Thursday, December 10
Birmingham, Ala.
7 p.m. (ET)
Mercer University
3-2,0-0SoCon
71
at
68
UAB
-21,00 CUSA
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
Mercer
19
15
15
13
9
71
UAB
16
19
10
17
6
68
Photo by: Stephen Waldman
Neal-Tysor’s Career Night Lifts Bears to OT Win
12/10/2020 10:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Amoria Neal-Tysor scored a career-high 33 points with 14-of-15 makes from the free throw line
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Mercer women's basketball team captured a thrilling 71-68 overtime victory over previously undefeated UAB at Bartow Arena on Thursday evening.
The game was truly a back-and-forth affair as it was tied 17 times with the lead changing 16 times.
Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor led the Bears offensive effort in a big way, scoring a career high 33 points while going 3-of-5 from 3-point range and a personal best 14-of-15 from the free throw line. Fellow junior Jaron Dougherty added 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Shannon Titus and sophomore Jill Harris dished out a team-high three assists apiece, while Titus went for seven points, six rebounds, two steals and a block. Junior Allie Thayne grabbed seven boards in 27 minutes off the bench.
As a team, the Bears won the turnover battle, 15-5, while generating seven steals and blocking six shots. Mercer's defense limited the Blazers to 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from beyond-the-arc, its fourth game holding an opponent to 25 percent or worse on threes. A key factor in that was holding Margaret Whitley to just 2-of-14 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range. Whitley finished with just 12 points after coming into the game averaging 28.5 points and scored 34 against Chattanooga in her last time out.
How It Happened
The Bears and Blazers were in a battle from the opening tip as neither side held more than a four-point advantage through the first 10 minutes of the contest. Dougherty set the tone for the Bears in the early going, giving Mercer a quick 2-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game. She later added a layup with 6:32 remaining to push the visitors' lead to 7-3, but a 7-0 run by UAB handed the hosts their largest lead of the evening, 12-9.
Neal-Tysor brought the Bears within one before a free throw by Dougherty evened things up at 12. After trading blows, Mercer utilized a 5-2 run over the final 24 seconds of the opening period to go up, 19-16. Dougherty scored 11 of her 22 points in the first quarter by 4-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. The Buford, Ga., native added three rebounds, an assist and a steal in the frame.
A pair of free throws by Neal-Tysor extended Mercer's lead to five, but UAB clawed its way back and held a one-point edge at halftime, 35-34.
The two teams came out of the break swinging just as they had in the first half, going back-and-forth with the first six baskets of the third quarter as they watched the one-point lead swing from one side of the scoreboard to the other. Neal-Tysor stepped up with just over four minutes remaining in the third by hitting consecutive triples to take the Bears from down two to up four in a matter of 46 seconds and forced the home bench to call a timeout. They were unsuccessful in slowing down the Samford, N.C., native, however, as she grabbed the rebound off the ensuing miss and drained a jumper at the other end of the court for her 22nd points of the evening.
The Bears led 49-45 heading into the fourth quarter, but the pesky Blazers persisted and forced another tie at 49 apiece. Every time Mercer regained the lead, the home squad found a way to draw even. The Orange and Black trailed by two, 58-56, with 2:18 remaining before a pair of free throws by Neal-Tysor evened the score. Both Dougherty and Neal-Tysor did their best to settle things in regulation as they scored go-ahead layups with 1:28 and 0:50 remaining, respectively. Once again, UAB somehow found an answer and made an additional five minutes necessary to decide a winner.
As they did all game, the Bears were playing from ahead in overtime after Dougherty connected on a jumper 14 seconds into overtime to go up, 64-62. With 57.7 seconds on the clock, the Blazers inbounded the ball with the two sides deadlocked at 68. The pass went to the top of the key where Titus was closely guarding her player and forced a turnover. She swatted the ball away from the player donning the gold jersey and gathered possession as she bolted down the court on a fast break. With only one defender to beat, Titus breezed past UAB's last line of defense and laid the ball off the glass and in to put Mercer ahead, 70-68, with 43.7 seconds remaining.
After a Dougherty free throw and a UAB timeout, the Blazers inbounded the ball with 21.0 seconds remaining needing three points to tie. The Bears did not give UAB any space as their smothering defense forced a 3-point attempt that was off the mark. Titus grabbed the rebound and flipped the ball to Harris as time expired to send the Bears back to Macon with a victory. Mercer never relinquished its advantage in the extra period.
Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the team's gritty performance…
"We played a very good UAB team tonight. Jaron and Shannon got in foul trouble in the first half, and it was still a one-point game at halftime. We needed everyone on the team tonight. Shannon did not have a great offensive game, but she came up big at the end of the game with a steal and a rebound.
"We fought hard for 45 minutes and had a very excited locker room after the game."
On Amoria Neal-Tysor's career night…
"Amoria was on fire. We had talked earlier in the week that if someone was hot, we were going to keep going to them. She not only hit shots but got to the free throw line 15 times.
