Mercer women win fourth straight game

Mercer leading scorer Kahlia Lawrence didn't have her typical offensive performance Saturday, and the Bears' offense, as a whole, had its struggles.

But Mercer still cruised past UNC Greensboro for an 81-47 win at Hawkins Arena in Southern Conference play.

The Bears shot just 28-of-71 from the floor (39.4 percent) and had 17 turnovers, while Lawrence, who was averaging more than 18 points per game entering the contest, finished with 11. Still, the Bears took control early, leading 24-12 at the end of the first quarter, and they cruised from there, leading by as many as 39.

Mercer improves to 18-6 overall and 8-1 in conference play, while UNC Greensboro drops to 8-16 and 0-9.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Linnea Rosendal: The freshman led the Bears 18 points and hit four 3-pointers.

Rachel Selph: The freshman from Dodge County had 12 points, hitting 4-of-7 shots from the floor and all four of her free throws.

Lawrence: The sophomore shot only 4-of-13 from the floor, but she had an all-around strong game with 11 rebounds.

OBSERVATIONS

Dominant on the glass: Mercer controlled the glass throughout the game and finished with a 56-38 rebound advantage, led by Amanda Thompson with 13.

Strong at the line: Mercer hit 18-of-23 from the free-throw line while UNC Greensboro made just 10-of-24.

Suffocating defense: For the second straight home game, Mercer's defense was dominant, holding UNC Greensboro to 16-of-64 shooting (25 percent) and forcing 19 turnovers.

More numbers: Mercer led 30-14 in points in the paint, 25-9 in points off turnovers, 22-5 in second-chance points and 29-10 in bench points.

WORTH MENTIONING

Back on a roll: Mercer has won four straight games since its loss to East Tennessee State, and it has won 12 of 13 overall.

THEY SAID IT

Rosendal on her shooting touch: "Always if you're a shooter, your teammates are going to try to get you open, and I got a lot of open shots in the beginning, and I got a feel of the basket, and later it kept going."

Mercer head coach Susie Gardner on UNC Greensboro's focus on Lawrence: "They really kept the ball out of Kahlia's hands (Saturday), and we showed we have other players who can score."

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Bears host Samford on Saturday in a matchup of Southern Conference leaders.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Mercer women win fourth straight game ."