Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Mercer (Quarterfinals)
Mercer Slips Past @HerdWBB, 73-71
3/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MACON, Ga. -- Mercer's Precious Bridges scored 35 points and never came off the floor as the fourth-seeded Bears overcame a seven-point deficit in the game's final three minutes to down eighth-seeded Marshall 73-71 at Hawkins Arena in the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational.
Mercer (20-14) will travel to third-seeded Siena for a Wednesday evening game, scheduled for 7 p.m. The Saints knocked off second-seeded Xavier 69-49 Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.
Marshall, who led for nearly 36 minutes Sunday, finishes its season at 17-15, tying the single-season mark for wins since entering Conference USA for the 2005-06 campaign.
Mercer's Kahlia Lawrence netted 17 points and three steals and 6'5 center Teanna Robinson overcame foul trouble to post 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Marshall's Leah Scott tied the career-high 26 points she set in Thursday's 81-79 first-round win over top-seeded Northern Kentucky and also played all 40 minutes. Aja Sorrells was also hit with some foul trouble but played well. In 32 minutes, she made five of six field goal attempts en route to 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. McKenzie Akers had 11 points and three more 3-pointers, placing her 10th in the school's all-time records for 3-pointers made with 87.
Chukwuka Ezeigbo narrowly missed a double-double in her final game, tallying eight points and nine rebounds.
The Herd jumped out quick once again, building an 11-point lead (18-7) on a pair of Scott free throws just over six minutes into the game. Mercer slowly chipped away at that margin and took a brief lead on a Bridges 3-pointer, Mercer's only long-range make of the game, to go up 23-21 with 7:36 left in the first half. Marshall nosed back in front on a Scott jumper at the 3:51 mark and an AJ Johnson layup before the halftime buzzer gave the Thundering Herd a 39-34 bulge at intermission.
Marshall clung to the lead as the game reached its climax, and an Akers 3-pointer from the top of the key gave Marshall a 70-63 lead with three minutes to play. At that point, though, the Bears clawed their way back. Bridges hit two free throws and Alicia Williams nailed a jumper, followed by a Robinson free throw to pull Mercer within 70-68 with 1:46 left.
Scott split a pair of free throws and Bridges returned the favor on the ensuing possessions. After a Marshall turnover, Bridges got to the free throw line again and made both charity tosses to tie the game at 71-all.
After a Marshall timeout, Scott had two layups rim out, and Ezeigbo had a putback do the same. Her miss was rebounded by Alex Williams who pushed the ball to Bridges. She missed a jumper but it was rebounded by Robinson, who was fouled by Ezeigbo. Robinson then made one of two free throws, but Marshall lost the rebound out of bounds. After a Marshall foul, Briana Williams made a free throw with 0.6 seconds left for the final margin as the Thundering Herd could not get off a desperation shot as time expired.
Marshall made 57.1 percent (12-for-21) of its free throws and gave up a 26-11 margin on the offensive glass. Those two factors offset a 36-18 edge that Marshall enjoyed on points in the paint. The Bears also boasted a 20-9 advantage on points off turnovers and 18-8 in second chance points.
The Herd finished above 50 percent shooting for the game (51.9%, 27-52), while Mercer made just 35.7% (25-70), including a 1-10 clip from 3-point range.
