University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Mercer
Bulldogs Hold Off Mercer, 76-75
12.21.2011 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Shonese Jones scored 20 points and the go-ahead basket as UNC Asheville escaped with a 76-75 victory over Mercer Wednesday afternoon at Kimmel Arena.
The Bulldogs (3-7) had a six-game losing streak snapped with the victory but had to dodge two misses by the Bears in the finals seconds.
Freshman Brittany Gwyn added 17 points for Asheville, while Kelli Riles chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds.
Mercer (3-8) was led by Briana Williams with 23 points, while Alicia Williams pumped in 21 points. Ry'van Buchanan added 12 points. Alicia Williams grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three rebounds and had four assists.
Asheville led 71-59 with six minutes left only to see Mercer storm back and grab a 75-74 lead when Briana Williams knocked down a long trey with 2:21 left.
The Bears missed on their next possession and Jones pulled down the rebound. She went coast-to-coast and scored on a lay-up with 1:15 left to give Asheville a 76-75 lead.
Jones bucket set up a frantic final minute of play. Mercer missed two shots on the next possession as freshman Leah Womack blocked a shot in the lane. Lindsey Thompson came down with the rebound and was fouled with 21 seconds left.
She missed both shots and Mercer came down with the rebound with a chance to win. Precious Bridges missed a seven-footer in the lane with five seconds left. The rebound came out to Sharmesia Smith. Smith's lay-up spun out as time expired giving Asheville the dramatic victory.
"We found a way to win, and I'm proud of our team for doing that today," stated Asheville head coach Betsy Blose. "Everyone who played made a contribution to this victory. We really did a great job building the lead but didn't finish the way we would have liked to. However, this time we were able to make a play or down the stretch."
The Bulldogs stormed to the lead with a late burst in the first half. Mercer led 34-27 with six minutes left as Briana Williams tallied 15 points in the first 14 minutes of the game. Asheville rallied behind Thompson. The senior guard scored nine straight, seven on free throws, to give the Bulldogs a 39-36 lead. A trey from Gwyn pushed the margin to 42-36 before two free throws from Blaylock pushed the advantage to 44-36. Asheville's run was 17-2.
Alicia Williams knocked down a trey to cut the lead to 44-39 at intermission. The Bulldogs shot a season-high .565 (13-of-23) from the field in the opening half. Asheville also controlled the boards with an 18-11 edge. The Bulldogs were a perfect 16-of-16 from the free throw line.
UNC Asheville will be off for a week as the Bulldogs next game will be at Kimmel Arena on Dec. 28 against Brevard starting at 7 p.m.
