Thursday, March 7
Asheville, N.C.
11 a.m.
Mercer University
23-7, 14-0SoCon
55
vs
32
Western Carolina
4-26, 0-14SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Western Carolina
7
3
10
12
32
Mercer
16
11
17
11
55
Team Stats
WCU
MER
FG%
.217
.400
3FG%
.100
.556
FT%
.500
.750
RB
33
49
TO
14
18
STL
11
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Mercer Runs Past Catamounts in SoCon Tournament
3/7/2019 2:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Calloway, Thompson power Bears to opening-round tournament win
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – KeKe Calloway scored a game-high 18 points and Amanda Thompson grabbed 17 rebounds to lead Mercer to a convincing 55-32 victory over Western Carolina in quarterfinal action of the 2019 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championship presented by General Shale on Thursday at the U.S. Cellular Center.
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Top-seeded Mercer (23-7) won its 15th straight game this season. The Bears will face the winner of No. 4 seed ETSU and No. 5 Wofford (played Thursday afternoon) in the semifinal round at 11 a.m. Friday.
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How It Happened
Calloway and Thompson showed why they shared SoCon Player of the Year honors this season with dynamic individual performances on Thursday. Calloway scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the first half while Thompson, who came one rebound shy of a career-high, put up eight points and 17 boards in 19 minutes played.
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Although the Bears were held without a field goal for the first three minutes and 19 seconds of the game, their defense kept them close early on. Mercer took control by holding Western Carolina (4-26) scoreless on 10 straight posessions and raced out to an 11-2 advantage. By halftime, the Bears led 27-10 and did not allow the Catamounts to pull within closer than 16 points.
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All 13 Bears saw action in the contest as Mercer primarily rested its starters in the second half. Mercer out-rebounded the Catamounts 49-33 throughout the game.
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Player of the Game
Senior forward Amanda Thompson pulled down 17 rebounds and scored eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in just 19 minutes of work on Thursday. It was the 17th time in the last 20 games that Thompson has tallied double-figure rebounds.
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Notables
» Calloway's 18 points came on 7-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. She also dished out three assists.
» Mercer handed out 13 assists while holding Western Carolina to just three.
» Shannon Titus added three blocked shots and two steals.
» LaKaitlin Wright grabbed seven rebounds.
» Nine different Bears scored at least two points in the contest.
» The Bears improved to 9-3 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer has never lost to Western Carolina, owning a 17-0 all-time record against the Catamounts.
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Coach's Corner
Opening statement:
"Our defense was really, really good in the first half as we held [Western Carolina] to just 10 points before halftime," said head coach Susie Gardner. "One of our goals was to be better on the glass and we out-rebounded them by 16, with Amanda grabbing 17 of our 49.
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"Our offense was a little off with 18 turnovers, which is atypical of us. Overall, I'm really pleased to get that win under our belts."
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On setting the tone defensively:
"Whenever you play a team three times in a season, it can get tricky to find ways to score. Knowing that, we focused on the intangibles of our team and our defense…we boxed out and controlled what we could control in this game. I thought it started with KeKe [Calloway] guarding their point guard and it factored into the rest of our plan of attack."
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Records Update
» #1 Mercer (23-7)
» #8 Western Carolina (4-26)
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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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Top-seeded Mercer (23-7) won its 15th straight game this season. The Bears will face the winner of No. 4 seed ETSU and No. 5 Wofford (played Thursday afternoon) in the semifinal round at 11 a.m. Friday.
Â
How It Happened
Calloway and Thompson showed why they shared SoCon Player of the Year honors this season with dynamic individual performances on Thursday. Calloway scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the first half while Thompson, who came one rebound shy of a career-high, put up eight points and 17 boards in 19 minutes played.
Â
Although the Bears were held without a field goal for the first three minutes and 19 seconds of the game, their defense kept them close early on. Mercer took control by holding Western Carolina (4-26) scoreless on 10 straight posessions and raced out to an 11-2 advantage. By halftime, the Bears led 27-10 and did not allow the Catamounts to pull within closer than 16 points.
Â
All 13 Bears saw action in the contest as Mercer primarily rested its starters in the second half. Mercer out-rebounded the Catamounts 49-33 throughout the game.
Â
Player of the Game
Senior forward Amanda Thompson pulled down 17 rebounds and scored eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in just 19 minutes of work on Thursday. It was the 17th time in the last 20 games that Thompson has tallied double-figure rebounds.
Â
Notables
» Calloway's 18 points came on 7-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. She also dished out three assists.
» Mercer handed out 13 assists while holding Western Carolina to just three.
» Shannon Titus added three blocked shots and two steals.
» LaKaitlin Wright grabbed seven rebounds.
» Nine different Bears scored at least two points in the contest.
» The Bears improved to 9-3 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer has never lost to Western Carolina, owning a 17-0 all-time record against the Catamounts.
Â
Coach's Corner
Opening statement:
"Our defense was really, really good in the first half as we held [Western Carolina] to just 10 points before halftime," said head coach Susie Gardner. "One of our goals was to be better on the glass and we out-rebounded them by 16, with Amanda grabbing 17 of our 49.
Â
"Our offense was a little off with 18 turnovers, which is atypical of us. Overall, I'm really pleased to get that win under our belts."
Â
On setting the tone defensively:
"Whenever you play a team three times in a season, it can get tricky to find ways to score. Knowing that, we focused on the intangibles of our team and our defense…we boxed out and controlled what we could control in this game. I thought it started with KeKe [Calloway] guarding their point guard and it factored into the rest of our plan of attack."
Â
Records Update
» #1 Mercer (23-7)
» #8 Western Carolina (4-26)
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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