Mercer Closes Out Non-Conference Play at Columbia

Saturday, January 4

New York, N.Y.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

Columbia

Mercer Closes Out Non-Conference Play at Columbia

1/3/2020 3:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

The Bears will wrap up non-conference play on Saturday.

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team concludes the non-conference portion of its 2019-20 schedule when it continues its five game road trip at Columbia on Saturday.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (3-11) at Columbia (8-4)
Location: New York, N.Y. | Levien Gymnasium
Live Stats: GoColumbiaLions.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Columbia

Lending A Helping Hand
Rookie Jill Harris has been one of the most selfless players for the Bears in the 2019-20 season with a team-high 51 assists on the year. The Navarre, Fla., native has more assists than any other freshman in the Southern Conference and ranks 14th nationally among rookies.

Harris has distributed the ball extremely well as of late, recording at least four assists in seven of the team's last nine contests.

Additionally, her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in the conference and eighth in the country among freshmen.

Foreign Territory
Mercer has struggled throughout the non-conference portion of the 2019-20 schedule, owning a 3-11 record. The Bears, who have won at least 20 games in five straight seasons and six-of-the-last seven, have suffered 10 losses before starting conference play for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign.

Last Time Out
Mercer dropped its fifth straight game after falling 68-60 at Yale on Thursday evening.
The Bears led for the majority of the game, but the Bulldogs managed to outscore the Bears in the fourth quarter, 24-14, to pull away late for the victory. While Mercer started quickly by scoring at least 20 points in the first quarter for the second straight game, it was also the second time in as many games the Bears allowed 24 points in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Sophomores Jaron Dougherty and Amoria Neal-Tysor provided the offensive firepower for the Bears as the duo combined for 45 of Mercer's 60 points on the evening. Dougherty matched her career high with 26 points on 12-of-25 shooting and added 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Neal-Tysor made 9-of-20 shots from the field and ended with 19 points, four assists and two steals.

Junior Shannon Titus tied Dougherty with a team-high 10 rebounds and matched Yale's Camilla Emsbo for the game high with three blocks. Rookie Jill Harris also continues to distribute the ball efficiently with a game-high five assists, along with four rebounds and three points.

Series History
Mercer has only faced Columbia on two occasions and is still seeking its first win over the Lions. After dropping a 60-51 decision on Nov. 24, 2007, the Bears welcomed Columbia to Macon last season on Jan. 6. Columbia escaped with the victory as Mercer's comeback bid fell just short.

The Bears were down by 14 with just over three minutes to play but clawed their way back with a 13-1 run to cut the lead to two with 30 seconds remaining. Columbia managed to knock down a couple of free throws down the stretch and tighten up its defense, however, to preserve the win.

Amanda Thompson led the Bears with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the game, while Linnea Rosendal added 16 points and four assits. Amoria Neal-Tysor contributed 13 points and four assists in the game as well.

Bears Against the Ivy League
Mercer has only faced an opponent from the Ivy League on four occasions in the program's 50-year history. The first time came on Nov. 26, 1988 when the Bears suffered a 78-71 setback against Princeton. The next two times came against Columbia on Nov. 24, 2007 (L, 60-51) and again last year on Jan. 6 (L, 72-68). Most recently, Mercer dropped a 68-60 decision in its first-ever meeting with Yale on Thursday.

Scouting the Lions
After dropping its first two games of the season, Columbia has won 8-of-10 games, including seven of the last eight. The Lions own a 5-1 record at home with the only setback coming against Saint Joseph's (71-57) on Nov. 7.

Abbey Hsu (12.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Sienna Durr (12.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg) are the two leading scorers for the Lions, while Kaitlyn Davis (6.7 rpg) is the team's leading rebounder. Mikayla Markham has dished out a team-high 48 assists on the year, and Janiya Clemmons (25 steals) and Hsu (22 steals) have been active in forcing turnovers for the Lions. As a team, Columbia is knocking down 32.1 percent of its shots from beyond-the-arc and own a 42.2 shooting percentage from the floor.

The Lions were selected to finish sixth out of eight teams in the Ivy League's Preseason Poll and return all five starters from last season, including the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Sienna Durr.

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.