Mercer Departs for Pair of Games at Western Carolina

Thursday, February 4

Cullowhee, N.C.

6 P.M.

Mercer University

Western Carolina

Photo by: Kayla Davis

Mercer Departs for Pair of Games at Western Carolina

2/3/2021 6:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball

The Bears begin their four-game road trip on Thursday at 6 p.m.

By: Stephen Waldman

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Women's Basketball team prepares for its final four-game road trip of the season that begins with a pair of games at Western Carolina this weekend in Cullowhee, N.C. The games are scheduled for Thursday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.) and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 | 6 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (11-5, 5-2 SoCon) at Western Carolina (5-10, 2-3 SoCon)
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. | Ramsey Center
Live Stats: catamountsports.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Daniel Hooker and Jeff Bryson
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Western Carolina

Date: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (12-5, 6-2 SoCon) at Western Carolina (5-11, 2-4 SoCon)
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. | Ramsey Center
Live Stats: catamountsports.com/livestats
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Daniel Hooker and Jeff Bryson
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Western Carolina

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.

Pair of Bears with 1,000 Points
Redshirt senior Jada Lewis (1,226 pts.) and senior Shannon Titus (1,045 pts.) are two of the 154 active players in Division I to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone in their careers.

Mercer is one of 32 schools in the nation with multiple 1,000-point scorers on its team. Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio, Syracuse and Tennessee Tech all have three 1,000-point scorers on their active rosters, while Air Force, Alabama, Bradley, Clemson, East Carolina, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa State, Maine, 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.

The Buck Stops Here
Senior Shannon Titus has been a premier defender for the Bears throughout the 2020-21 season after earning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior. The Johns Creek, Ga., native leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally with 48 steals, while her 27 blocks are the second-most in the SoCon and 38th in Division I. She is the only player in the country with at least 40 steals and 20 blocks.

This is nothing new for Titus has she ranks third in Mercer history for career blocks (137) and eighth in career steals (198). Titus is the only player to appear in both top-10 lists.

Packing a Punch
Juniors Jaron Dougherty (267 pts./16.7 ppg) and Amoria Neal-Tysor (257 pts./16.1 ppg) have provided a hard-hitting 1-2 punch for the Bears on the offensive end of the floor, holding two of the top-four spots in the SoCon for both total points and points per game. Dougherty has scored the second-most points in the conference this year while maintaining the third-best scoring average, while Neal-Tysor ranks directly behind her in both categories.

Top Defensive Performances of 2020-21
The Bears put together one of the best defensive performances in Division I basketball this season when they held the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs to 27 points in a 77-27 win on Dec. 15. It was the fifth-fewest points allowed against a Division I opponent this season and only the ninth time a D1 team scored under 30 points in a game.

Mercer held Chattanooga to 42 points on Thursday for its fourth game allowing fewer than 50 points this season. The other three games were on Dec. 5 (78-25 vs. Covenant), Dec. 15 (77-27 vs. S.C. State) and Jan. 14 (53-43 at UNCG).

Pts. (Score)    School-Opponent                            Date
23 (23-79)         UMass Lowell at #3 UConn               12/12/20
24 (24-117)        McNeese at #7 Baylor                        12/19/20
26 (26-71)         Samford at #13 Indiana                   12/3/20
26 (26-112)        NW State at #9 Texas A&M                12/28/20
27 (27-77)       S.C. State at Mercer                          12/15/20
28 (28-98) S.C. State at #RV North Carolina    12/3/20
28 (28-87) NW State vs. Stephen F. Austin        1/20/21
29 (29-88) New Orleans at Stephen F. Austin   1/2/21
30 (30-99) Sacred Heart at Rutgers                     12/20/20

Last Time Out
Mercer saw its five-game winning streak snapped with a 69-60 setback against Chattanooga at Hawkins Arena on Saturday.

Senior Shannon Titus led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field, in addition to 7-of-10 makes from the charity stripe. The Johns Creek, Ga., native added a game-high three steals and two assists in the game. Redshirt senior Jada Lewis joined Titus in double figures with 10 points while dishing out a game-high five assists. Juniors Jaron Dougherty and Allie Thayne were busy on the glass today, leading the Bears with 11 and six rebounds, respectively.

The Bears struggled to contain Chattanooga's offense throughout the game as the Mocs shot 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the field. UTC found its way to the rim often in the second meeting between the two teams, scoring 42 of its 69 points in the paint. The Mocs flipped the script on the glass from Thursday, taking a 40-30 advantage in rebounds. Chattanooga displayed a balanced offense as five players scored in double figures: Abbey Cornelius (14 pts.), Sigrum Olafsdottir (12 pts.), Bria Dial (12 pts.), Eboni Williams (10 pts.) and Amaria Pugh (10 pts.).

Series History
The Bears are 18-1 all-time against Western Carolina, including a 13-1 mark since joining the Southern Conference in 2014-15. Mercer won the first 17 meetings between the two teams, the program's longest winning streak against a single opponent, before the Catamounts picked up their first win in the series on their home court on Feb. 1 last season.

Mercer rebounded 26 days later with a 60-54 victory in Hawkins Arena. In that game, Shannon Titus went off for a game-high 26 points on 10-of- 27 shooting while adding eight rebounds, six steals, three blocks and three assists. Jaron Dougherty chimed in with 19 points and seven rebounds in the victory, in addition to blocking three shots. Jill Harris dished out a game-high seven assists.

Scouting the Catamounts
Western Carolina enters its weekend series with Mercer well rested after both games against ETSU were postponed. The Catamounts boast a 5-10 overall record on the 2020-21 season, including a 2-3 mark in the Southern Conference.

They have won both of their last two games, including a 65-54 victory over Wofford who was previously unbeaten in conference play. WCU was led by Lauren LaPlant, who scored a game-high 22 points on 6-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. Nadia Marshall added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Zanoria Cruz was the third Catamount to reach double figures with 10 points.

Cruz (11.1 ppg) and Kyla Allison (10.7 ppg) are the two Catamounts averaging double digit points on the season, while LaPlant is the squad's long-range threat with 25 of the WCU's 58 3-pointers. Allison has tallied a team-high 50 assists this season, while Marshall's 6.4 rebounds per game is the highest average on the team.

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.