Friday, March 5
Asheville, N.C.
2:15 p.m.
Mercer University
18-6,10-3SoCon
81
vs
71
Furman (Semifinals)
11-14,6-8SoCon
1
2
3
4
F
Furman
16
16
15
24
71
Mercer
25
25
7
24
81
Photo by: Titouan Le Roux
Strong Start Sends Bears to SoCon Championship Game
3/5/2021 6:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mercer is headed to its fifth SoCon Championship game in the last six years
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Mercer women's basketball team earned its fifth berth to the Southern Conference Championship game in the last six years after a 50-point first half propelled the Bears past No. 6 Furman, 81-71, in the conference semifinals on Friday at the Harrah's Cherokee Center.
The Bears' offense came ready to play as they set season highs with 50 points and a 63.6 shooting percentage on 21-of-33 attempts from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor was nearly unstoppable in the first half, going for 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field while making 4-of-5 shots from beyond-the-arc. The Sanford, N.C., native finished with a career-high 34 points while matching her personal best of 13 made field goals.
Neal-Tysor was one of four Bears to score in double figures against the Paladins, along with Jaron Dougherty (17 pts.), Shannon Titus (16 pts.) and Jada Lewis (11 pts.). Dougherty collected a team-high seven rebounds, while Titus posted game highs with six assists and four steals. Lewis matched Titus with four steals in the game while adding four rebounds and three assists. Allie Thayne created numerous second chance opportunities for the Bears in the game as four of her five rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Mercer's defense was opportunistic throughout the game as it created 16 steals on 23 forced turnovers, resulting in 20 points. The Orange and Black wasted little time scoring when they earned their takeaways scoring 13 fast break points in the game. Both teams found success shooting the ball in the game as Furman made 27-of-50 attempts from the field (54.0 pct.), while Mercer finished shooting at a clip of 47.8 percent (33-of-69).
How It Happened
Similarly to Thursday's quarterfinal matchup against Western Carolina, Mercer started quickly and never looked back as the Bears led for 38:16 of the 40 minutes. The two sides traded baskets in the early going as Neal-Tysor knocked down jumpers on each of Mercer's first two possessions. The Paladins responded both times, first with a 3-pointer from Tate Walters and later with a layup by Celena Taborn. Taborn's basket gave Furman a 5-4 lead with 8:34 remaining in the opening period, which wound up being the last time the designated visitors would be ahead in the game.
Titus started the rally with a jumper to put Mercer back in control and turned a steal into a transition basket on the next possession. After a miss at the other end of the floor, Titus drained another jumper for her third field goal in less than a minute to put the Bears ahead, 10-5. The Paladins drew even at 10-all, but a 3-pointer and a second-chance layup by Neal-Tysor returned Mercer's five-point cushion. The Bears closed out the opening 10 minutes on a 15-6 run and led, 25-16, heading into the second.
The Bears stayed aggressive in the second quarter and pushed their advantage into double-digits for the first time with 7:48 remaining in the first half thanks to a transition score by Lewis that made it 29-18. Furman came back within seven points with just over four minutes remaining before the break, but Mercer caught fire once again to hold the Paladins at bay. Mercer utilized a 13-2 run, fueled by eight points from Neal-Tysor and five from Lewis, to stretch its lead to 18 heading into halftime.
Mercer opened the third quarter by taking its largest lead of the game in a 19-point advantage before the inevitable surge from Furman happened. The Paladins found their stroke from long range in the third quarter and made 3-of-5 attempts from beyond-the-arc to cut their deficit to 10 by the end of the period.
The Bears' resiliency showed through in the fourth quarter, however, as they prevented Furman from coming within six points over the final 10 minutes of the contest and earned their fifth trip to the SoCon Championship game in the last six seasons.
Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On opening statement…
"The first half was one of the best halves of basketball we've played all year. We were hitting shots, Amoria [Neal-Tysor] was 9-for-10 and our defense was great. We knew Furman was going to make a run, which they did, but we did not play the same way in the third quarter. We scored 25 points in the first quarter, 25 points in the second quarter and seven in the third. I don't know if it was letting your guard down or getting too comfortable, but whatever it is, it's not good enough for what we need to bring on Sunday. We're thrilled to be back in the championship, and our team is excited to have this opportunity."
