Slow Start to Second Half Haunts Bears at Clemson

Wednesday, December 2

Clemson, S.C.

12 P.M.

Mercer University

1-2,0-0SoCon

Clemson

4-0,0-0ACC

Mercer

Clemson

Photo by: Stephen Waldman

Slow Start to Second Half Haunts Bears at Clemson

12/2/2020 4:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Jada Lewis scored 20 of her 23 points in the first half

By: Stephen Waldman

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Mercer women's basketball team dropped a 67-54 decision to Clemson in its first road contest of the season on Wednesday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Bears were held to 32.8 percent (20-of-61) from the floor and made a season-low four three-pointers. Clemson managed to outrebound Mercer, 50-33, including 15 offensive rebounds that resulted in 14 second-chance points.

The scoring for the Bears was limited to four players in the game, led by Jada Lewis who dropped a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Jaron Dougherty added 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, including three on the offensive end of the floor, while Amoria Neal-Tysor had nine points. Shannon Titus scored seven points and had a strong defensive performance, tallying three steals and three blocks in the game.

How It Happened
The two teams went back-and-forth for the entire first quarter as Clemson held a two-point edge after the first 10 minutes. Amoria Neal-Tysor tied the game at 12 apiece with a mid-range jumper from the top of the key. An ensuing 11-2 run put the home team up by nine with 4:32 remaining in the half before Jada Lewis turned up the heat.

Lewis made her next four attempts from the field and one from the charity stripe to pull the Bears back within two, 26-24. Shannon Titus forced a turnover and laid it in on the break to tie the game with 49 seconds remaining, but a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by the NCAA's active leader in treys, Kendall Spray, sent Clemson into the intermission with a 29-26 advantage.

A slow start to the third quarter for the Bears resulted in a 9-3 run through the first 2:47 in the third quarter, resulting in the visitors using a timeout. Mercer clawed its way back to a one-possession game following a layup by Jaron Dougherty that made it a 42-39 game, but that is as close as the Orange and Black would come. Clemson pushed its lead to double digits by the end of the period and held Mercer at arm's length for the final 10 minutes of the game to remain undefeated.

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the team's performance…
"I was really pleased with how we fought back in the second quarter. We got down by nine in the middle of the second quarter, and the game could have imploded at that point. But we battled back and would have gone into the halftime tied but [Kendall] Spray hit a three at the buzzer. I have challenged our players to tell me what happened at the beginning of the third quarter, because we did not fight and we looked tired. Clemson took it to us, and I had to call a timeout in the first three minutes. "

On Jada Lewis' 20 first half points…
"Jada kept us in the game with her scoring. Shannon [Titus] wasn't hitting her shots, and Jaron [Dougherty] and Amoria [Neal-Tysor] both got into foul trouble. Unfortunately, she only took four shots in the second half. We need her to keep shooting when she is having that type of success in a game, but, at the same time, we can't have one player scoring 20 and the rest of the team scoring six. I felt like we got some open shots and just weren't hitting today. Clemson plays a very aggressive style of game where they press the entire game, make you rush your decisions and are very physical. At the end of the day, I'm very pleased with a lot of things about the game."

Player of the Game
Jada Lewis started the game red hot, accounting for 20 of Mercer's 26 first-half points on 8-of-10 shooting. The Powder Springs, Ga., native went 3-of-3 from beyond-the-arc through the first 20 minutes and reached double figures for the third game in a row.

Notables
» This was Mercer's first trip to Clemson since Jan. 23, 1980.
» The Bears forced a season-high 23 turnovers in the game.
» Jada Lewis recorded the 13th 20-point game of her career and first in a Mercer uniform.
» Lewis has scored 10 or more points in each of her first three games with the Bears.
» Jaron Dougherty reached double digits for the second time this season and the 24th for her career.
» Shannon Titus recorded season highs with three steals and three blocks.

Up Next
The Bears return to action on Saturday as they welcome Covenant to Hawkins Arena for a 2 p.m. tilt. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, as well as on the SportsMic radio app.

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.