Lawrence goes off as Mercer women knock off North Carolina with huge fourth quarter
The banners and history of North Carolina women’s basketball meant nothing to Mercer.
Winning did.
Only nine days after North Carolina gave head coach Sylvia Hatchell her 1,000th career win, the Tar Heels ran into a sizzling Mercer team and Kahlia Lawrence and fell 97-86 to the visiting Bears Thursday afternoon.
The fourth quarter was a stunner, with Mercer outscoring North Carolina 33-8, just after the Tar Heels took a 35-21 third quarter to seemingly gain control, leading 78-64 entering the fourth quarter.
That advantage grew by two before Mercer got rolling on two Lawrence free throws, the senior en route to a monster 39-point game, and 13 rebounds.
KeKe Callaway hit a 3 and Lawrence nailed two freebies in less than half a minute, and the margin fell to 82-71 with 7:49 left.
The Bears (12-2) were just starting, and went on a 13-2 run in less than three minutes, tying it at 84 on Lawrence’s 3-pointer with 3:31 left.
Callaway put the Bears on top with a bomb at the 2:57 mark, the Tar Heels (10-3) finally breaking their slump with a bucket with 1:31 left, and that only pulled them to within 89-86.
The Bears closed out the upset strong, Amanda Thompson getting a block on UNC’s next possession as Mercer outscored the hosts 8-0 in the final minute.
Callaway added 22 points, while Sydni Means had 16 assists togo with nine points, and Alex Williams had eight rebounds.
Paris Kea led UNC with 16 points, while Janelle Bailey had 19 and Jamie Cherry 14.
The Tar Heels outrebounded the Bears 48-41, but Mercer was 10 for 24 on 3s, led by Lawrence’s 6-for-9 effort, to 3 for 10 for UNC.
Mercer also had a dominating 22-5 assist-to-turnover ratio to 14-17 for North Carolina.
It was the first meeting of the teams since 1985, a 121-61 win by UNC at the Sunshine Classic in Lake Mary, Florida.
Mercer won its ninth straight in ending UNC’s eight-game winning streak.