Bears Take 2OT Thriller Over Wofford on Diploma Day

Sunday, February 21

Macon, Ga.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

15-5,9-2SoCon

Wofford

11-9,7-6SoCon

OT 1

OT 2

Wofford

Mercer

Photo by: Kayla Davis

Bears Take 2OT Thriller Over Wofford on Diploma Day

2/21/2021 7:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Mercer recognized Jada Lewis, Naomi Van Nes, Sierra Votaw, Kiana Barkhoff, Emily Stradling and Shannon Titus after the game

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – A resilient Mercer women's basketball squad found a way to capture an exhilarating 83-74 double-overtime victory over Wofford on Sunday afternoon at Hawkins Arena on Diploma Day.

Following the game, Mercer recognized Jada Lewis, Naomi Van Nes, Sierra Votaw, Kiana Barkhoff, Emily Stradling and Shannon Titus who are all set to graduate this spring with a Diploma Day ceremony.

The Bears remained perfect in overtime games this season, improving to 4-0 after playing in their first double-overtime contest since Nov. 28, 2014. In that game, Mercer outlasted Saint Louis, 80-75.

Titus led all scorers for the second straight game in a balanced performance that saw her record 27 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists. Lewis was a vital member of the Bears' offense in the game, finishing with 26 points and made 4-of-9 threes. Lewis nearly recorded a triple double as she added eight assists and eight rebounds, along with two steals. Jaron Dougherty tallied her team-leading eighth double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds while generating two steals, a block and an assist.

Jill Harris was once again the floor general for the Bears in the game, finishing with five assists. Allie Thayne crashed the boards hard all game and came up with a season-high 11 rebounds that included a game-high six on the offensive glass.

How It Happened
Today's battle between the Bears and Terriers was a true heavyweight bout with both teams trading blows all game long. The two sides went back-and-forth throughout the entirety of the first quarter as neither team was able to gain a two-possession lead. That trend continued throughout nearly the entire first half until a fast break layup by Sydneey Boykin provided Mercer with a five-point edge, 32-27, with 1:02 remaining before halftime.

Titus got off to another fast start for the Bears, scoring 12 of her 16 first-half points in the first quarter. This marked the second-consecutive game she set the tone for Mercer's offense as she totaled 15 points in the first half on Friday.

After hanging around throughout the first three quarters, the Terriers built their largest lead of the game with 9:13 remaining in regulation at 49-45. The Mercer offense came to life at that point and scored 12 consecutive points to push ahead, 57-49. Titus started the run with a free throw before finding Lewis for the game-tying 3-pointer on the next possession. The home side regained the lead when Lewis connected on another triple before Dougherty blocked a shot and got the transition layup the next time down the floor. Lewis stayed red hot from long range as her third 3-pointer fell through the cylinder to cap the run.

Wofford leaned on its stars to erase the deficit and forced a tie game at 59-all with 1:29 remaining. The visitors took the lead with a McDavid layup with 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter and forced a Mercer timeout. The following set play did not result in the game-tying score the Bears were hoping for as Mercer was forced to start fouling. The Terriers first went to the charity stripe with 20 seconds on the clock and took six free throws in a span of just three seconds after collecting a couple of offensive rebounds. Wofford was unable to put the game away, however, as they converted just 1-of-6 of their chances at the free throw line. Trailing 62-59, Mercer worked the ball to Lewis on the right wing as time was winding down, and the graduate transfer from Georgia State tied the game with 8.5 seconds on the clock. The Bears' defense locked down the Terriers and prevented the potential game-winning shot from going up before the horn sounded, and the Bears were headed to overtime for the fourth time this season.

Both teams worked hard on the defensive end of the floor to start the first overtime as the score remained deadlocked at 62 for the first two minutes of the period. Dougherty battled down low and scored the go-ahead layup to put the Bears up, 64-62. Lilly Hatton answered with a layup of her own to tie the game before Niyah Lutz put the Terriers ahead with a free throw at the 2:01 mark.

