Mercer Women Knocked Out of A-Sun Tournament | News

MACON, Ga. (Atlantic Sun)- Stetson landed a 67-52 victory vs. third-seeded Mercer to stake its claim in the 2013 General Shale Atlantic Sun Women's Basketball Final.

The Hatters will make their fifth appearance in the A-Sun Championship Final as the Hatters have previously won three titles.

Stetson's Sasha Sims led the team with 19 points on the day, while adding seven rebounds and two blocks.

Four Hatters ended with double-digit scoring to have a full team performance. Shanasa Sanders and Cherisse Burris combined for 27 of Stetson's 67 points. Victoria McGowan registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while adding five assists.

McGowan now has 1,504 career points which ranks No. 2 among active A-Sun players and 24th all-time in the conference.

The Bears' Precious Bridges registered a game-high 24 points, while teammate Sharnea Boykin contributed ten assists. Mercer drops to 20-12 with the loss, but still recorded its first 20 win season since the 1991-92 season.

The Hatters will get a rematch against FGCU in the championship finale on Saturday at 5:30 PM EST on CSS. This marks the sixth championship rematch in A-Sun history.

It also is the third-consecutive year the Hatters have advanced to the championship final. Stetson is the first team to make three straight since ETSU made it from 2008-10. Only five teams have made it to the championship three or more consecutive years in the history of the conference.

Stetson improved its record to 24-8 with Head Coach Lynn Bria grabbing her 79th win with the program.