven of her 15 rebounds in the second half as well.
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Notables
» The win was Mercer's 28th consecutive SoCon regular-season victory.
» Mercer has won 16 straight games against Samford, including 13 under Susie Gardner.
» Linnea Rosendal scored in double-figures (11) for the fourth time in eight SoCon games. The senior hit three three-pointers.
» Amanda Thompson led Mercer in rebounds (15) and assists (4).
» Mercer out-rebounded the Bulldogs 39-28.
» Seven total Bears scored in the contest.
» Mercer shot 50 percent from behind the arc (5-of-10).
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Coach's Corner
Opening statement:
"We were fortunate to establish a strong lead in the second half and not surrender anything today," said head coach Susie Gardner. "We are very aware of how we've relinquished second-half leads in games this season, so to avoid that was encouraging to see.
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"KeKe [Calloway] shot the ball exceptionally well and added eight rebounds. Amanda [Thompson] grabbed 15 rebounds as well."
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On the defensive efforts:
"Well, holding Samford to 32 percent shooting was one of the keys to today's game. That defensive intensity is something we continue to take pride in. It is always hard to face conference opponents a second time in the regular season, just because everyone knows each other so well. Our players are buying into being a defensive-minded team; although we have a lot of strong offensive players, we've seen great effort defensively the last couple games."
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Records Update
» Mercer: 16-7 (8-0 SoCon)
» Samford: 7-15 (2-5 SoCon)
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Next Game
The Bears return home next week for a pair of contests at Hawkins Arena, starting with a Thursday night clash against UNCG at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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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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KeKe Calloway dropped a game-high 22 points as the Bears (16-7, 8-0 SoCon), who led by as many as 20 points mid-way through the fourth quarter, clinched the regular-season sweep of the host Bulldogs (7-16, 2-6).
Â
Stat of the Game
With a 13-point lead at halftime, Mercer put together a dominant defensive performance in the second half. Mercer held Samford to just eight field goals over the final two quarters of play as the Bulldogs shot just 29.6 percent from the field over that stretch.
Â
Player of the Game
KeKe Calloway's strong first half helped her earn player of the game honors on Saturday. The senior shot 6-of-10 from the field for 13 first-half points and finished the contest with a game-high 22 points while adding eight rebounds and two steals.
Â
How It Happened
An early three-pointer by Linnea Rosendal and two jumpers apiece by KeKe Calloway and Shannon Titus helped the Bears own a 13-9 advantage through the first 10 minutes of action. Mercer pulled away in the second quarter, out-scoring Samford 24-15 in the frame. Calloway scored nine of her 13 first-half points during the stretch.
Â
Consecutive three-pointers by Rosendal and Calloway extended Mercer's advantage to 27-19 with 4:51 remaining before halftime and sparked an eventual 12-0 run by the Bears. A jumper by Titus with three seconds left in the half iced a strong first-half performance.
Â
While its defense stifled Samford over the final 20 minutes of action – the Bulldogs hit just eight field goals in the second half – Mercer shot 50 percent, including multiple buckets by Calloway, Amanda Thompson and Rachel Selph. Thompson grabbed seven of her 15 rebounds in the second half as well.
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Notables
» The win was Mercer's 28th consecutive SoCon regular-season victory.
» Mercer has won 16 straight games against Samford, including 13 under Susie Gardner.
» Linnea Rosendal scored in double-figures (11) for the fourth time in eight SoCon games. The senior hit three three-pointers.
» Amanda Thompson led Mercer in rebounds (15) and assists (4).
» Mercer out-rebounded the Bulldogs 39-28.
» Seven total Bears scored in the contest.
» Mercer shot 50 percent from behind the arc (5-of-10).
Â
Coach's Corner
Opening statement:
"We were fortunate to establish a strong lead in the second half and not surrender anything today," said head coach Susie Gardner. "We are very aware of how we've relinquished second-half leads in games this season, so to avoid that was encouraging to see.
Â
"KeKe [Calloway] shot the ball exceptionally well and added eight rebounds. Amanda [Thompson] grabbed 15 rebounds as well."
Â
On the defensive efforts:
"Well, holding Samford to 32 percent shooting was one of the keys to today's game. That defensive intensity is something we continue to take pride in. It is always hard to face conference opponents a second time in the regular season, just because everyone knows each other so well. Our players are buying into being a defensive-minded team; although we have a lot of strong offensive players, we've seen great effort defensively the last couple games."
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Records Update
» Mercer: 16-7 (8-0 SoCon)
» Samford: 7-15 (2-5 SoCon)
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Next Game
The Bears return home next week for a pair of contests at Hawkins Arena, starting with a Thursday night clash against UNCG at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Â
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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