Lady Raiders Drop Mercer

Friday, December 3

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

7:00 PM ET

Mercer University

5-4,0-0SoCon

Middle Tennessee

-61,00 CUSA

Mercer

Middle Tenn.

12/3/2021 9:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Mercer falls on Friday night in road test

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Mercer fell on Friday night, 59-49, to Middle Tennessee in their first contest of December in the Murphy Center to start out a quick, two-game road set. The Bears were held to a season-low 28% (7-of-25) from the field and just five second chance points and seven rebounds on the offensive side. Mercer's scoring primarily came from Shannon Titus (12), Jaron Dougherty (11) and Endia Banks (9). Middle Tennessee slightly outrebounded the Bears with a 44-40 margin, but Mercer had the 33-28 edge in offensive boards.

How it Happened
The host Lady Raiders (6-1) used a 22-12 run that spanned the end of the first quarter and for the entirety of the second to take control of the matchup over visiting Mercer (5-4). Middle Tennessee was led by Ksenniya Malashka's 22 points and 11 boards, which paced all players for both squads. 12 of her 22 points came via the three-pointer.

Both teams traded shots until 1:05 left in the opening frame when a Courtney Blakely steal swung the game's momentum for good and the Lady Raiders went on their run. In the first half, Titus added eight points and Dougherty collected six rebounds – five of which came on defense.

Nigeria Harkless' six points – all scored in the third frame - matches a career-high she set in the last game versus Kennesaw State earlier this week. Banks and Erin Houpt both knocked threes for Mercer.

Mercer finished the contest by stopping the hosts from scoring in the game's last 5:50 and outscored Middle Tennessee 10-7 in the final quarter.

Quotables – Head Coach Susie Gardner
Thoughts on the game
"We had six assists and 19 turnovers. We were giving the ball away too much. Our defensive plan worked and that they shot 25% from three, but we gave up 42% of the offensive rebounds. They missed shots but they would get 42% of their offensive rebounds. We're playing defense pretty well, but we're not finishing the plays. We're just not getting enough scoring power, we're not shooting the ball – we're shooting 33%. We're just not shooting the ball well enough, taking advantage and turning the ball over too much. Middle Tennessee is a great team, a great program – they go to the NCAA tournament every year. We'll learn from this, but at some point we've got to get a bit tougher in terms of diving on the floor for loose balls – not that people rip rebounds out of our hands. That's why we play these types of programs that are used to winning, but we've got to dig a little bit deeper and compete a little bit more in game times. They're really listening to the game plan. They're preparing well, practicing hard, but we have to find that next level of competition."

Up Next
Mercer will stay in the Volunteer State and matchup with Tennessee State on Sunday. Tipoff from the Music City is slated for 2 p.m. ET.

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