GAME DETAILS
Saint Louis 68, Mercer 60
Sunday, November 22, 2015 | 1 p.m. (CT)
Hawkins Arena | Macon, Georgia
THE BASICS
Sadie Stipanovich scored 20 points, Jackie Kemph scored all 16 of her points in the second half, and Saint Louis exploded for 32 fourth-quarter points in a 68-60 victory over Mercer Sunday afternoon at Hawkins Arena.
The Billikens (3-0), who shot 52 percent in the second half, overcame a seven-point deficit early in the third quarter and trailed by five points at the end of three. SLU tied it at 45 and again at 47 before taking the lead for good, 49-47, on two Stipanovich free throws.
HOW IT HAPPENED
--Jenny Vliet buried a pair of 3-pointers for the Billikens in the first quarter, which ended in a 12-12 tie.
--The second quarter featured six lead changes. The front-line tandem of Sadie Stipanovich (five) and Maddison Gits (four) combined for all the Saint Louis scoring, and the Billikens trailed 24-21 at intermission.
--Mercer stretched the lead to 28-21 with 7:51 to play in the third quarter before a 13-6 Billiken run tied it at 34. Stipanovich scored six points in the run, which also included a key 3-pointer by Aaliyah Covington.
--Mercer used a 7-2 spurt to take a 41-36 advantage into the final quarter.
--After SLU scored on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter, Mercer (3-1) re-established a five-point lead with baskets on two straight trips down the floor.
--A Stipanovich three-point play and Denisha Womack's bucket tied it at 45, and Jackie Kemph answered a Mercer field goal with one of her own for a 47-47 deadlock.
--Following Stipanovich's free throws that gave SLU a 49-47 edge, Kemph registered two baskets for a 53-48 lead. The Billikens did the rest from the foul line, hitting 13-of-17 from the stripe down the stretch.
BILLIKEN NOTABLES
--The Billikens are 3-0 to start a season for the first time since going 5-0 to begin the 2006-07 campaign.
--The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak in road openers for Saint Louis.
--Stipanovich shot 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line in recording the seventh 20-point performance of her career. She and Jenny Vliet grabbed a game-high eight rebounds apiece.
--Kemph was a career-best 8-of-8 from the charity stripe in her 16-point effort. She added six assists.
--Jamesia Price scored all 11 of her points in the second half.
--Denisha Womack collected six rebounds as the Billikens earned a 40-28 advantage on the glass.
--Saint Louis was 19-of-23 (82.6 percent) from the free throw line, while Mercer was just 6-of-12.
--The Billikens outscored the Bears 38-20 in points in the paint.
MERCER LEADERS
Kahlia Lawrence, 22 points; Linnea Rosendal, 10 points; Sydni Means, seven assists.
UP NEXT
Saint Louis travels to Terre Haute, Indiana, to square off against Indiana State Wednesday, Nov. 25. The Billikens and Sycamores tip off at 5 p.m. (CT).
