Mercer Falls to ETSU

Saturday, February 22

Johnson City, TN.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

ETSU

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

2/22/2020 10:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Jaron Dougherty recorded a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds

By: Stephen Waldman

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Mercer women's basketball team was unable to hang onto its lead as the Bears fell to ETSU 56-54 on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Jaron Dougherty picked up her eighth double-double of the season with 18 points and a career-high 14 rebounds while adding three blocks. Shannon Titus contributed 16 points in the game with eight rebounds, four blocks and two assists. Rookie Jill Harris matched her season high with 10 assists on the afternoon while collecting two steals and a block.

How It Happened
Mercer maintained a one-possession lead throughout the first quarter until a 12-2 run to close out the first half put the Bears up by a dozen at the break. The two sides battled back-and-forth in the third quarter as ETSU slowly trimmed the Mercer lead to nine heading into the final 10 minutes.

The Bears scored the first four points of the fourth quarter thanks to a pair of jumpers by Dougherty and Summer Pahl to extend their advantage to 13 points with 8:36 on the clock. The Bucs offense proceeded to go on a 16-0 run to take a three-point lead with 4:04 left in the game. A pair of Dougherty free throws trimmed the deficit to one as Mercer continued to fight. The Bears stayed in the game by hitting their free throws down the stretch, going 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. The home team managed to score one more field goal in the final two minutes of play, however, as ETSU escaped with the two-point win.

Player of the Game
Dougherty posted her team-leading eighth double-double of the season as she set a new career high with 14 rebounds. The Buford, Ga., native scored a game-high 18 points while adding three blocks to her line.

Notables
» Dougherty tallied her eighth double-double of the season.
» Titus has blocked at least three shots in each of the last five games.
» Titus became the fifth player in program history to record 100 blocks in her career.
» Titus also became the fifth Bear to block at least 50 shots in a single season.
» Harris matched her season high with 10 assists in the game.
» Titus and Dougherty became just the second pair of Mercer teammates to both record 40 or more blocks in a season, joining Alex Phillips (43) and Brittnee Hazel (41) in 2010-11.

Up Next
The Bears will close out the regular season with a two-game home stand next weekend. Mercer will face off against Western Carolina on Thursday at 7 p.m. The team's final tune up before the Southern Conference Tournament comes on Saturday when the Bears welcome UNCG to Hawkins Arena for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

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.