On preparing for Wofford/SoCon Championship game…
"We've done it before and, honestly, I think that the turnaround from yesterday to today is a harder turnaround by far. To have a full day is not a problem for us. I've been in the SEC where they don't have a day between the semifinals and championship games. I think it's awesome. I think it's going to give both of us time to prepare, give both teams time to rest and have a better basketball game than you would if everyone was just trying to survive with their fatigue. We did it after we played Samford for the regular season championship. We played on a Thursday night, finished up at 9 p.m., and had to drive up to ETSU to play at noon on Saturday. If anything, that trip prepared us for this."
On who was a difference-maker for the team…
"The obvious answer is Amoria Neal-Tysor who was 9-for-10 in the first half. I'd say someone who is under the radar was Allie Thayne who guarded [Celena] Taborn all night. Obviously, Taborn still had a good game, but Allie did battle with her. Quite honestly, she is one of the main reasons we recruited Allie."
Assistant coach Ben Wierzba
Player of the Game
Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor stole the show once again as she scored a career-high 34 points to send the Bears back to the conference championship game. The Sanford, N.C., native reached 20 points in all five games played in her home state this season while matching her career high with 13 made field goals. She added a 5-of-10 shooting performance from beyond-the-arc and was a perfect 3-of-3 at the charity stripe. Neal-Tysor was virtually unstoppable in the first half as she dropped 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 makes on 3-point attempts.
Notables
» Mercer advanced to the SoCon Championship game for the fifth time in the last six years.
» The Bears improved to 14-4 all-time in the SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer remained perfect against the No. 6 seed (4-0) and versus Furman (3-0) in the SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer posted season highs in first half points (50) and first half shooting percentage (63.6 pct.; 21-of-33).
» The Bears remained perfect when scoring at least 70 points at 13-0, including a 4-0 mark when scoring at least 80 points.
» Four Bears scored in double figures for the fifth time this season.
» Mercer matched its season high with 16 steals in the game.
» Today's game was the first time this season that Mercer won a game when its opponent shot 50 percent or better from the field.
» Amoria Neal-Tysor scored a career-high 34 points in the game on 13-of-22 shooting from the field while matching her personal best in field goals made.
» Neal-Tysor picked up her third 30-point game of the season.
» Neal-Tysor hit at least four 3-pointers for the fourth-consecutive game.
» The Sanford, N.C., native has scored at least 20 points in all five games in her home state this season.
» Neal-Tysor notched her 10th 20-point performance of the year and fourth consecutive this afternoon.
» Neal-Tysor reached double figures for the 15th time this season.
» Neal-Tysor also hit a couple of milestones in the game as she recorded her 300th career field goal while setting single season personal bests in field goals made (142) and 3-pointers made (52).
» Jada Lewis collected a season-high four steals.
» Lewis scored in double figures for the 20th time this season.
» Shannon Titus dished out a game-high six assists to match her career high.
» Titus produced her seventh game with at least four steals on the year.
» Titus now has 219 steals in her career as she passed Christy Cogley and Sally Skeldon to move into fourth-place in Mercer's record book.
» Jaron Dougherty made her 400th career field goal.
» Dougherty reached double figures for the 19th time this season and 41st time in her career.
» Dougherty moved within 70 points of becoming the 28th member of Mercer's 1,000-point club as the Buford, Ga., native has accumulated 930 points throughout her career.
» Dougherty played in her 80th game with the Bears.
Up Next
The Bears will battle No. 4 Wofford for the Southern Conference championship on Sunday at noon at the Harrah's Cherokee Center. The game will be broadcast on select Nexstar stations as well as ESPN+. The SoCon Championship game will also be 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.
The Bears' offense came ready to play as they set season highs with 50 points and a 63.6 shooting percentage on 21-of-33 attempts from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor was nearly unstoppable in the first half, going for 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field while making 4-of-5 shots from beyond-the-arc. The Sanford, N.C., native finished with a career-high 34 points while matching her personal best of 13 made field goals.