Player of the Game
Amoria Neal-Tysor's career-high 33 points was the most points by a Mercer player since KeKe Calloway's 40-point effort at Furman on Jan. 6, 2018. The Samford, N.C., native connected on at last three 3-pointers for the third time this season, going 3-of-5 in the game. She added an impressive 14-of-15 makes from the charity stripe, both of which are personal bests. Neal-Tysor added four rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in 44 minutes of action.
Notables
» Mercer handed UAB its first loss of the season.
» The Bears snapped a three-game losing skid to the Blazers and evened the all-time series at 4-4 in their first meeting since 1998.
» It was Mercer's first win over UAB since a 93-74 victory 13,098 days ago on Jan. 30, 1985.
» This was Mercer's second road win against UAB and first since the first meeting on Dec. 12, 1983.
» The Bears have held the opposition to 25.0 percent or worse from long range in four of five games this season.
» Mercer won an overtime game for the first time since Feb. 21, 2019 (83-77 at ETSU).
» The Orange & Black won their first game after trailing at halftime this season.
» The Bears committed just five turnovers in the game, their fewest since March 22, 2019, when they had three at Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
» Amoria Neal-Tysor recorded career highs in points (33), free throws made (14) and free throws attempted (15).
» Neal-Tysor's 33 points were the most in a game since KeKe Calloway's 40-point effort at Furman on Jan. 6, 2018.
» Neal-Tysor became the first Mercer player to hit 10+ free throws in a game since Calloway's 13 at Howard on Dec. 18, 2018.
» Neal-Tysor compiled her third 20-point performance in five games this year.
» Neal-Tysor made at least three 3-pointers for the third time in 2020-21.
» Jaron Dougherty tallied her second 20-point game of the season with 22 points.
» This was the second game that Neal-Tysor and Dougherty have both scored 20 points in the same game.
» Shannon Titus' seven points in the game brings her within 100 of becoming the 27th member of Mercer's 1,000-point club as she is now 96 points away.
» Jada Lewis collected a season-high five rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.
» Allie Thayne pulled down a season-high seven rebounds in a personal-best 27 minutes.
» Sierra Votaw posted multiple blocks for the second time this season.
Up Next
Mercer returns to Hawkins Arena this weekend as it prepares to host Alabama for Alumni Day. The game against the Crimson Tide will be broadcast on ESPN+ and is slated to tip off at 2 p.m.
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.
The game was truly a back-and-forth affair as it was tied 17 times with the lead changing 16 times.
Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor led the Bears offensive effort in a big way, scoring a career high 33 points while going 3-of-5 from 3-point range and a personal best 14-of-15 from the free throw line. Fellow junior Jaron Dougherty added 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Shannon Titus and sophomore Jill Harris dished out a team-high three assists apiece, while Titus went for seven points, six rebounds, two steals and a block. Junior Allie Thayne grabbed seven boards in 27 minutes off the bench.
As a team, the Bears won the turnover battle, 15-5, while generating seven steals and blocking six shots. Mercer's defense limited the Blazers to 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from beyond-the-arc, its fourth game holding an opponent to 25 percent or worse on threes. A key factor in that was holding Margaret Whitley to just 2-of-14 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range. Whitley finished with just 12 points after coming into the game averaging 28.5 points and scored 34 against Chattanooga in her last time out.
How It Happened
The Bears and Blazers were in a battle from the opening tip as neither side held more than a four-point advantage through the first 10 minutes of the contest. Dougherty set the tone for the Bears in the early going, giving Mercer a quick 2-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game. She later added a layup with 6:32 remaining to push the visitors' lead to 7-3, but a 7-0 run by UAB handed the hosts their largest lead of the evening, 12-9.
Neal-Tysor brought the Bears within one before a free throw by Dougherty evened things up at 12. After trading blows, Mercer utilized a 5-2 run over the final 24 seconds of the opening period to go up, 19-16. Dougherty scored 11 of her 22 points in the first quarter by 4-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. The Buford, Ga., native added three rebounds, an assist and a steal in the frame.
A pair of free throws by Neal-Tysor extended Mercer's lead to five, but UAB clawed its way back and held a one-point edge at halftime, 35-34.
The two teams came out of the break swinging just as they had in the first half, going back-and-forth with the first six baskets of the third quarter as they watched the one-point lead swing from one side of the scoreboard to the other. Neal-Tysor stepped up with just over four minutes remaining in the third by hitting consecutive triples to take the Bears from down two to up four in a matter of 46 seconds and forced the home bench to call a timeout. They were unsuccessful in slowing down the Samford, N.C., native, however, as she grabbed the rebound off the ensuing miss and drained a jumper at the other end of the court for her 22nd points of the evening.
Stop us if you've heard this before...
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) December 11, 2020
𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐋-𝐓𝐘𝐒𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄!!!🙌🙌#DefineYourMoment | @bballmori10 pic.twitter.com/WVD6LRI9Zm
The Bears led 49-45 heading into the fourth quarter, but the pesky Blazers persisted and forced another tie at 49 apiece. Every time Mercer regained the lead, the home squad found a way to draw even. The Orange and Black trailed by two, 58-56, with 2:18 remaining before a pair of free throws by Neal-Tysor evened the score. Both Dougherty and Neal-Tysor did their best to settle things in regulation as they scored go-ahead layups with 1:28 and 0:50 remaining, respectively. Once again, UAB somehow found an answer and made an additional five minutes necessary to decide a winner.
