Dougherty’s Double-Double Drives Mercer Past Furman

Saturday, February 8

Macon, Ga.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

6-18,3-6SoCon

Furman

15-9,5-4SoCon

Furman

Mercer

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

Dougherty’s Double-Double Drives Mercer Past Furman

2/8/2020 8:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Jaron Dougherty recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 17 pts./11 reb.

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team worked its way to a 61-55 victory over Furman on Saturday at Hawkins Arena.

The Bears put together another solid defensive performance by holding Furman to 32.9 percent (24-of-73), including just 8.0 percent (2-of-25) from beyond-the-arc. Junior Shannon Titus was the catalyst for the defensive production with eight blocks in the game to tie a Hawkins Arena record. The last player to accomplish that feat was Teanna Robinson against Lipscomb on Feb. 8, 2014. Titus has now moved into a tie with Jessica Miller for fifth on Mercer's all-time blocks list with 89 denials in her career.

Mercer was able to take advantage of the Paladins in transition as they outscored Furman in fast break points, 21-1, and held the advantage in points off turnovers at 11-4.

Jaron Dougherty collected her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Amoria Neal-Tysor matched her 17 points on the offensive end. Rookie Jill Harris added a career-high 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting to go along with a team-high four assists. Titus added seven rebounds and seven points in the contest, while Summer Pahl brought down eight rebounds and scored six points.

How It Happened
Mercer was out and running from its first possession as the home side quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Titus broke out after a miss on Furman's opening possession and laid it in before Dougherty generated a steal and took it coast-to-coast for the score. The two sides jockeyed back-and-forth for positioning throughout the rest of the opening period, but neither was able to create any separation from the other.

Pahl put the Bears' up by six with 6:11 before a 10-0 run by the visitors put the Paladins ahead by four, 20-16, with 1:40 remaining in the first half. Titus attempted to cut into the lead before halftime, but the visitors held a five-point advantage at the break.

Furman gradually increased its lead to 10 points by the 4:32 mark in the third quarter, but Mercer was able to draw even by the end of the period. The Bears went on an 11-0 run after going 4-of-6 from the floor to close out the quarter, in addition to drawing two offensive fouls against Furman. Neal-Tysor completed a 3-point play to give the Bears a 35-34 lead with 30 seconds left, but a Greyson Boone jumper put the visitors back in front heading into the fourth.

Both teams swapped possession of the lead until a jumper by Neal-Tysor put Mercer ahead by three. Furman managed to cut the Bears' lead down to one on multiple occasions, but were never able to regain the lead for the rest of the game. The Black and Orange created some breathing room by stretching the advantage to six on a Dougherty jumper at 2:43, and the Paladins were never able to get back within one possession for the remainder of the contest.

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the atmosphere in Hawkins Arena…
"I always love Faculty/Staff Appreciation day because the people who make Mercer run on a daily basis get a chance to enjoy a meal and socialize with each other. We're just so appreciative of what they give us every day behind the scenes.
"I told Shannon [Titus] that if she could get some tips and blocks that this crowd would erupt behind her defense. Even though she wasn't hitting her shots today, but she was able to give us something else defensively and got everyone fired up, and that's what she did."

On Shannon's defensive…
"I am going to continue to stand by my statement that she is one of the best, if not the best, defensive player in our conference. She has great length and athleticism, and she has bought into this being her identity. When her shot isn't falling, like it wasn't today, she knows her defense can come make a difference for us. Even when she wasn't able to block a shot, she was able to alter the shot or make them conscious of her presence on the floor."

On the mindset in the locker room…
"It's taken about three months, but we're starting to realize what our identity is and accept it. I've said it all along that never once have they lost faith in each other or the coaching staff. We've only won two games in a row, but we're headed in the right direction."

Assistant Coach Ben Wierzba

Player of the Game
Titus was a force on the defensive end of the floor this afternoon, being responsible for eight of Mercer's 13 blocks in the game. The total tied a Hawkins Arena record that was last accomplished by Teanna Robinson against Lipscomb on Feb. 8, 2014. Additionally, she moved into a tie for fifth place on Mercer's all-time blocks list with 89 in her career.

Notables
» Mercer extended its home winning streak to three games.
» Today's game was the first time this season that Mercer won a game after trailing at halftime or the third quarter.
» The Bears moved to 6-1 when holding an opponent under 60 points.
» Gardner earned her 175th victory at Mercer.
» Mercer recorded a season high 13 blocks this afternoon.
» Dougherty posted the ninth double-double of her career.
» Titus blocked a career-high eight shots that tied a Hawkins Arena record.
» The Johns Creek, Ga., native moved into a tie for fifth on Mercer's all-time blocks list.
» Harris reached double-digit points for the first time in her career with 12 points.
» Sierra Votaw tallied a career-high three blocks.
» Neal-Tysor posted her 15th double-digit point game this season.

Up Next
The Bears will stay at home next week as they welcome Samford to Hawkins Arena on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip.

Follow the Bears
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