Mercer Tops Wofford in Back-and-Forth Affair on Friday

Friday, February 19

Macon, Ga.

7 P.M.

Mercer University

14-5,8-2SoCon

Wofford

11-8,7-5SoCon

Wofford

Mercer

Photo by: Mitch Robinson

Mercer Tops Wofford in Back-and-Forth Affair on Friday

2/19/2021 11:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Shannon Titus collected a career-high 15 rebounds against the Terriers

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's basketball team showed no ill effects after its 13-day hiatus, posting a 54-47 victory over Wofford on Friday evening at Hawkins Arena.

The Bears (14-5, 8-2 SoCon) crashed the glass hard all night, taking a 44-35 advantage in rebounds. Mercer totaled 14 offensive rebounds in the game while limiting the Terriers to just eight. The Bears suffocating defense held Wofford to just 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the field while forcing 10 turnovers and blocking four shots. Mercer locked down Wofford's two leading scorers, Jackie Carman and Niyah Lutz, who combined for just six points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Shannon Titus set the tone for the home side early with 13 points and four boards in the first quarter. The Johns Creek, Ga., native finished 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, both of which were game highs, to go along with three assists and a steal. Jaron Dougherty chipped in with 18 points of her own, along with eight rebounds and a game-high three blocks. Jada Lewis joined Titus and Dougherty in double figures with 12 points in the victory. Additionally, Jill Harris dished out a game-high four assists, while Allie Thayne collected nine rebounds.

How It Happened
Mercer looked fresh out of the gate as the home side scored eight of the first 10 points. The Bears utilized a six-point surge from Titus in 57 seconds to take command of the game early on. The Terriers responded quickly, however, and went on a 13-2 run to take a 15-10 lead. The two sides cooled off over the final 4:34 of the opening period as the only scoring for the rest of the frame came from Titus, who sank a pair of layups and a free throw to knot the game at 15-all heading into the second quarter. Titus carried the Bears offense in the first quarter, accounting for 13 of the team's 15 points.

4:49, 1st Qtr | 🐶 13 🐻 10

Shannon Titus has started the game 𝑅𝐸𝒟 𝐻𝒪𝒯 with 🎱 points through the first 5+ minutes! 🤩#DefineYourMoment | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/ImV4F4QgAY
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) February 20, 2021

The Terriers turned up their defensive effort in the second as they held Mercer scoreless for the first 5:37 of the frame. Despite their offensive hardships, the Bears stayed within striking distance as Wofford could only muster a 6-0 run to move ahead, 21-15. Mercer regained their composure during the media timeout and clawed their way back within one possession by halftime.

Have yourself a half, Shannon! 💪

She leads all players with 1⃣5⃣ points & 6⃣ rebounds!#DefineYourMoment | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/xsdTB4MmLA
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) February 20, 2021

The Orange and Black carried that momentum into the second half as eight-straight points to open the third quarter capped a 14-2 run that allowed the home squad to regain the advantage, 29-23. Wofford countered with an 8-2 run of its own to draw even at 31 apiece with 4:25 remaining in the third. The two sides traded punches throughout the remainder of the quarter with a 3-pointer from Alea Harris serving as the difference as the Terriers held a slight edge heading into the final 10 minutes, 38-35.

Dougherty provided a spark for the Bears by knocking down a pair of jumpers to push Mercer ahead, 39-38. The Buford, Ga., native scored seven points in the first 3:20 of the final period to fuel a quick 9-3 run.

The three-point lead served as enough of a cushion for the Bears as they made 54.5 percent (6-of-11) of their shots in the fourth quarter to hold off Wofford's late comeback attempt and preserve the victory.

Defend the 𝗗𝗘𝗡! 💪#DefineYourMoment | #LightTheBridge | #Play4Kay pic.twitter.com/vmYDoiYF6C
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) February 20, 2021

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the flow of tonight's game…
"It was a possession game from the opening tip to the end. Wofford is a really good basketball team that is well coached and has a lot of weapons. It was hard-fought contest that was a low scoring game between two teams who can score pretty well. I'm very proud of the way our kids fought tonight."

On rebounding…
"We talked about rebounding for the last couple of days. Obviously, we know that is something that they're really good at, so I don't know if it was because we brought it to their attention or because we made an effort to do so. We don't win many rebounding battles, but tonight it helped us win the game."

On Shannon Titus' performance…
"Shannon had been having some really good practices lately, and she just shot out of the cannon tonight. She played exceptionally well and looked like she was playing at a different speed than everyone else on the court. She kept us in the game."

Assistant Coach Ben Wierzba

Player of the Game
Senior Shannon Titus set the tone for Mercer from the opening tip and finished as the game's leading scorer and rebounder with 22 points and a career-high 15 boards. It was her fifth 20-point performance of the season and the 10th double-double of her career. The Johns Creek, Ga., native was active on the glass at both ends of the court as her six offensive rebounds and nine defensive boards were more than any other player.

Notables
» Mercer played its first game in 13 days after last weekend's series at ETSU was postponed.
» The Bears improved to 12-1 when winning the opening tip.
» Mercer composed its third comeback victory when trailing heading into the fourth quarter.
» The Black and Orange moved to 11-1 in games when they hold the opposition under 40 percent from the floor.
» The Bears outrebounded the Terriers, who are the top rebounding team in the SoCon, 44-35.
» Mercer is a perfect 8-0 this season when outrebounding its opposition.
» The Bears held their opponent to under 50 points for the sixth time in 2020-21.
» Mercer went without a 3-pointer for the first time since Feb. 22 last season at ETSU.
» Titus recorded her 10th career double-double with 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
» Titus reached double figures for the 57th time in her career and the 14th time with 20 points.
» Titus now has 1,100 career points and passed Alicia Williams and Anita Meadows to move into the top-20 on Mercer's all-time scoring list.
» Harris suited up for her 50th career game at Mercer.
» Harris posted four or more assists in a game for the eighth time this season.
» Lewis scored in double figures for the 15th time this season and 68th time in her career.
» Thayne recorded a season-high nine rebounds.

Up Next
The Bears will close out their weekend series with Wofford on Sunday at 2 p.m. for their Diploma Day game. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, as well as on the radio at 100.9 "The Creek" and Sports Mic with the voice of the Bears, Rick Cameron, on the call. Following the game, the team will recognize its six graduates: Jada Lewis, Naomi Van Nes, Sierra Votaw, Kiana Barkhoff, Emily Stradling and Shannon Titus.

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.