Fourth Quarter Faux Pas Halts Bears’ Winning Streak

Saturday, January 30

Macon, Ga.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

11-5,5-2SoCon

Chattanooga

9-7,4-3SoCon

Chattanooga

Mercer

Photo by: Jhalen Wingate

Fourth Quarter Faux Pas Halts Bears’ Winning Streak

1/30/2021 6:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Shannon Titus scored a season-high 27 points against the Mocs

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's basketball team saw its five-game winning streak snapped with a 69-60 setback against Chattanooga at Hawkins Arena on Saturday.

Senior Shannon Titus led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field, in addition to 7-of-10 makes from the charity stripe. The Johns Creek, Ga., native added a game-high three steals and two assists in the game. Redshirt senior Jada Lewis joined Titus in double figures with 10 points while dishing out a game-high five assists. Juniors Jaron Dougherty and Allie Thayne were busy on the glass today, leading the Bears with 11 and six rebounds, respectively.

The Bears struggled to contain Chattanooga's offense throughout the game as the Mocs shot 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the field. UTC found its way to the rim often in the second meeting between the two teams, scoring 42 of its 69 points in the paint. The Mocs flipped the script on the glass from Thursday, taking a 40-30 advantage in rebounds. Chattanooga displayed a balanced offense as five players scored in double figures: Abbey Cornelius (14 pts.), Sigrum Olafsdottir (12 pts.), Bria Dial (12 pts.), Eboni Williams (10 pts.) and Amaria Pugh (10 pts.).

How It Happened
Mercer found itself in an early hole as an 8-1 Chattanooga run put the Bears in an 11-3 hole. The home team provided a swift response as it scored 11 unanswered points in less than three minutes to gain a three-point advantage.

The two sides battled back-and-forth throughout the second quarter with Mercer going on the offensive first. The Bears extended their advantage to 10 following a Naomi Van Nes layup with 4:46 remaining for their largest lead of the game. Chattanooga trimmed the Mercer lead down to one in two minutes and 45 seconds after making 3-of-5 shots over that span. A brief 4-0 run by the home side created some separation between the two teams as Mercer led 31-26 at the break.

The Bears and Mocs continued to trade punches when they returned to the court as Mercer maintained a two-possession lead through the majority of the third period. Following a Titus free throw coming out of a media timeout, Chattanooga scored six unanswered points to tie the game at 42-all in the final two minutes of the frame and sent both teams into the final 10 minutes knotted at 44.

Amoria Neal-Tysor hit a layup on the first possession of the fourth quarter to put the Bears back on top, 46-44, but UTC scored on four straight possessions to score eight straight points as the visitors took a seven-point lead, 53-46. Williams' layup with 8:42 remaining in the game put the Mocs up for the first time since an 11-10 lead with 3:14 left in the opening period. Chattanooga the game strong, making 11-of-14 shots in the final period as it handed Mercer its first loss since Jan. 9.

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the difference between the two games against UTC…
"I wouldn't say it was adjustments as much as it was our inability to hit shots again. We had one player that shot the ball well today, and that was Shannon [Titus]. She had a really rough game on Thursday, and she knew she struggled offensively. She told me after the game on Thursday in the locker room that she was going to be better today, and she was true to her word. I'm really proud of Shannon for bouncing back. Unfortunately, she was the only bright spot offensively for us."

On the fourth quarter…
"They were 11-for-14 in the fourth quarter, so our defense was not there. When you get behind, you have to get stops on defense and make shots on offense, and we weren't getting stops nor were we scoring. They got a lead on us, and, when you have a scenario like we had tonight when no one is hitting shots except Shannon, you don't want to run every play for her because Chattanooga can hone in on that and pay extra attention to her. So we tried to run plays for other people and we just weren't hitting shots."

On the team's defensive struggles…
"They were beating us off of dribble penetration. They were beating us backdoor. And they were beating us in the post. So their shots were coming in the paint, and they beat us all three ways. It wasn't just one individual, it was an entire team effort.

"I'm very disappointed in our play today. I thought we had done a good job preparing on Fridays for our Saturday games, and it felt like we were ready. We had good energy at shooting practice today, but we have some players who, when their shot isn't falling, collapse on both ends of the floor."

Player of the Game
Shannon Titus was Mercer's go-to scorer throughout the game today, potting a game-high 27 points for her highest scoring total of the season. The Johns Creek, Ga., native finished with a season-high 10 field goals made while also matching her career high of seven free throws made. She was active on the defensive end of the court as well, generating a game-high three steals.

Notables
» Mercer saw its winning streak snapped after five games.
» It was also Mercer's first loss on its home court since a 78-61 loss to Alabama on Dec. 13.
» The Bears have had a player score at least 25 points in five of their seven SoCon games.
» Shannon Titus scored a season-high 27 points.
» Titus' three steals brought her career total to 198 as she is two shy of becoming the eighth player in program history with 200 thefts.
» Titus produced her third 20-point game of the season and 12th of her career.
» Titus scored in double figures for the ninth time in her senior campaign and the 54th time in her career.
» Jada Lewis scored in double figures for the 65th time of her career and the 12th as a member of the Bears.
» Jaron Dougherty gathered double-digit rebounds for the eighth time this year and 17th time in her career.
» Allie Thayne continued her strong presence on the offensive glass with five of her six rebounds creating second-chance opportunities.

Up Next
The Bears prepare for their final road trip of the season that starts with a pair of games at Western Carolina next weekend. Thursday's game is slated to begin at 6 p.m., while Saturday's matchup is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tipoff. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.

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.