Mercer Readies to Host Alabama for Alumni Day

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team will hold its annual Alumni Day as the Bears welcome Alabama to Hawkins Arena on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (3-2) vs. Alabama (4-0)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Bryce Koon and Sybil Blalock
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Alabama
Tickets: bit.ly/2JXcR6M
Hawkins Arena Protocols: Click Here
Promotion: Alumni Day

50 Years of Mercer Basketball
The Mercer women's basketball team is celebrating 50 years of competition throughout the 2020-21 season as the team is going to highlight a different decade each month from October to February for their accomplishments and the impact they made on the program.

Mercer's inaugural season was in 1970-71 when the Bears won their first-ever game against Wesleyan, 45-23.

Throughout the last half century, the Bears have collected multiple championship banners, including nine regular season conference titles and seven tournament crowns. Mercer has also won two regional tournaments and has been to the postseason 14 times.

Titus Closing In on 1,000 Points
Senior Shannon Titus is closing in on becoming the 27th member of the 1,000-point club in program history. The Johns Creek, Ga., native has scored 904 points throughout her career in the Orange and Black, putting her 96 points shy of reaching the milestone.

Sharing is Caring
The Bears' offense has been distributing the ball effectively throughout the early going in the 2020-21 slate, dishing out the 27th-most assists nationally with 76. Jill Harris (17), Amoria Neal-Tysor (15), Shannon Titus (14) and Jada Lewis (13) have been distributing the ball at a high level for Mercer, combining for 59 of those 76 assists.

Nothing She C(ANT) Do
Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor had one of her best offensive performances donning the Orange and Black last time out at UAB on Thursday. The Sanford, N.C., native scored a career-high 33 points, the most points by a Mercer player since KeKe Calloway's 40-point effort at Furman on Jan. 6, 2018. She connected on at least three 3-pointers for the third time this season, going 3-of-5 in the game. Neal-Tysor added 14-of-15 makes from the charity stripe, both of which were personal bests, as well as four rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in 44 minutes of action.

Block Party
The Bears have been one of the most active teams around the rim, recording the 11th-most blocks in the country with 28 through the first five games. Mercer leads the SoCon in total blocks and blocks per game (5.6). The Orange and Black are ranked 26th nationally in blocks per game.

Junior Jaron Dougherty and redshirt junior Sierra Votaw are setting the tone for the Bears, posting a SoCon-leading six blocks which ranks 61st in Division I. Senior Shannon Titus has both blocked five shots this season, while redshirt senior Naomi Van Nes has four blocks to her credit.

Record Day at Hawkins Arena
The Bears put together one of the team's best games in Hawkins Arena since it opened in 2004 on Saturday, defeating Covenant 78-25. The 53-point differential tied the 86-33 win over Faulkner on Dec. 13, 2015 for the largest Mercer win in Hawkins Arena.

Mercer's 25 points allowed to Covenant was the fewest in the venue's history and in the Susie Gardner era, surpassing the old low of 31 set by Lipscomb on Feb. 25, 2013. It was the seventh-fewest points allowed in the program's history and fewest since Jan. 12, 1973 (21 against Dekalb- Central). Last game was also the 18th time in program history that Mercer held an opponent to 30 or fewer points in a game.

The Bears' defense held Covenant to just two points in the second half for just the second time since the NCAA switched from halves to quarters in 2015-16 (4th quarter vs. Howard, Dec. 21, 2017). Mercer also held the Scots to 11 points in the second half, its best defensive effort since holding Western Carolina to 10 in the first half of the SoCon Quarterfinals on March 7, 2019.

Last Time Out
Mercer 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-18 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds. Senior Shannon Titus dished out a team-high four assists, while Titus went for seven points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. Junior Allie Thayne grabbed eight boards in 27 minutes off the bench.

As a team, the Bears won the turnover battle, 16-5, while generating seven steals and blocking six shots. Mercer's defense limited the Blazers to 25.0 percent (3-of-12) 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-7 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.

Series History
Mercer and Alabama are meeting for the sixth time on Sunday and first time in Macon since their first-ever meeting in 1993.

Alabama owns a 4-1 lead in the series after a 111-56 victory in Tuscaloosa, Ala., last season. Shannon Titus (15 pts.) and Amoria Neal-Tysor (10 pts.) were both in double figures in the game.

Scouting the Crimson Tide
Alabama enters Sunday's matchup with a perfect 4-0 record after defeating Samford (83-68), Houston (88-66), USC Upstate (98-59) and Oklahoma State (76-72).

Jasmine Walker, who was named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team, is averaging 22.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She is one of four Bama players to average double digit points, along with Ariyah Copeland (17.0 ppg), Jordan Lewis (15.0 ppg) and Megan Abrams (12.0 ppg). Additionally, Copeland (9.5 rpg) and Abrams (6.8 rpg) have been crashing the glass. Hannah Barber's 19 assists is the most on the team.

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.

Mercer Readies to Host Alabama for Alumni Day

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Players Mentioned

Jaron Dougherty

Jill Harris

Jada Lewis

Amoria Neal-Tysor

Allie Thayne

Shannon Titus

Naomi Van Nes

Sierra Votaw

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