Neal-Tysor was one of four Bears to score in double figures against the Paladins, along with Jaron Dougherty (17 pts.), Shannon Titus (16 pts.) and Jada Lewis (11 pts.). Dougherty collected a team-high seven rebounds, while Titus posted game highs with six assists and four steals. Lewis matched Titus with four steals in the game while adding four rebounds and three assists. Allie Thayne created numerous second chance opportunities for the Bears in the game as four of her five rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Mercer's defense was opportunistic throughout the game as it created 16 steals on 23 forced turnovers, resulting in 20 points. The Orange and Black wasted little time scoring when they earned their takeaways scoring 13 fast break points in the game. Both teams found success shooting the ball in the game as Furman made 27-of-50 attempts from the field (54.0 pct.), while Mercer finished shooting at a clip of 47.8 percent (33-of-69).
How It Happened
Similarly to Thursday's quarterfinal matchup against Western Carolina, Mercer started quickly and never looked back as the Bears led for 38:16 of the 40 minutes. The two sides traded baskets in the early going as Neal-Tysor knocked down jumpers on each of Mercer's first two possessions. The Paladins responded both times, first with a 3-pointer from Tate Walters and later with a layup by Celena Taborn. Taborn's basket gave Furman a 5-4 lead with 8:34 remaining in the opening period, which wound up being the last time the designated visitors would be ahead in the game.
Titus started the rally with a jumper to put Mercer back in control and turned a steal into a transition basket on the next possession. After a miss at the other end of the floor, Titus drained another jumper for her third field goal in less than a minute to put the Bears ahead, 10-5. The Paladins drew even at 10-all, but a 3-pointer and a second-chance layup by Neal-Tysor returned Mercer's five-point cushion. The Bears closed out the opening 10 minutes on a 15-6 run and led, 25-16, heading into the second.
4:43, 1st | 🐻 13 ⚔️ 10
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) March 5, 2021
Offense came out ♨️♨️♨️ as we're shooting 67% from the floor!
ANT (7 pts.) & Shannon (6 pts.) leading the way! #DefineYourMoment | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/fBtHj7qaLj
The Bears stayed aggressive in the second quarter and pushed their advantage into double-digits for the first time with 7:48 remaining in the first half thanks to a transition score by Lewis that made it 29-18. Furman came back within seven points with just over four minutes remaining before the break, but Mercer caught fire once again to hold the Paladins at bay. Mercer utilized a 13-2 run, fueled by eight points from Neal-Tysor and five from Lewis, to stretch its lead to 18 heading into halftime.
Summary of the first half 🙌#DefineYourMoment | @bballmori10 pic.twitter.com/F7K1kIASdx
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) March 5, 2021
Mercer opened the third quarter by taking its largest lead of the game in a 19-point advantage before the inevitable surge from Furman happened. The Paladins found their stroke from long range in the third quarter and made 3-of-5 attempts from beyond-the-arc to cut their deficit to 10 by the end of the period.
The Bears' resiliency showed through in the fourth quarter, however, as they prevented Furman from coming within six points over the final 10 minutes of the contest and earned their fifth trip to the SoCon Championship game in the last six seasons.
Headed back to the @SoConSports Championship! 💪#DefineYourMoment | #LightTheBridge pic.twitter.com/k3dWLliEmY
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) March 5, 2021
Quotables – Head coach Susie Gardner
On opening statement…
"The first half was one of the best halves of basketball we've played all year. We were hitting shots, Amoria [Neal-Tysor] was 9-for-10 and our defense was great. We knew Furman was going to make a run, which they did, but we did not play the same way in the third quarter. We scored 25 points in the first quarter, 25 points in the second quarter and seven in the third. I don't know if it was letting your guard down or getting too comfortable, but whatever it is, it's not good enough for what we need to bring on Sunday. We're thrilled to be back in the championship, and our team is excited to have this opportunity."
