Lawrence leads Mercer women to road win

Kahlia Lawrence scored 26 points to lead Mercer to a 61-50 win Saturday over Furman to remain in first place in Southern Conference women's basketball.

Linnea Rosendal added 16 points for Mercer. Cierra Carter led Furman with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Furman opened the game with a 9-0 run, stifling Mercer's offense for the first 3:58 of the quarter. Furman finished the quarter with a 10-4 run for a 19-8 lead.

Mercer turned the tables, opening the second quarter with a 7-0 spurt that cut the Paladins' lead to 19-15. Mercer followed with an 11-0 run for 26-24 halftime lead.

The Paladins hit the first basket of the second half, but the Bears went on a 13-0 run that lasted 3:05 and put Mercer up 39-26.

Sydni Means notched a career-high seven steals, which is also an individual season high for the Bears.

Mercer improved to 16-6 overall and 6-1 in conference play, while Furman fell to 11-11 and 4-3.

The Bears host Western Carolina at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Lawrence leads Mercer women to road win ."