Bears Drop Road Test at Kennesaw State

Wednesday, November 13

Kennesaw, Ga.

7 P.M.

Mercer University

1-2,0-0SoCon

Kennesaw State

2-1,0-0ASUN

Mercer

Kennesaw St.

11/13/2019 9:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Mercer loses its first road game of the season at Kennesaw State on Wednesday.

By: Stephen Waldman

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team dropped its first road contest of the season with a 92-64 setback in the Peach State Showdown with Kennesaw State at the KSU Convocation Center Wednesday evening.

The Bears' offense came to life in the final 20 minutes, shooting 40.9 percent from the field after 27.3 percent (9-of-33) in the first half. Sophomore Amoria Neal-Tysor caught fire to lead Mercer in the second half with 19 of her 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

Neal-Tysor's career-high 22 points on the night led the team, while Jaron Dougherty (14 pts.) and Jordan McLaughlin (11 pts.) joined her in double-digits. Dougherty notched her second double-double in as many games with 10 rebounds. McLaughlin was tenacious on the defensive end of the floor, creating three steals and multiple jump balls to disrupt KSU's pace of play.

Mercer's quick strike offense was contained to just 16 points by the Owls, who made their living under the basket. KSU outscored the Bears 46-16 in the paint and outrebounded Mercer, 47-34.

KSU's offense was propelled by Carlotta Gianolla and Kamiyah Street. Gianolla contributed a game-high 30 points and added 11 rebounds, while Street dropped 24 points. Alexis Poole added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Owls.

How It Happened
The two sides were evenly matched through the early part of the game as the Owls held a 13-11 advantage at the 5:09 mark in the opening period. Jordan McLaughlin made both of her shots and was 2-of-3 from the charity stripe for a team-high seven points through the first 10 minutes. The Bears shooting cooled off, however, and Kennesaw State took full advantage with a 21-2 run that carried over into the second quarter.

Mercer responded with a 7-2 run of its own over a two-minute span, but the home side managed to push its lead to 43-25 at the break. Kennesaw State kept up its high pressure offense throughout the second half and maintained its edge until the final buzzer.

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
Thoughts on tonight's game…
"This loss is one of the worst losses this program has experienced in recent memory. We have been able to compete in every game that we have played in for the last four or five years, and tonight we dug ourselves a hole so deep we couldn't get out. Kennesaw has very talented players that we simply did not guard.

"We had trouble making shots once again tonight which so far has been an ongoing theme. We are going to need to generate offense with our defense and our hustle plays, and tonight we did neither. We are going to need to get back to work because we have a very difficult schedule this season."

Player of the Game
Neal-Tysor caught fire in the second half, scoring 19 of her 22 points in the final 20 minutes. The Sanford, N.C., native shot 8-of-16 from the floor, 3-of-8 from beyond-the-arc and added four rebounds and a steal in the half.

Notables
» Mercer saw its four-game winning streak against KSU snapped.
» Neal-Tysor recorded a career-high 22 points.
» It was her third double-digit point performance and second this season.
» Dougherty has recorded a double-double in consecutive games.
» McLaughlin is the only Mercer player to reach double-digit points in all three games this season.

Up Next
The Bears continue their three-game road trip at Alabama on Sunday with tipoff at 3 p.m. The game will be aired on SEC Network plus.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.