Bears Drop Homestand Opener

Sunday, December 12

Macon, Ga.

2:00 PM

Mercer University

6-5,0-0SoCon

UCF

7-1,0-0AAC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
UCF	13	17	14	17	61
Mercer	13	9	11	14	47

12/12/2021 5:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Mercer falls to UCF, 61-47, on Sunday afternoon

MACON, Ga. – In their first game of a seven-game homestand, the Mercer women's basketball team dropped the decision to UCF by a 61-47 margin.

Erin Houpt led the Bears with three career-highs in the effort: field goals made (6), three-pointers made (5) and points (17). Mercer (6-5), battled closely before the Knights (7-1) used two 17-point quarters to separate the two sides.

Q1 4:15 » Stop us if you've heard this one, but another 3 by @erin_houpt10.#WhateverItTakes | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/lr5FsfQW28 — Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) December 12, 2021

How it Happened
UCF scored the game's first seven, but the Bears clawed back to even it at 17-all at the quarter-break. Houpt notched eight of her 17 in the first frame, which were highlighted by two from beyond the arc. The two sides traded blows until the 1:58 mark of the second when UCF rattled off four points to take their 30-22 lead into the break.

The visitors from Orlando picked up where they left off in the third, scoring six of the half's first eight points for a 10-point advantage. A 36-30 Knights lead was the closest Mercer got in the second half.

2Q 5:28 » Shannon says, "not in our house." Let's all admire this beaut of a block.#WhateverItTakes | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/tbQ2Wq2BHg — Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) December 12, 2021

Mercer's defense had their hands full in the fourth as the Knights were 8-of-13 (61.5%) from the field, with Tay Sanders and Brittney Smith combining for eight of UCF's 17 points in the frame.

After Houpt's 17, Amoria Neal-Tysor scored seven, dished three assists and tallied four steals. Three Bears – Endia Banks, Jaron Dougherty and Neal-Tysor – each contributed three assists in the effort. Titus scored six and Dougherty added five in addition to their assists.

The Bears logged 26 points from the bench to UCF's 17 and committed only 13 turnovers to the Knights' 16.

Quotables – Head Coach Susie Gardner
On Erin Houpt's career day
"I said before the game to my staff that in order for us to stay in this game, we need Houpt to hit shots, and she did. She's in the gym more than anyone on our team every single day working on her shot and working on her game. I'm really pleased that she got her opportunity today to do what we needed her to do. I felt like we could've found her in even more situations where she was open."

Notables
• Houpt has now notched at least three or more 3s in three of her 10 games and hit at least one in seven of those 10.
• Mercer has had five 3s in their last two home games

Up Next
Mercer will continue the seven-game homestand by hosting UAB this coming Sunday, December 19th. Tipoff against the Blazers will be at 2 p.m. and broadcasted on ESPN+ and can be heard on Mercer Sports Network (100.9 The Creek).

Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer 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.