MACON, Ga. – Precious Bridges scored 20 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers, but it was not enough as the Mercer women's basketball team fell, 76-56, to Kennesaw State on Tuesday night at Hawkins Arena.
Bridges tallied her seventh 20-point game of the season, Alicia Williams added her third double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Kahlia Lawrence notched her ninth double-figure game with 10 points.
Bridges added a season-high six assists, while Lawrence and Madi Mitchell pulled down five rebounds apiece. Briana Williams recorded six points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Mercer moved to 6-4 on the season, while Kennesaw State improved to 8-2. The Owls had four players score in double figures, led by Deandrea Sawyers and Kristina Wells with 19 points each.
Kennesaw State opened the second stanza with a 10-4 run that increased its advantage to 44-35 with 17:18 left in the game. The Bears cut the lead to five a couple of times, before the Owls used a 9-0 spurt to pull ahead 56-42 with 9:36 to play.
With 7:04 on the clock, Bridges made a jump shot that sparked an 8-0 run that lasted 2:04 and pulled Mercer within eight, 60-52. All eight points were scored by Bridges. Kennesaw State halted Mercer's momentum with a three-pointer from Sawyers at 4:44. The Owls outscored the Bears 16-4 in the final five minutes to work their way to a final score of 76-56.
Overall, the Bears shot 30.9 percent from the field, while the Owls tallied a 53.1 shooting percentage, including a 46.2 percent mark from behind the three-point line. Kennesaw State outrebounded Mercer, 42-32, but the Bears won the turnover battle, 4-14; setting a team-low for the season in turnovers.
Mercer took a quick 7-0 lead, keeping Kennesaw State scoreless for the first four minutes. The Owls used a layup at 15:54 to spark a 9-2 run and tie the game, 9-9, with 12:41 to play in the first half.
After trading baskets for the next 8:10, KSU used a 6-0 spurt to pull ahead, 27-21. The six-point advantage was Kennesaw State's largest of the first period. The Bears outscored the Owls 10-7 in the final 2:51 to cut KSU's lead to 34-31 before intermission.
Mercer shot 40.0 percent in the first half and connected on all six of its trips to the charity stripe, while Kennesaw State recorded a 50.0 percent shooting percentage and outrebounded Mercer, 17-14.
Next up, Mercer will play Belmont on Friday, Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. at Hawkins Arena. The game will be the second double-header of the week for the Bears.