Sunday, March 10
Asheville, N.C.
12 p.m.
Mercer University
25-7, 14-0SoCon
66
vs
63
Furman
19-13, 9-5SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Furman
17
14
16
16
63
Mercer
14
21
9
22
66
Team Stats
FUR
MER
FG%
.344
.450
3FG%
.304
.400
FT%
.875
.545
RB
36
36
TO
8
6
STL
1
5
Game Leaders
Pts
30
FGM
11
3FGM
5
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Wins SoCon Title, Punches NCAA Ticket
3/10/2019 3:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KeKe Calloway’s 30-point outburst paves way to second straight title
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – KeKe Calloway scored a game-high 30 points and Mercer clinched its second straight conference tournament crown with a come-from-behind 66-63 victory over Furman in the title game of the 2019 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championship presented by General Shale on Sunday at the U.S. Cellular Center.
The victory punched Mercer's second straight ticket to the NCAA Championship Tournament, with the bracket set to be revealed on Monday, March 18 at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN. Mercer's (25-7) win streak now stands at 17 and the Bears improved to 11-3 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
How It Happened
Trailing by as many as six points in the fourth quarter, Mercer rallied back to lay claim to its second straight SoCon Tournament title. Shannon Titus recorded a double-double, scoring all 12 of her points in the final quarter to lead the comeback. A layup by Rachel Selph with 29 seconds left provided the Bears with a three-point lead, 69-66, and Mercer's defense tightened up in the closing moments to secure the victory.
Calloway, the league's co-player of the year, connected on 11-of-24 field goals, including 5-of-12 from behind the three-point arc. She was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The Bears got off to a quick start, scoring the game's first five points. Furman responded with an 8-2 run that culminated with a three-pointer by Le'Jzae Davidson at the 6:04 mark of the opening quarter. Calloway's three-pointer with 4:43 remaining lifted Mercer back into the lead at 10-8. Furman's Taylor Petty drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer and the Paladins owned a 17-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Furman extended its lead to five, 19-14, courtesy of two free throws. The Bears rallied back to go up by six, 33-27, on a jumper from Linnea Rosendal with 3:25 to go in the second quarter. Mercer took a 35-31 lead into the halftime break, led by Calloway's 20 points.
The Paladins battled back to regain the lead, 41-39, with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter. The lead went back-and-forth with Furman holding a 47-44 advantage heading into the final period.
Furman extended its lead to six on two occasions in the final frame, the last time being at the 8:47 mark (52-46) before Mercer staged a signature game-winning rally. Titus hit a pair of free throws with 2:59 on the clock to earn a 58-56 advantage for Mercer. The sophomore then scored in the paint with 2:45 to go and Mercer led by four. After two Furman free throws sliced Mercer's lead in half, Amanda Thompson hit a basket at 1:46 to get back to a four-point lead. Furman inched within one point when Petty was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three free throw attempts with 48 seconds left. Selph's basket with 29 seconds remaining provided the final margin of victory as Furman missed a trio of three-point attempts in the waning seconds.
Coach's Corner
"First of all, I have so much respect for Jackie [Carson] and her program at Furman…her team played hard and they made great changes throughout the game," said head coach Susie Gardner. "It was back-and-forth and either team could've won, we just got lucky that the last shot didn't go in.
"I'm so happy for our five seniors. Let's think about what these seniors have done the last two years; gone undefeated in the regular season and won two tournament championships. That's a lot of winning."
Player of the Game
Senior guard KeKe Calloway led the charge with 30 points in the Bears' biggest game of the year. The Forsyth, Ga., native scored 20 of those points in the first half and was 11-of-24 with five three pointers.
Notables
» All 12 of Shannon Titus' 12 points came in the fourth quarter. The sophomore also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.
» Amanda Thompson chipped in eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.
» Mercer shot 45 percent (27-of-60) from the field and 40 percent (6-of-15) from three-point range.
» The Bears have won 11 straight games against Furman.
» Rachel Selph totaled six blocks and added nine points.
» Mercer improved to 11-3 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
Records Update
» #1 Mercer: 25-7
» #2 Furman: 19-13
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.
The victory punched Mercer's second straight ticket to the NCAA Championship Tournament, with the bracket set to be revealed on Monday, March 18 at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN. Mercer's (25-7) win streak now stands at 17 and the Bears improved to 11-3 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
How It Happened
Trailing by as many as six points in the fourth quarter, Mercer rallied back to lay claim to its second straight SoCon Tournament title. Shannon Titus recorded a double-double, scoring all 12 of her points in the final quarter to lead the comeback. A layup by Rachel Selph with 29 seconds left provided the Bears with a three-point lead, 69-66, and Mercer's defense tightened up in the closing moments to secure the victory.
Calloway, the league's co-player of the year, connected on 11-of-24 field goals, including 5-of-12 from behind the three-point arc. She was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The Bears got off to a quick start, scoring the game's first five points. Furman responded with an 8-2 run that culminated with a three-pointer by Le'Jzae Davidson at the 6:04 mark of the opening quarter. Calloway's three-pointer with 4:43 remaining lifted Mercer back into the lead at 10-8. Furman's Taylor Petty drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer and the Paladins owned a 17-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Furman extended its lead to five, 19-14, courtesy of two free throws. The Bears rallied back to go up by six, 33-27, on a jumper from Linnea Rosendal with 3:25 to go in the second quarter. Mercer took a 35-31 lead into the halftime break, led by Calloway's 20 points.
The Paladins battled back to regain the lead, 41-39, with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter. The lead went back-and-forth with Furman holding a 47-44 advantage heading into the final period.
Furman extended its lead to six on two occasions in the final frame, the last time being at the 8:47 mark (52-46) before Mercer staged a signature game-winning rally. Titus hit a pair of free throws with 2:59 on the clock to earn a 58-56 advantage for Mercer. The sophomore then scored in the paint with 2:45 to go and Mercer led by four. After two Furman free throws sliced Mercer's lead in half, Amanda Thompson hit a basket at 1:46 to get back to a four-point lead. Furman inched within one point when Petty was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three free throw attempts with 48 seconds left. Selph's basket with 29 seconds remaining provided the final margin of victory as Furman missed a trio of three-point attempts in the waning seconds.
Coach's Corner
"First of all, I have so much respect for Jackie [Carson] and her program at Furman…her team played hard and they made great changes throughout the game," said head coach Susie Gardner. "It was back-and-forth and either team could've won, we just got lucky that the last shot didn't go in.
"I'm so happy for our five seniors. Let's think about what these seniors have done the last two years; gone undefeated in the regular season and won two tournament championships. That's a lot of winning."
Player of the Game
Senior guard KeKe Calloway led the charge with 30 points in the Bears' biggest game of the year. The Forsyth, Ga., native scored 20 of those points in the first half and was 11-of-24 with five three pointers.
Notables
» All 12 of Shannon Titus' 12 points came in the fourth quarter. The sophomore also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.
» Amanda Thompson chipped in eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.
» Mercer shot 45 percent (27-of-60) from the field and 40 percent (6-of-15) from three-point range.
» The Bears have won 11 straight games against Furman.
» Rachel Selph totaled six blocks and added nine points.
» Mercer improved to 11-3 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
Records Update
» #1 Mercer: 25-7
» #2 Furman: 19-13
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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