Mercer Defeats Florida Atlantic 70-62 In Home Opener

Thursday, November 9

Macon, Ga.

7:30 p.m.

Mercer University

1-1,0-0SoCon

Florida Atlantic

0-1,0-0AAC

Fla. Atlantic

Mercer

Mercer Defeats Florida Atlantic 70-62 In Home Opener

11/9/2023 10:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Press Conference Photo Gallery

Mercer outscored FAU 25-12 in third quarter

MACON, Ga. - Stacie Jones recorded her second double-double in as many games and Mercer outscored Florida Atlantic 25-12 in the third quarter to defeat the Owls in Mercer's home opener, 70-62 Thursday night in Hawkins Arena.

The Bears trailed 35-32 at halftime, but used a big third quarter, outscoring the Owls 25-12 to take a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Bears did a much better job of limiting their turnovers after having 26 turnovers in the season opener at Western Kentucky, the Bears committed just 10 on the night.

Carrying over from the season opener for Mercer was it's excellent performance on the glass, as it outrebounded the Owls 47-38, including 21 offensive rebounds.

Jones led the Bears with 20 points and 13 rebounds and did it on an efficient night from the floor as she was 8-for-12 (75%) from the field. Florida Atlantic's Aniya Hubbard led all scorers with 28 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team led by more than four in a tightly contested first quarter. A made three-pointer from Briana Peguero gave the Bears a 10-9 lead with midway through the first quarter. Florida Atlantic took a 16-12 lead before the Bears closed the first quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 20-18 lead into the second quarter.

Both teams got out to a slow start to begin the second quarter as each team made just one field goal in the opening six minutes of the second quarter. The Owls went on a 7-0 run to take a 28-22 lead. Deja Williams knocked down a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give the Bears some momentum heading into halftime trailing 35-32.

The third quarter was an excellent one for the Bears. Trailing 45-40, Mercer would close out the quarter on a 17-2 run, jump-started by back-to-back threes from Enjulina Gonzalez which quickly gave Mercer a 46-45 lead. The scoring run gave Mercer a 10-point lead at 57-47 with 10 minutes to play.

A 6-0 run by the Owls brought them within three points at 60-57 with just over five minutes to play. The score remained tight the rest of the way and Jones made a clutch turn around shot in the paint with 1:05 to play which gave Mercer a two possession lead at 66-62. Mercer's defense came up with crucial stops down the stretch and the Bears held on for a 70-62 win.

NOTES

Stacie Jones is off to a great start to her Mercer career as the Kennesaw State transfer has recorded back-to-back double-doubles and led Mercer in scoring and rebounds in each game
Each team left points at the foul line as Mercer was 15-of-22 (68%) and Florida Atlantic was 15-of-27 (56%)
Mercer's 21 offensive rebounds on the night would have been tied for the most in a game for them last season.

COACH GARDNER QUOTES

Opening Statement:
"It was a great turnaround from our Western Kentucky game. The biggest thing that stands out is obviously our turnovers. We only had 10 tonight versus 26 up there, but I was really proud of our guys with the way they fought at the end."

On Rebounding Advantage:
"When you have Stacie Jones, and Mackenzie Johnson, and Ashlee Locke you got good size inside and Stacie just does things that I don't teach her. I wish I could take credit for her athleticism and her hops and she's also averaging a double-double right now, but she also drew a lot of fouls going to the glass. We are not accustomed to winning the rebounding battle, so this is new to me but I'm very very happy about it."

STACIE JONES QUOTES

On mentality going into the game:
"This game we were focused on limiting our turnovers and staying on the boards and just playing hard and finishing. We had 10 turnovers and our goal was less than 16."

On the halftime message:
"It was y'all are playing hard, but we have a whole another half to play. We have to break away from them and keep pushing, stay on the boards. We were trying to limit two's [Aniya Hubbard] scoring because she was their best player and just stay on the boards.

On her first win in Hawkins Arena:
"It felt good. It felt real good. I was happy. I was very excited. It was really surreal because I just remember watching Mercer play when I was in high school so it's like I'm actually playing on this court now!"

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