Dougherty gets the 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 bucket to put the Bears ahead in the final 90 seconds! 😤#DefineYourMoment | @Jabron42 pic.twitter.com/FFdhIzX7nV
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) December 11, 2020
When it's your night, it's 𝕐𝕆𝕌ℝ ℕ𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋! 😏🤷♀️#DefineYourMoment | @bballmori10 pic.twitter.com/frZ2E92Y9v
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) December 11, 2020
As they did all game, the Bears were playing from ahead in overtime after Dougherty connected on a jumper 14 seconds into overtime to go up, 64-62. With 57.7 seconds on the clock, the Blazers inbounded the ball with the two sides deadlocked at 68. The pass went to the top of the key where Titus was closely guarding her player and forced a turnover. She swatted the ball away from the player donning the gold jersey and gathered possession as she bolted down the court on a fast break. With only one defender to beat, Titus breezed past UAB's last line of defense and laid the ball off the glass and in to put Mercer ahead, 70-68, with 43.7 seconds remaining.
𝗕𝗜𝗚 time players make 𝗕𝗜𝗚 plays in 𝗕𝗜𝗚 moments! #DefineYourMoment | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/uqpvYCUGfR
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) December 11, 2020
After a Dougherty free throw and a UAB timeout, the Blazers inbounded the ball with 21.0 seconds remaining needing three points to tie. The Bears did not give UAB any space as their smothering defense forced a 3-point attempt that was off the mark. Titus grabbed the rebound and flipped the ball to Harris as time expired to send the Bears back to Macon with a victory. Mercer never relinquished its advantage in the extra period.
Final stop vibes! 🛑 😤#DefineYourMoment | #LightTheBridge pic.twitter.com/WbLVYf9PWB
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) December 11, 2020
Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the team's gritty performance…
"We played a very good UAB team tonight. Jaron and Shannon got in foul trouble in the first half, and it was still a one-point game at halftime. We needed everyone on the team tonight. Shannon did not have a great offensive game, but she came up big at the end of the game with a steal and a rebound.
"We fought hard for 45 minutes and had a very excited locker room after the game."
On Amoria Neal-Tysor's career night…
"Amoria was on fire. We had talked earlier in the week that if someone was hot, we were going to keep going to them. She not only hit shots but got to the free throw line 15 times.
Player of the Game
Amoria Neal-Tysor's career-high 33 points was the most points by a Mercer player since KeKe Calloway's 40-point effort at Furman on Jan. 6, 2018. The Samford, N.C., native connected on at last three 3-pointers for the third time this season, going 3-of-5 in the game. She added an impressive 14-of-15 makes from the charity stripe, both of which are personal bests. Neal-Tysor added four rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in 44 minutes of action.
Notables
» Mercer handed UAB its first loss of the season.
» The Bears snapped a three-game losing skid to the Blazers and evened the all-time series at 4-4 in their first meeting since 1998.
» It was Mercer's first win over UAB since a 93-74 victory 13,098 days ago on Jan. 30, 1985.
» This was Mercer's second road win against UAB and first since the first meeting on Dec. 12, 1983.
» The Bears have held the opposition to 25.0 percent or worse from long range in four of five games this season.
» Mercer won an overtime game for the first time since Feb. 21, 2019 (83-77 at ETSU).
» The Orange & Black won their first game after trailing at halftime this season.
» The Bears committed just five turnovers in the game, their fewest since March 22, 2019, when they had three at Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
» Amoria Neal-Tysor recorded career highs in points (33), free throws made (14) and free throws attempted (15).
» Neal-Tysor's 33 points were the most in a game since KeKe Calloway's 40-point effort at Furman on Jan. 6, 2018.
» Neal-Tysor became the first Mercer player to hit 10+ free throws in a game since Calloway's 13 at Howard on Dec. 18, 2018.
» Neal-Tysor compiled her third 20-point performance in five games this year.
» Neal-Tysor made at least three 3-pointers for the third time in 2020-21.
» Jaron Dougherty tallied her second 20-point game of the season with 22 points.
» This was the second game that Neal-Tysor and Dougherty have both scored 20 points in the same game.
» Shannon Titus' seven points in the game brings her within 100 of becoming the 27th member of Mercer's 1,000-point club as she is now 96 points away.
» Jada Lewis collected a season-high five rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.
» Allie Thayne pulled down a season-high seven rebounds in a personal-best 27 minutes.
» Sierra Votaw posted multiple blocks for the second time this season.
Up Next
Mercer returns to Hawkins Arena this weekend as it prepares to host Alabama for Alumni Day. The game against the Crimson Tide will be broadcast on ESPN+ and is slated to tip off at 2 p.m.
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.
Team Stats
Mercer
UAB
FG%
.311
.433
3FG%
.273
.250
FT%
.880
.520
RB
41
50
TO
5
16
STL
7
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
33
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
14
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
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