On preparing for Wofford/SoCon Championship game…
"We've done it before and, honestly, I think that the turnaround from yesterday to today is a harder turnaround by far. To have a full day is not a problem for us. I've been in the SEC where they don't have a day between the semifinals and championship games. I think it's awesome. I think it's going to give both of us time to prepare, give both teams time to rest and have a better basketball game than you would if everyone was just trying to survive with their fatigue. We did it after we played Samford for the regular season championship. We played on a Thursday night, finished up at 9 p.m., and had to drive up to ETSU to play at noon on Saturday. If anything, that trip prepared us for this."
On who was a difference-maker for the team…
"The obvious answer is Amoria Neal-Tysor who was 9-for-10 in the first half. I'd say someone who is under the radar was Allie Thayne who guarded [Celena] Taborn all night. Obviously, Taborn still had a good game, but Allie did battle with her. Quite honestly, she is one of the main reasons we recruited Allie."
Assistant coach Ben Wierzba
Player of the Game
Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor stole the show once again as she scored a career-high 34 points to send the Bears back to the conference championship game. The Sanford, N.C., native reached 20 points in all five games played in her home state this season while matching her career high with 13 made field goals. She added a 5-of-10 shooting performance from beyond-the-arc and was a perfect 3-of-3 at the charity stripe. Neal-Tysor was virtually unstoppable in the first half as she dropped 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 makes on 3-point attempts.
Mori with her 🔟th 20-point performance of the season...HALF of which have come in her home state of North Carolina! 🏡#DefineYourMoment | @bballmori10 pic.twitter.com/P7aqTrM6GT
— Mercer Women's Basketball (@Mercer_WBB) March 5, 2021
Notables
» Mercer advanced to the SoCon Championship game for the fifth time in the last six years.
» The Bears improved to 14-4 all-time in the SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer remained perfect against the No. 6 seed (4-0) and versus Furman (3-0) in the SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer posted season highs in first half points (50) and first half shooting percentage (63.6 pct.; 21-of-33).
» The Bears remained perfect when scoring at least 70 points at 13-0, including a 4-0 mark when scoring at least 80 points.
» Four Bears scored in double figures for the fifth time this season.
» Mercer matched its season high with 16 steals in the game.
» Today's game was the first time this season that Mercer won a game when its opponent shot 50 percent or better from the field.
» Amoria Neal-Tysor scored a career-high 34 points in the game on 13-of-22 shooting from the field while matching her personal best in field goals made.
» Neal-Tysor picked up her third 30-point game of the season.
» Neal-Tysor hit at least four 3-pointers for the fourth-consecutive game.
» The Sanford, N.C., native has scored at least 20 points in all five games in her home state this season.
» Neal-Tysor notched her 10th 20-point performance of the year and fourth consecutive this afternoon.
» Neal-Tysor reached double figures for the 15th time this season.
» Neal-Tysor also hit a couple of milestones in the game as she recorded her 300th career field goal while setting single season personal bests in field goals made (142) and 3-pointers made (52).
» Jada Lewis collected a season-high four steals.
» Lewis scored in double figures for the 20th time this season.
» Shannon Titus dished out a game-high six assists to match her career high.
» Titus produced her seventh game with at least four steals on the year.
» Titus now has 219 steals in her career as she passed Christy Cogley and Sally Skeldon to move into fourth-place in Mercer's record book.
» Jaron Dougherty made her 400th career field goal.
» Dougherty reached double figures for the 19th time this season and 41st time in her career.
» Dougherty moved within 70 points of becoming the 28th member of Mercer's 1,000-point club as the Buford, Ga., native has accumulated 930 points throughout her career.
» Dougherty played in her 80th game with the Bears.
Up Next
The Bears will battle No. 4 Wofford for the Southern Conference championship on Sunday at noon at the Harrah's Cherokee Center. The game will be broadcast on select Nexstar stations as well as ESPN+. The SoCon Championship game will also be 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.
Team Stats
Furman
Mercer
FG%
.540
.478
3FG%
.294
.400
FT%
.706
.900
RB
31
30
TO
23
10
STL
3
16
Game Leaders
Pts
34
FGM
13
3FGM
5
FTM
3
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
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