Mercer Keys in on Wofford This Weekend

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team turns its attention to Wofford this weekend as the Terriers come to Hawkins Arena for a pair of games on Friday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.).

The two-game set between Mercer and Wofford, who hold two of the top three slots in the SoCon standings, could have serious implications for seeding in the conference tournament.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Friday, Feb. 19, 2021 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (13-5, 7-2 SoCon) vs. Wofford (11-7, 7-4 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Tickets: bit.ly/3mratCW (code: MUFAITH)
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Bryce Koon and Sybil Blalock
Radio: 100.9 "The Creek", Sports Mic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Wofford
Hawkins Arena Protocols: Click Here
Promotion: Play4Kay Game, presented by Georgia Cancer Specialists

Date: Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (14-5, 8-2 SoCon) vs. Wofford (11-8, 7-5 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Tickets: bit.ly/2Wnsc3q (code: 478DAY)
Live Stats: mercerbears.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Ben Murray and Sybil Blalock
Radio: 100.9 "The Creek", Sports Mic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Wofford
Hawkins Arena Protocols: Click Here
Promotion: Diploma Day/478 Day

50 Years of Mercer Basketball
The Mercer women's basketball team is celebrating 50 years of competition throughout the 2020-21 season as the team is going to highlight a different decade each month from October to February for their accomplishments and the impact they made on the program.

Mercer's inaugural season was in 1970-71 when the Bears won their first-ever game against Wesleyan, 45-23.

Throughout the last half century, the Bears have collected multiple championship banners, including nine regular season conference titles and seven tournament crowns. Mercer has also won two regional tournaments and has been to the postseason 14 times.

Diploma Day
The Mercer women's basketball team will recognize its six student-athletes who will be graduating this Spring in a Diploma Day ceremony following the conclusion of Sunday's game against Wofford. Jada Lewis, Naomi Van Nes, Sierra Votaw, Kiana Barkhoff, Emily Stradling and Shannon Titus will all be honored.

100 Years of SoCon
One of the oldest conferences in college athletics, the Southern Conference will celebrate a century of athletic and academic achievement in 2021 with a variety of initiatives throughout the year.

The Southern Conference traces its beginnings to Feb. 25, 1921, when delegates from 15 of the 30 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association institutions met at the Piedmont Hotel in Atlanta, Ga., to finalize plans for a new conference. Alabama, Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn), Clemson, Georgia, Georgia School of Technology (Georgia Tech), Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi A&M (Mississippi State), North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and Washington & Lee all signed on to form the Southern Intercollegiate Conference, while Tulane attended the meetings but would not join until the following year. The league has had 44 full-time members over its illustrious history.

Pair of Bears with 1,000 Points
Redshirt senior Jada Lewis (1,261 pts.) and senior Shannon Titus (1,078 pts.) are two of the 171 active players in Division I to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone in their careers.

Mercer is one of 36 schools in the nation with multiple 1,000-point scorers on its team. Arizona, Arkansas, DePaul, North Carolina, Ohio, Syracuse and Tennessee Tech all have three 1,000-point scorers on their current rosters, while Air Force, Alabama, Baylor, Bradley, Clemson, East Carolina, Fresno State, Furman, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa State, Liberty, Maine, Mercer, N.C. State, Northern Arizona, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Pacific, Saint Peter's, South Alabama, Southern Illinois, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tulane, VCU, Virginia Tech and Youngstown State each have two active players with 1,000 points.

Senior CLASS Award Candidates
Redshirt senior Jada Lewis and senior Shannon Titus were named candidates for the Senior C.L.A.S.S. Award on Feb. 9. Lewis and Titus are two of 30 candidates for the award and one of only two pairs of teammates to be up for the award, along with Arizona's Aari McDonald and Sam Thomas. They are the only representatives for the Southern Conference, as well as the state of Georgia.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The candidates will be narrowed to a field of ten finalists in late February, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will then select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring.

D-FENCE! D-FENCE!
Mercer has been one of the most tenacious teams in the country when it comes to playing defense.

The Bears lead the SoCon in scoring margin (+10.7), opponent field goal percentage (37.4 pct.), turnover margin (+7.83), blocks (81), blocks per game (4.5) and assist-turnover ratio (1.21). Additionally, they rank second in scoring defense (57.6), steals (161), steals per game (8.9) and turnovers forced per game (19.72).

Mercer ranks in the top-75 nationally in eight of the nine categories, including being in the top-50 in turnover margin (6th), assist-turnover ratio (25th), blocks (30th), turnovers forced per game (35th) and blocks per game (47th).

Last Time Out
Mercer completed the weekend sweep over Western Carolina with a 71-47 victory on Feb. 6 at the Ramsey Center.

The Bears had strong showing on both ends of the court as they shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the field while holding Western Carolina to 29.4 percent (15-of-51) shooting. Mercer won the turnover battle, 13-5, while outrebounding the Catamounts, 45-32.

Jaron Dougherty and Jada Lewis powered the Bears' offense in the game as the duo combined for 45 points. Dougherty posted game highs with 23 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as she collected her 15th career double-double. Lewis finished with 22 points while knocking down three 3-pointers and dishing out four assists. Shannon Titus chimed in with her second double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Jill Harris added a season-high seven points on an efficient 3-of-5 shooting in addition to matching Dougherty and Lewis with four assists.

Series History
The Bears boast a 15-2 all-time record against Wofford, including a 14-1 mark since joining the Southern Conference in 2014-15. After splitting the first two meetings in 1997, Mercer won 13 consecutive games against the Terriers before that streak was snapped on Jan. 11, 2020 in Spartanburg.

Mercer returned the favor in the second meeting between the two teams on Feb. 6 with a gritty 54- 53 victory in Hawkins Arena.

In that game, Shannon Titus tallied her fourth double-double of her junior campaign with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go along with her three blocks, two steals and two assists. Jaron Dougherty (15 pts., 9 reb.) and Amoria Neal-Tysor (13 pts., 7 reb.) also scored in double figures while being active on the glass.

Scouting the Terriers
After winning the first four games of the conference season, Wofford is 3-4 over its last seven games. The Terriers have split each of their last four series following a sweep of ETSU on Jan. 14-16. Most recently, Wofford won the first game at home against Samford, 70-62, before losing on Saturday, 80-55.

The Terriers are one of the best rebounding teams in the SoCon as they lead the conference in rebounds per game (41.4), rebound margin (+5.4) and offensive rebounds per game (15.0) while ranking second in total rebounds (745).

Jackie Carman is Wofford's only player who is averaging double-digit points at 10.7 points per game, however three other Terriers are on the cusp in Niyah Lutz (9.7 ppg), Lillt Hatton (9.6 ppg) and Jamari McDavid (9.4 ppg).

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kiana Barkhoff

Jaron Dougherty

Jill Harris

Jada Lewis

Amoria Neal-Tysor

Emily Stradling

Shannon Titus

Naomi Van Nes

Sierra Votaw

Footer

Mercer University Athletics