After Wofford went up by four with 17 seconds left, Lewis bolted down the floor and scored a quick bucket to make it a one-score game. Hatton sent Wofford back to the free throw line with eight seconds remaining, but was only able to convert 1-of-2 to keep it a one-score contest. Hatton made the second of her shots and allowed Mercer to advance the ball with a timeout without losing any time off the clock. Mercer's first game-tying shot was off line, but Thayne collected the offensive rebound allowing the Bears a second chance to find an equalizer in the waning seconds. Thayne kicked the ball out to Dougherty in the right corner who, without hesitation, launched a three that rattled through the twine with less than three seconds left to tie the game and force a second overtime.

With 21 lead changes and 11 ties in the game, Mercer had decided that it had enough breath-taking, heart-stopping moments for one game and went on an 11-0 run through the first 4:12 of the second overtime and locked up the weekend sweep over Wofford.

Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On the team's success in overtime…
"I think we believe in each other and in the preparation. A lot of times, teams have had to have success in overtime to believe that they can win. These guys just never quit. There's something special about this group. It may not always be pretty or perfect, but we still find a way to get the job done."

On importance of tough games come March…
"It's been a season of experiences, these two games just happened to be at the end of February. Every game we've played against every opponent in the SoCon has been a learning experience because they've pretty much all been close games. This is a conference where anybody can win on any given night."

Player of the Game
Redshirt senior Jada Lewis was one of the key contributors down the stretch for the Bears as they picked up the win. The Powder Springs, Ga., native came close to recording a triple double as she finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the contest. Lewis made a career-high 10 field goals in the game, including a 4-of-9 performance from 3-point range. Her 3-pointer with 7:46 remaining in regulation snapped a 96:00 drought without a make from beyond-the-arc since Lewis hit from long range with 3:46 left in the second quarter against Western Carolina on Feb. 6.

Notables
» Mercer has won nine of its last 10 games.
» Mercer remained undefeated against Wofford at home with its ninth-consecutive win over the Terriers in Macon.
» The Bears are also perfect in overtime games this season, moving to 4-0.
» Today's contest was the first double-overtime game for Mercer since an 80-75 victory at Saint Louis on Nov. 28, 2014.
» At least one Mercer player has reached 20 points in 18 of the team's 20 games this season.
» The Bears took care of the ball as they committed a season-low four turnovers.
» Jill Harris recorded at least five assists for the sixth time this season and matched her season high with 38 minutes.
» Jada Lewis recorded career highs with 10 made field goals, 28 field goal attempts and eight assists.
» Lewis also tallied a season-high eight assists while posting her third game with four 3-pointers this season.
» Lewis gathered the 200th defensive rebound of her career.
» Lewis scored in double figures for the 16th time this season and 69th of her career while reaching 20 points for the 16th game of her career.
» Shannon Titus passed Dawn Jackson for 19th on Mercer's all-time scoring list and now has 1,127 career points.
» Titus also passed Andrea Congreaves to move into seventh in career steals with 207.
» Titus matched her career high with seven made free throws, while her 10 made field goals matched a season high.
» Titus tallied her 10th game with at least three assists this season and her fifth game with at least four steals.
» Jaron Dougherty played an astounding 47:56 in the game to set a new career high.
» Dougherty notched her team-leading eighth double-double of the year and 16th of her career with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
» Allie Thayne out-performed her previous season-high of nine rebounds from Friday night as her 11 boards today marked her first double-digit rebound game with Mercer.
» Thayne played a season-high 35 minutes in the game.

Up Next
Mercer wrap up another season at Hawkins Arena on Thursday as it hosts Samford in the battle for the Southern Conference regular season title. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+, as well as on the radio at 100.9 FM "The Creek" and the SportsMic app with the voice of the Bears, Rick Cameron, on the call.

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.