Mercer 73, Tennessee Tech 67
MACON, Ga. – Precious Bridges scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Mercer women’s basketball team to a 73-67 victory over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night at Hawkins Arena. Kahlia Lawrence also tallied a career-high 19 points and Briana Williams added a season-high 13 points to round out the double-figure scoring for the Bears.
Bridges also led Mercer (3-1) with 10 rebounds to notch her first double-double of the season and the second of her career. The senior guard was buoyed by her career-high 12 free throws off a career-high-tying 14 attempts.
The Bears started strong, surging to a 10-4 lead just 5:02 into the game. A 5-2 spurt from Tennessee Tech (1-3) moved the score to 12-9 less than a minute later, but Mercer answered with a 6-2 run of its own to stretch its lead to 18-11 with 11:16 left in the first half.
The Golden Eagles used the next 10 minutes to work their way to a 39-27 lead, after outscoring the Bears, 28-9. Mercer used a 6-0 run in the final 1:11 of the half to cut Tennessee Tech’s lead to 39-33 before entering the locker room. Brittnee Broadway scored five of the six points in Mercer’s run.
Mercer shot a blistering 48.0 percent from the field in the first half and connected on 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Tennessee Tech recorded a 45.7 field goal percentage in the first half, aided by its 40.0 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
The Bears started the second stanza just as dominant as they had the first, using a 13-3 run to retake the lead, 46-42 with 14:45 left in the game. A 6-0 spurt from the Golden Eagles put them back up 48-46, but Bridges used a jumper at 11:44 to stop TTU from gaining any more of an advantage. A fastbreak layup from Alex Williams with 11:19 on the clock gave Mercer a 50-48 lead, one that it would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Tennessee Tech threatened to knot the score a couple of times in the final 10 minutes, but Mercer continued to score, keeping the Golden Eagles at bay. Bridges connected on 9-of-10 trips to the charity stripe in the final 1:56 of the game to put it away for the Bears.
On the night, Mercer shot 44.1 percent from the field and tallied 40 rebounds, while Tennessee Tech notched a 43.5 field goal percentage and 33 rebounds. Mercer won the turnover battle, 12-13, and also added three blocks and six steals.
Next up, Mercer will hit the road for a two-game trip that includes stops at Saint Louis University and Southern Illinois; Mercer will face Saint Louis on Friday, Nov. 28th at 2 p.m. The Bears will return to Hawkins Arena on Thursday, Dec. 4, to face the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at 7 p.m.
Jacksonville State 70, Wofford 55
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Wofford College women’s basketball team battled late into the contest until Jacksonville State broke open a run to earn a 70-55 win over the Terriers in Pete Matthews Coliseum on Tuesday night.
Jacksonville State (3-1) broke open a 13-0 run with 6:40 remaining in the second half to down the Terriers. Candace Morton, who netted five of her team second-best 14, led the charge. Morton drained a shot from downtown and put up a layup before assisting teammate Brianna Benson on another three, creating an insurmountable lead.
Wofford (1-3) showed fight throughout, leading by as much as five early on in the contest. The team was led by junior Jordan Frazier, who scored a team-high 18 points off the bench. Frazier played incredibly in the first half, sinking 11 of her 18 points – going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and sinking a pair of free throws to help keep the team within three headed into the locker room.
Kentra Washington was the only other Terrier to net double-digit points. Washington scored 12, going 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-6 from deep range. Sophomore Maria Corella (3-7 FG, 2-5 3-PT) dropped eight points for the Terriers, while senior Lauren Kirby (3-5 FG, 1-1 3-PT) and junior Chanel Stokes (2-5 FG, 3-5 FT) added seven each. Wofford shot 39 percent from the field and a season-best 39.1 percent from 3-point range, but couldn’t keep up with Jacksonville State’s red-hot offense.
Ashton Fleming led the Terriers in rebounds for the fourth straight game, grabbing seven boards in the contest.
Jacksonville State’s preseason all-conference selections Destany McLin and Candace Morton showed why, dropping 10 and 14 points respectively on the Terriers. Brianna Benson had a coming out party of sorts, scoring a season-high 17. The sophomore shot 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while capitalizing from the free throw line, shooting 5-of-6.
The Gamecocks were lights out offensively in the second half, scoring 44 points on just under 61 percent shooting from the field.
Jacksonville proved too much on the boards, out rebounding Wofford 34-28. The Terriers struggled to maintain possession as well, turning the ball over 27 times, resulting in 36 of Jacksonville State’s points.
The Terriers began the game with a bang, as Washington pulled up and sunk a 3-pointer to open scoring at the 19:34 mark. Both sides traded buckets, with the Terriers taking a 8-6 lead into the first media timeout. Frazier hit another three the play afterward to give Wofford a five-point lead. Jacksonville State pulled back in once again, when a pair of Ashton Fleming free throws would put Wofford ahead, 13-11, with just over 13 minutes left in the first half. Jacksonville State then made a seven-point swing over the next six minutes, pulling ahead 18-13.
Kirby put a stop to the run with jumpers on consecutive drives to draw the game closer, before a Frazier three sent the sides into the locker rooms with little to separate the two sides – Jacksonville State leading 26-23.
Both teams came out of the locker room feeling their shots, but the Gamecocks had more opportunities and converted more frequently on them. The game was within five points before the 13-0 run to put the game out of reach.
The women’s basketball team heads back to Spartanburg for the Thanksgiving holiday before hosting Big South opponent Gardner-Webb on Saturday. The Terriers and Runnin’ Bulldogs tip at 2 p.m. in the Benjamin Johnson Arena.