Mercer Outduels Western Carolina at Home

Thursday, February 27

Macon, Ga.

7 P.M.

Mercer University

7-21,4-9SoCon

Western Carolina

5-23,2-11SoCon

Western Caro.

Mercer

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

2/27/2020 10:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Shannon Titus became the first player in program history to record 50+ blocks and 75+ steals in a single season

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's basketball team picked up a 60-54 victory over Western Carolina on Thursday evening at Hawkins Arena.

The Bears were methodical and disciplined in the contest, committing just two fouls and nine turnovers on the night.

Junior Shannon Titus was all over the court tonight, dropping a game-high 26 points on 10-of-27 shooting while collecting eight rebounds, six steals, three blocks and three assists. Jaron Dougherty was also active on the offensive end of the floor, contributing 19 points. She tallied seven rebounds and matched Titus' three blocks. Rookie Jill Harris added seven assists and four points on an efficient 2-of-3 shooting performance.

Summer Pahl's hustle was evident from the opening whistle as she gathered a career-high 12 rebounds in the game. She scored seven points and recorded a steal in 36 minutes of action, the most in her career.

How It Happened
The game got off to a slow start as Titus broke the scoreless tie with a jumper at the 7:38 mark in the first quarter. The Bears extended the lead to four points before a 6-0 run by the Catamounts handed Western Carolina its first lead of the game. The two sides jockeyed back-and-forth for positioning with Western Carolina taking a one-point advantage into the second quarter.

After scoring the first four points of the second, the Bears hit a cold spell in the second quarter after Titus scored the first four points of the period. Mercer's 0-of-7 skid allowed WCU to retake the lead with a 7-0 run of its own. Titus kicked it into high gear and led the Bears back on a 7-0 run of their own as she logged 11 points in the quarter.

Both teams traded blows in the third with Mercer coming out on top thanks to a Dougherty basket with four seconds left to send the Bears into the final 10 minutes with a three-point lead.

Pahl took charge to start the fourth as she scored five of six points on a 6-0 run by the Bears to spot the home team with a 48-42 advantage with 7:44 on the clock. Western Carolina had a quick counter to cut the lead down to one, but Mercer held strong and work it back to a two-possession game. The Bears held the Catamounts at arm's length for the remainder of the game to secure the victory.

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On Shannon's performance…
"Shannon I thought played an exceptional first half. She played with great energy, got out and created some steals and layups for us. She blocked some shots for us and guarded one of the other team's best player. She just does it all for us. I'm really pleased she played the way she is capable of tonight."

On Shannon's work on the defensive end of the floor…
"Her timing has to be really good in order to get out and block shots without fouling, but then her length allows her to get out and get steals. I do think that if she is not the best defensive player in the conference that she is one of the best. I'm glad she is on our team."

On building momentum heading into the SoCon Tournament…
"We just needed a win. It's been a tough season with a lot of close losses, and for us, we just needed a little bit of momentum and some positiveness going into Asheville. Obviously, we still have UNCG who is at the top of the conference this year, but we just needed something positive to happen. I thought tonight was a step in the right direction."

Assistant Coach Ben Wierzba

Player of the Game
Titus was the star of the show tonight for the Bears, scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-27 shooting. She added eight rebounds, six steals, three blocks and three assists in the win as she played all 40 minutes for the third time this season. The Johns Creek, Ga., native etched her name into the Mercer record book tonight as she overtook Alex Phillips for fourth place on the program's all-time blocks list as she now has 103 in her career. She also moved into eighth place on the single season steals list with 76 as Titus became the first player in Mercer women's basketball history to record at least 50 blocks and 75 steals in a single season.

Notables
» Mercer has held the opposition to fewer than 60 points in each of its seven wins this season.
» The Bears two fouls were their fewest since the start of the 2012-13 season.
» It was also the fewest fouls in a Division I game this season.
» The Black and Orange limited an opponent to single digit free throw attempts for the third time this year.
» Mercer committed a season-low nine turnovers for the fourth time this season.
» Tonight was the sixth time Mercer scored at least 20 points off turnovers.
» The Bears logged their first win when trailing after the first quarter.
» Titus moved into fourth place on Mercer's all-time blocks list with three on the night to push her total to 103.
» Titus also moved into eighth place on the single-season steals list with 76.
» Titus became the first player in program history to record at least 50 blocks and 75 steals in a single season.
» Titus posted her fourth 20-point game of the season and second in the last three games.
» Pahl set a new career high with 12 rebounds in the game, collecting double-digit rebounds for the third time this year.
» Harris recorded at least seven assists for the fifth game this season.

Up Next
The Bears host UNCG in the 2019-20 regular season finale on Saturday with tipoff slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Follow the Bears
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