Dropped by the Demon Deacons

Tuesday, November 9

Macon, Ga.

7:00 PM

Mercer University

0-1,0-0SoCon

Wake Forest

1-0,0-0ACC

Wake Forest

Mercer

11/9/2021 10:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Mercer falls in season opener, 68-55

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season with a 68-55 setback to Wake Forest on Tuesday night at an energetic Hawkins Arena.

The Bears were unable to build off a fast first quarter where they led by as much as 12 before the Demon Deacons took a lead they did not relinquish. Wake Forest shot 41.5% from the field and added 28 from the paint, while scoring 15 on second-chance opportunities. Conversely, Mercer shot just 33.9% from the field, added 18 from the paint and getting just five second chance points.

How it Happened
Mercer jumped out to a quick 14-2 advantage before the visitors started to chip away at the deficit before shortening the Bears' lead to 19-11 at the end of the first quarter. Jaron Dougherty's seven first-quarter points played a role in the Bears' fast start. An Olivia Summel three for Wake Forest tied the game at 26 and changed the game's momentum entirely. The Demon Deacons' first lead was good enough for the rest of the game. Coming out of the half, Mercer chipped away, bringing the Wake Forest lead down to one, which was the closest the Bears would get the rest of the way.

Quotables – Head Coach Susie Gardner
Ways to improve for the next game
"We had a great first quarter, we started out strong, it was 12-2 at some point, so we started out great. I can't remember the last time I coached a team at Mercer that had more turnovers than assists – that's not something that we typically do, so we've got to clean up our turnovers. We also shot the ball very poorly in the second and third quarter, 25 percent in the second and 20 in the third. You've got to hit open shots, you've got to hit layups, you've got to hit free throws. We were 14-of-21 from the free throw line. When you're playing a team the caliber of Wake Forest, you cannot leave any points on the floor, and part of it was our free throws. Part of it was our open shots and part of it was our layups. We got outrebounded by 10, we just did not play Mercer basketball after the first quarter."

On the atmosphere in Hawkins Arena
"It was a great, energetic crowd tonight in the arena, especially for the unveiling of the two banners."

Notables
• With four points, Shannon Titus hit the 1,200 point benchmark for her career
• Three new Bears – Endia Banks, Erin Gutierrez and Erin Houpt – all scored at least a point in their Mercer debuts

Up Next
Mercer will continue the three game homestand by hosting Appalachian State this coming Thursday, November 9^th. Tipoff against the Mountaineers will be at 7 p.m. and broadcasted on ESPN+.
Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB / @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball / /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB / @Mercerwbb (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.