Thursday, March 09, 2006

DOTHAN, Ala. – Sixth-seeded Mercer clamped down on No. 3 ETSU defensively over the game’s final 16 minutes to pull out a 59-56 overtime victory at the Dothan Civic Center.

Mercer picks up the first upset of the championship to advance to tomorrow’s semifinal against second-seeded Florida Atlantic.

The Bears (14-14) trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before short-circuiting the Buccaneers defense to get back in the game. Brooke Wilhoit’s three-pointer with 11:06 remaining in the game gave ETSU a 45-36 advantage. However, Mercer closed the half on a 16-6 run capped by Erin Keller’s jump shot with just 26 seconds left to force overtime. B.J. Banjo’s jumper at the buzzer came up short for the Buccaneers.

In the overtime session, ETSU went 0-for-5 from the floor and managed just five points, all on free throws. Mercer took the lead for good on a pair of Sally Skeldon free throws with just under two minutes remaining. After rebounding a missed three-pointer from Holly Moring for ETSU, Zsaquez Flucker buried two more foul shots to give the Bears a three-point lead with just 3.8 seconds remaining. Mercer intercepted the in-bounds pass to secure the upset.

Erin Keller finished with 15 points and three steals to pace Mercer as Sarah Russell scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds despite missing the final six minutes after suffering an apparent leg injury near the end of regulation. Tanya Kessenich just missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds. First team All-Atlantic Sun choice B.J. Banjo of ETSU led all scorers with 20 points. Candace Gibson grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and Brooke Wilhoit ended with 13 points.

The Bears and Owls tip-off at 8:15 pm in the finale of tomorrow’s semifinal doubleheader.

General Notes
• Mercer’s win was the first upset of the 2006 Atlantic Sun Championship.
• East Tennessee State is making its first tournament appearance in its first year in the Atlantic Sun Conference, while Mercer improved to 7-19 in the tournament all-time.
• The #3 seed is 20-19 and the #6 seed is 11-18 in the tournament all-time.
• Tonight’s game was only the second overtime game in Atlantic Sun Championship history (Last-#1 UCF 65, #8 Mercer 59 - 2005).
• Mercer snapped a three game losing streak in Atlantic Sun tournament play with their win tonight.
• The last time a #6 seed won was when Mercer defeated Belmont 69-65 in 2002.

ETSU Notes
• B.J. Banjo, a first team All-Conference selection, scored 20 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals in 42 minutes of action.
• ETSU shot 50% from 3-point range and 21.2% from 2-point range.
• ETSU’s last field goal of the game was scored with 3:59 remaining in regulation. The team also had just two field goals total in their final 16 minutes of play.

Mercer Notes

• Mercer has played in both overtime games in Atlantic Sun Championship history, evening their record to 1-1 with tonight’s win.
• Mercer jumped out to a 9-3 lead to start the game, hitting 4-6 from the field.
• Sally Skeldon earned a technical foul with 13:05 remaining in the second half with ETSU leading 38-29.
• Leading scorer Sarah Russell left the game with an apparent leg injury with 1:00 remaining in regulation and Mercer trailing 51-49.