Strong rebounding effort lifts Mercer past Jacksonville State

A little grit can sometimes go a long way.

Mercer didn't shoot well (31.7 percent) and suffered 13 turnovers, but made up for it with lots of hustle Monday night for a 46-39 victory over Jacksonville State at Hawkins Arena. The Bears (7-5) scored the final six points of the game to pull away for the non-conference victory.

The effort showed particularly on the boards, where Mercer held a 48-37 advantage. Mercer's rebounding was critical in the game's final two minutes, 45 seconds to create the extra possessions that enabled it to turn back the Gamecocks (5-7), who were within 40-39 with 2:21 left in the game.

That was a stark contrast to Saturday when visiting Southern Illinois collected 23 offensive rebounds on the way to a 43-30 advantage in a 55-52 win. Mercer also showed some moxie on defense, limiting the Gamecocks to 22.6 percent shooting while forcing a dozen turnovers -- half of them off steals.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Linnea Rosendal: The Mercer freshman from Sweden scored 14 points, at one point collecting 10 straight after helping the Bears take the lead for good early in the second half.

Kahlia Lawrence: Mercer's sophomore guard tied Rosendal with a game-high 14 points, pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and scored five of Mercer's final seven points to help seal the victory.

Chloe Long: The Gamecocks' post player had 10 points, including a 4-for-4 effort at the foul line along with five rebounds.

TURNING POINT

Mercer's hustle on the offensive end after the Gamecocks had drawn within 40-39 on a 3-pointer by Briana Benson was key. The Bears scored the game's final six points with the help of five offensive rebounds that led to points.

Lawrence had two of the rebounds while Alex Williams, Keke Calloway and Amanda Thompson had one each.

OBSERVATIONS

Big spark: Rosendal helped the Bears take the lead for good by starting and ending a 11-2 run to start the second half that turned a 22-19 deficit into a 30-24 lead. The 6-foot-1 wing was 6-for-9 from the floor in the second half after hitting her lone shot in the first half.

WORTH MENTIONING

Misses in bunches: Jacksonville State missed eight straight shots from the floor early and nine in a row during a period that spanned late in the first quarter into the final 75 seconds of the half.

The Gamecocks also missed another eight straight early in the second half when the Bears rolled into the lead for good.

Chilly beginnings: Both teams took 29 shots in the first half with Mercer connecting on nine (31 percent) and JSU seven (24.1 percent). The Gamecocks were able to take the 3-point lead at intermission on a pair of 3-pointers among its seven buckets.

Looking long: Jacksonville State took a dozen 3-point attempts in the first half. By contrast, Mercer took only one shot from beyond the arc in the first half. JSU finished 4-for-22 on 3-pointers while Mercer was 1-for-11.

THEY SAID IT

Mercer head coach Susie Gardner: "It was not a pretty game to watch, but they only scored 39 points. I'm proud of our effort and our fight."

Rosendal: "I got an open shot to start (second half) and it made me feel like I could get them all in. I got some really good screens that helped me get open."

Lawrence: "Personally, I didn't play well and collectively we didn't play our best, but we had it in us to show some heart and hustle and we were able to to come up with the W."

Lawrence on closing minutes: "In one of the last timeouts, Coach told us to stay in the moment and do we have it in us (to win). We hustled getting on the offensive boards and made sure we did everything we could to win."

Gardner on the impact of Saturday's loss: "Normally, when we only have one day to prepare for an opponent, we kind of walk through drills and take it easy. But we went out there and worked to make each other tougher. We were diving on the floor and going to be tougher on the boards and I thought we showed that (Monday)."

Gardner on Lawrence's second-half resurgence: "I was kind of mad at her in the first half. I said, 'Listen, you've to get on the offensive glass.' All of a sudden, she has six offensive rebounds (four in the second half). She can be a great offensive rebounder when she puts her mind to it."

UP NEXT

Jacksonville State vs. SIU-Edwardsville, 1 p.m. Dec. 31; Mercer vs. College of Charleston, 7 p.m. Dec. 30.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 10:10 PM with the headline "Strong rebounding effort lifts Mercer past Jacksonville State ."