Final Four Bound: The 1984-85 Bears
11/16/2020 5:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The 1984-85 Bears earned Mercer’s lone trip to the Final Four
MACON, Ga. – As part of its 50 Years of Mercer Basketball celebration, the women's basketball team is recognizing some of the all-time great teams to ever don the Orange and Black.
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Throughout the 2020-21 season, Mercer women's basketball is going to highlight a different decade each month from October to February for their accomplishments and the impact they made on the program.
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The Bears reestablished their prominence on a national level during the 1984-85 season as they reached the Final Four for the first time in program history. Mercer produced a 24-7 record during that season, tying for the fifth-most wins in a single campaign. Additionally, it was one of only four seasons in the program's 50-year history in which the Bears didn't lose consecutive games.
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Mercer started the season a measly 10-6, but after a trip to Birmingham, Ala. for the UAB Diet Coke Classic, the Bears rattled off 14 consecutive wins. The Orange and Black kicked off postseason play with a thrilling 90-86 overtime victory at North Alabama to win the NCAA South Region title before heading to Hamden, Conn., to square off against Quinnipiac. The Bears pulled off an 86-76 victory over the Bobcats and earned the program's first and only berth to the Final Four. Mercer fought tooth-and-nail against Central Missouri in the national semifinal matchup, but fell short, 82-79.
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Laura Shamp and Sandra Andrews became one of the best rebounding tandems in Mercer history as Shamp's 359 boards is the third-most in a single season and Andrews' 338 rebounds are tied for eighth-most. Scoring was not an issue for the Bears in 1984-85 either as they posted six games with at least 100 points.
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1984-85 Roster
#3 Laura Shamp
#5 Caroline Nicholson
#11 Susan Bargo
#12 Sandra Andrews
#13 Anita Meadows
#15 Ronda Barnhill
#22 Rose Jones
#34 Jeanette Balsam
#40 Cheryl Jones
#52 Tina Kendrick
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Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Throughout the 2020-21 season, Mercer women's basketball is going to highlight a different decade each month from October to February for their accomplishments and the impact they made on the program.
Â
The Bears reestablished their prominence on a national level during the 1984-85 season as they reached the Final Four for the first time in program history. Mercer produced a 24-7 record during that season, tying for the fifth-most wins in a single campaign. Additionally, it was one of only four seasons in the program's 50-year history in which the Bears didn't lose consecutive games.
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Mercer started the season a measly 10-6, but after a trip to Birmingham, Ala. for the UAB Diet Coke Classic, the Bears rattled off 14 consecutive wins. The Orange and Black kicked off postseason play with a thrilling 90-86 overtime victory at North Alabama to win the NCAA South Region title before heading to Hamden, Conn., to square off against Quinnipiac. The Bears pulled off an 86-76 victory over the Bobcats and earned the program's first and only berth to the Final Four. Mercer fought tooth-and-nail against Central Missouri in the national semifinal matchup, but fell short, 82-79.
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Laura Shamp and Sandra Andrews became one of the best rebounding tandems in Mercer history as Shamp's 359 boards is the third-most in a single season and Andrews' 338 rebounds are tied for eighth-most. Scoring was not an issue for the Bears in 1984-85 either as they posted six games with at least 100 points.
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1984-85 Roster
#3 Laura Shamp
#5 Caroline Nicholson
#11 Susan Bargo
#12 Sandra Andrews
#13 Anita Meadows
#15 Ronda Barnhill
#22 Rose Jones
#34 Jeanette Balsam
#40 Cheryl Jones
#52 Tina Kendrick
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Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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