Mercer Comeback Bid Falls Short at Samford

Saturday, January 18

Birmingham, Ala.

5:30 PM ET

Mercer University

3-15,0-3SoCon

Samford

7-11,2-1SoCon

Mercer

Samford

Photo by: Jesika Moore

1/18/2020 8:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Shannon Titus reached double-digit points for the 35th time in her career.

By: Stephen Waldman

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Mercer women's basketball team was unable to earn its first win of the Southern Conference season in a 72-64 setback at Samford on Saturday evening at the Pete Hanna Center.

The Bears had one of their best shooting performances of the season, posting their third-highest percentage from the floor at 45.2 percent (28-of-62) and second-best percentage from beyond-the-arc at 46.2 percent (6-of-13). Shannon Titus and Jaron Dougherty led the way with 19 points apiece, while Amoria Neal-Tysor (12 points) and Summer Pahl (10 points) joined the duo in double digits on the scoresheet.

The area of the game where Samford was able to separate itself was in the paint, outscoring Mercer 38-14. Natalie Armstrong was the difference maker in the game for the Bulldogs as she scored a career-high 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting from the floor. Her only miss came from long range.

How It Happened
Mercer and Samford were in a dogfight from the opening tip as the two teams traded baskets for the majority of the first half. Neither side held more than a five-point advantage as the lead changed hands 12 times throughout the opening 20 minutes of the game.

This trend continued into the first five minutes of the third quarter until the shots stopped falling for the visitors. Samford managed to extend its lead to a game-high 12 points by the end of the period by holding the Mercer shooters without a make in their final eight attempts. The Bulldogs used that time to go on an 11-1 run.

Trailing by 15 points with less than two minutes remaining, most thought that this game was in the bag. That message didn't make its way to the Mercer bench, however, as Titus scored eight points in 54 seconds on three makes in a row. The Johns Creek, Ga., native sunk back-to-back 3-pointers, marking the first time in her career she made more than one shot from beyond-the-arc.

A foul put Samford on the line where Ta'naisha Hill made 1-of-2 free throws. The Bears provided a response and cut the deficit to five points thanks to a 3-pointer by Dougherty. That would be as close as Mercer would get, unfortunately, as Charity Brown hit a pair of free throws to extend it back to a three-possession game.

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the team's effort…
"I was very pleased with our first half effort. We had a good week of mental and physical preparation, so I felt that we were ready for this game. In the first half we played really hard, however the third quarter killed us as Samford won the quarter, 20-9. We need to decide that we are not going to have those lapses. I was pleased that we continued to fight when we were down 17 with very little time left in the game. We even cut the lead to five, but what if we played that hard and with that purpose for an entire game? We will get back to work and hopefully have a good home crowd for Thursday's game versus ETSU."

Player of the Game
Titus provided one of the most balanced performances of the season for the Bears, contributing 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the contest. She shot 8-of-15 from the floor and a personal-best 2-of-3 from beyond-the-arc, while adding three steals and a block in 39 minutes.

Notables
» Mercer saw its 16-game winning streak against Samford snapped.
» The Bears started conference play 0-3 for first time since 2007-08.
» Mercer made six or more 3-pointers for the fourth time this season.
» Titus recorded the 35th double-digit scoring effort of her career.
» Titus made multiple 3-pointers for the first time in her career.
» Kiana Barkhoff blocked multiple shots for the third time in five games this season.
» Barkhoff made her first start in a Mercer uniform.
» Neal-Tysor dished out a career high eight assists in the game. .
» Pahl recorded a team-high nine rebounds in the contest.
» Pahl tallied all 10 of Mercer's bench points, marking just the sixth time this season a Bear has reached double-digit points off the bench.

Up Next
The Bears return home to Hawkins Arena for the first time in the new year to face ETSU on Thursday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the game being aired on ESPN3.

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.