Mercer 54, Kennesaw State 44
KENNESAW, Ga. – Precious Bridges scored 17 points to lead the Mercer women’s basketball team to a 54-44 victory over in-state rival Kennesaw State on Tuesday night at Convocation Center.
Briana Williams also notched double-figures with 16 points, while Teanna Robinson tallied her fifth double-digit rebounding game of the season with 13 boards. Briana Williams also had a career-high three blocks and added four rebounds and two assists on the night, while Robinson recorded eight points, two blocks and a steal.
Alicia Williams contributed seven points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals, and Kahlia Lawrence had six points, four rebounds and two steals.
Mercer (8-8) and Kennesaw State (11-4) traded baskets for the first 6:15 of the second stanza, working the score to 33-28. A trey from Kelly Dulkoski sparked an 11-5 run for the Golden Owls that pulled them within one, 40-39, with 6:41 left in the game.
A pair of layups from Robinson and Briana Williams halted Kennesaw State’s momentum and put Mercer back up, 44-39, with 4:57 remaining. A couple of baskets from each team, including two three-pointers from Briana Williams, moved the score to 50-44 with 1:14 on the clock.
Bridges connected on all four trips to the charity stripe in the final 27 seconds of the game to increase Mercer’s lead to 54-44.
Overall, Mercer shot 31.8 percent from the field and hit 76.9 percent of its free throws, while Kennesaw State recorded a 35.8 field goal percentage and only hit one of its two free throw attempts. The Bears outrebounded the Golden Owls, 47-33, and won the turnover battle, 8-12.
The Bears jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first minute of play with baskets from Briana Williams and Bridges. Mercer continued to stay out front, but Kennesaw State threatened when it cut the lead to 9-8 with 16:16 left in the half.
Mercer answered with an 8-0 run that lasted 2:31 and stretched its advantage to 17-8. The Bears eventually worked their way to a 25-14 lead with 4:43 left in the period. Kennesaw State outscored Mercer 8-2 in the final 4:17 of the half to bring the score to 27-22 before intermission.
Kennesaw State outshot Mercer in the first half, recording a 35.7 field goal percentage compared to the Bears’ 34.4 percent. Each team pulled down 20 rebounds, but Mercer blocked six shots compared to Kennesaw State’s one.
Mercer will begin its first season of Southern Conference play on Saturday, January 10 at Western Carolina. The Bears will go on to face UNCG on January 12 before returning to Hawkins Arena.
Wofford 69, NC Central 55
DURHAM, N.C. – The Wofford College women’s basketball team earned their first win of 2015 at the end of their out-of-conference slate, topping NC Central, 69-55, in the McDougland-McLendon Gym on Tuesday evening.
Wofford (4-10), despite being short-staffed, recovered from an early deficit to earn the eventual 14-point win. Sophomore guard Kentra Washington led the Terriers’ scoring efforts, dropping a career-high 20 points (6-14 FG, 6-8 FT) and answering the call throughout the game. Washington also did work on the boards, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.
Two other Terriers had double-digit scoring performances, each stepping up when needed. In the first half, Junior guard Chanel Stokes scored 10 of her 17 total points (7-13 FG, 3-6 FT). In the second, fellow classmate Ashton Fleming scored nine of her 11 points (4-13 FG, 2-2 FT).
The Terriers shot 44.8 percent on the night, knocking down 26 of their 58 attempts. The team was outrebounded by NC Central (2-12), but Wofford capitalized more on their offensive boards, scoring 16 to NCCU’s eight. Wofford also scored eight fast break points to NCCU’s four.
For the Eagles, Raquel Davis scored a team-high 16 points, going 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Tisha Dixon and Khyra Conerly added 11 and 10 points respectively. Dixon also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
The game began with NC Central looking in control. The Eagles led by as many as seven with 9:25 remaining in the first half. Washington kept the team in it, rallying with a three to bring the Terriers back within four. Wofford took the lead definitively with 4:25 left in the first, when a layup by Stokes gave the team a one point lead. From that point forward, Wofford went on a 6-0 run to close out the half, with sophomore forward Grayson Pinholster knocking down the last jumper for two of her career-best eight points. Wofford led 29-22 headed into the break.
The Eagles came out of the second half scoring five straight. The Terriers bounced back, however, breaking open a 7-0 run. From there the two sides traded buckets back and forth, but Wofford clawed ahead and fought off NCCU to earn their fourth win of the season.
The Terriers will break until Saturday, where they will return to the confines of the Benjamin Johnson Arena when they take on preseason favorite Chattanooga at 2 p.m. to open up Southern Conference play.