Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - Mercer University’s women’s basketball team had the unenviable task of trying to overcome early foul troubles and a determined Kennesaw State University team. At the final buzzer, the mountain proved too much for the Bears to climb in a 52-51 loss at the KSU Convocation Center on Thursday evening.
“This was another game where we played hard but not smart,” said MU head coach
Janell Jones. “KSU was the aggressor for the entire 40 minutes and they got us out of sync.
“We just never seemed to get a break and that’s because of the way Kennesaw played. They got all the loose balls and all the bounces. They were a team hungry for a win and they just came out and got it.”
The Bears might well thank their lucky stars that they were down by just seven points at the intermission, 30-23, considering that the team’s two top scorers – seniors
Courtney Ford and
LaToya Jackson – were both held scoreless in the first 20 minutes. The duo were a combined 0-for-9 from the field in the initial half.
Ford had three first half fouls, limiting her floor time to nine minutes. Overall, Ford played just 18 minutes before fouling out. Jackson finished the game with four fouls.
Mercer led by three points, briefly, at 6-3 with 16:47 left in the opening stanza on a lay-up by
Neicey Lewis (8 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists). By the 4:35 mark, the Owls had built a nine-point advantage, 27-18, on a trey by Brandi Jones (who had 11 first half points for KSU) for its largest lead of the opening period.
Ford garnered her fourth personal foul early in the second half and was again relegated to the bench for an elongated time. However, the Bears got support from other quarters and mounted a comeback.
After Kennesaw had built a 10-point cushion in the second, 38-28, on a pair of Angie Smith (9 points) free throws at 13:40, it was the visitors turn to make a charge…even with their star on the bench. The push culminated when MU re-rook the lead for the first time since the opening moments when
Lindsey Lowrie drilled one from beyond the arc, placing the Bears on top, 47-45, with 6:22 left to play.
But Jones answered back with a three-ball of her own for KSU, as the Owls retook the lead for good, 48-47, at 5:59. Jones led all scorers with 19 points.
Mercer trailed 52-49 when Ford made a steal in the waning seconds and quickly flipped the ball up-court to Alex Phillips for the lay-up with 8.5 seconds remaining. With the score 52-51 in favor of Kennesaw, Mercer was forced to foul.
Ironically, the fact that Mercer had committed just two team fouls actually hurt them. MU needed to commit five fouls – which they did (including Ford’s fifth) over the next 4.1 seconds - just to force the Owls to try a free throw and give MU a chance for a rebound.
Eventually, Mercer forced Montinique Nixon (6 points, 5 rebounds) to head to the line for KSU. Nixon missed the front end of the one-and-one, with KSU fouling Lewis (who grabbed the rebound) to make the Bears inbound the ball with 2.2 seconds left.
Mercer got the ball inbounds, but could not get off a shot to seal its fate in the 52-51 setback.
Lowrie came off the Mercer bench to contribute 11 points on a 4-of-7 shooting night, joining Carter as the only other Bear in double figures.
Lacy Ramon shared high rebound honors for MU with nine caroms of her own.
Mercer was also the victim of its own miscues with an uncharacteristic 23 turnovers (13 of which were unforced).
The Bears out-shot the Owls from the floor by a 38.6 percent to 28.1 percent margin. MU also out-rebounded the Owls, 46-39.
Mercer will try to snap its two-game skid on Monday (Feb. 8) when it hosts USC Upstate at the University Center (5 p.m.).