Mercer University
15-16,8-6SoCon
East Tennessee State
18-12,7-7SoCon
Mercer Pulls Away From ETSU For 67-52 Win In SoCon Tournament
3/7/2024 8:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bears went on 18-2 run to close third quarter
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Summah Evans collected a game high 21 points and Mercer closed the third quarter on an 18-2 run to help lead the Bears past East Tennessee State, 67-52, in the SoCon Tournament quarterfinals at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C., on Thursday evening.
Evans added seven rebounds and four assists to her 21 point game to lead the Bears. Mackenzie Johnson was one rebound shy of a double-double as she had 16 points and nine rebounds and Deja Williams chipped in with 10 points, five assists and three steals.
With the game tied at 40 in the third quarter, Mercer would outscore ETSU 18-2 the rest of the quarter to open up its largest lead of the game at 58-42 heading to the fourth quarter to take control of the game.
Mercer took advantage of great ball movement in Thursday's game, piling up 18 assists on 29 made field goals. Williams' five assists paced the Bears.
The Mercer defense held ETSU shooters to only 38.6 percent from the field. The Buccaneers did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only seven offensive rebounds and scored two second chance points while Mercer pulled down 23 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
The first quarter was back-and-forth with both offenses scoring the ball well. After falling behind 17-15, Mercer went on a 6-0 run with 1:41 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Cianté Downs, to take a 21-17 lead. The Bears entered the quarter break with a 21-20 advantage. Mercer capitalized on four East Tennessee State turnovers in the period, turning them into six points on the other end of the floor.
In the second quarter, ETSU rallied to take a 26-23 lead before Mercer went on a 9-0 run starting at the 3:20 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Johnson, to take a 32-26 lead. Briana Peguero hit a three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer to give Mercer a 35-28 lead going into halftime. Mercer was strong from deep in the period, knocking down two three-point shots to account for six of its 14 points in the quarter.
ETSU had a strong opening few minutes to start the third quarter as they outscored Mercer 12-5 to tie the game at 40. Then, Mercer went on the biggest scoring run of the game - an 18-2 run - to really put some distance between themselves and the Mocs as they led 58-52 going to the fourth quarter. Mercer did a good job attacking the rim, scoring 12 of its 23 points in the paint in the quarter.
Mercer kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Evans' three, to grow the lead to 67-44 with more than seven minutes to go in the contest, before working the clock the rest of the game for the 67-52 win.
Game Notes
- The Bears held the Buccaneers to only 38.6 percent shooting from the field
- Mercer never trailed in the second half on its way to the win
- Mercer tallied 18 total assists in the game, tied for the second most in a game this season
- Mercer had a 37-30 edge on the boards in the win
- The Mercer defense forced 17 ETSU turnovers while committing just nine
- Deja Williams and Cianté Downs led the Bears with three steals each
Mercer advances to the SoCon Tournament semifinals where they will play top-seeded and regular season conference champion Chattanooga. The game will tip off on Friday at 11 a.m. ET.
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