BACK ON TOP! Mercer Claims 2021 SoCon Crown

Sunday, March 7

Asheville, N.C.

12 p.m.

Mercer University

19-6,10-3SoCon

Wofford (Championship)

13-11,7-7SoCon

Wofford

Mercer

Photo by: Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com

3/7/2021 4:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

The Bears won their third SoCon Tournament title in the last four seasons

By: Stephen Waldman

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Mercer women's basketball team captured its third Southern Conference Tournament Championship in the last four years with a 60-38 victory over No. 4 Wofford at Harrah's Cherokee Center on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Bears earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, securing the automatic bid from the SoCon.

Mercer led wire-to-wire and defended Wofford exceptionally well as a team, allowing the Terriers to score just 38 points in the game to set a new SoCon Championship Game record. The Orange and Black also posted the largest margin of victory in the championship game since 2014 when Chattanooga defeated Davidson by 26 points, 71-45.

The Bears prevented any of the Terriers' players to reach double figures while limiting Wofford to shooting just 24.5 percent (13-of-53) from the field, marking just the third time this season Mercer held its opposition under 25 percent from the floor. The team's perimeter defense played a large factor in that as well, holding the Terriers to just 4-of-16 (25.0 pct.) from beyond-the-arc. It was the 15th time this season a Mercer opponent shot 25.0 percent or worse on 3-pointers.

Shannon Titus, the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year each of the past two years, held down the fort in Mercer's defensive end, gathering 10 rebounds while blocking four shots and earning a steal.

Three Bears scored in double figures in the game, led by Jaron Dougherty's game-high 19 points. Amoria Neal-Tysor added 16 points of her own, while Jada Lewis chimed in with 13 points. Dougherty collected her 10th double-double of the year with 11 rebounds in the title matchup, while adding a career-high six steals on the defensive end of the floor. Allie Thayne played a huge role in the team's offensive efforts in the game as well with six of her seven rebounds coming on the offensive glass.

How It Happened
Dougherty knocked down a mid-range jumper off a feed from Thayne to open the scoring 22 seconds into the game after the 6-2 forward pulled down her first of six offensive rebounds in the contest. The two conference finalists battled it out throughout the first six minutes of the game as a Niyah Lutz 3-pointer knotted things up at 7-all heading into the media timeout.

The Bears regained control with 2:47 remaining in the opening period on another bucket by Dougherty before Jill Harris cut to the basket for a layup to make it 11-7. Neither side waivered as the Bears hung on to a 15-12 advantage after the opening period. The Terriers managed to cut the Mercer lead down to one on multiple occasions in the second quarter, but the Bears always had an answer.

Wofford's Hellen Matthews hit a layup to make it a 19-18 game with 6:46 remaining in the half, but eight-straight points by the second-seeded Bears sent them into the break with a 27-18 lead. That confidence carried over into the second half as Mercer scored the first 20 points of the third quarter to cap a 28-0 run and put the Bears comfortably ahead with 12-and-a-half-minutes standing in between them and their third conference title in the last four years. Over that remarkable run, Dougherty scored 11 points, while Neal-Tysor went for nine. Lewis added a pair of treys for six points on the run, while Titus and Jill Harris both hit free throws over that span.

The excitement in the building was palpable with each passing possession, both on the Mercer bench and for the hundred-or-so Bears supporters in attendance at Harrah's Cherokee Center. Mercer extended its lead up to 30 late in the fourth quarter as Coach Gardner was able to empty her bench and greet each of her veterans with a hug as they came off the court in excitement.

The Bears closed out the game comfortably and stormed the court as the buzzer sounded, marking the team's remarkable turnaround from winning just eight games a season ago to reclaiming their title as Southern Conference Champions.

Player of the Game
Jaron Dougherty worked hard on both ends of the floor to guide the Bears to victory, recording 19 points, 11 rebounds and six steals, all of which were game highs. The Buford, Ga., native picked up her 10th double-double of the season while setting a new career high in steals. She produced Mercer's third six-steal game of the year, joining Shannon Titus who accomplished the feat against Western Kentucky (Dec. 18) and Chattanooga (Jan. 28). Additionally, Dougherty moved within 51 points of becoming the 28th and newest member of the 1,000-point club at Mercer as she has accumulated 949 points throughout her career.

Most Outstanding Player
Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor shot the lights out of Harrah's Cherokee Center this weekend, averaging 25.7 points over the three games while shooting 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the field and 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from 3-point range. The Sanford, N.C., native scored 27 points against Western Carolina in the quarterfinals before going off for a career-high 34 versus Wofford in the semifinals. She added 16 points in today's championship game while knocking down multiple triples in every game.

Quotables
Head Coach Susie Gardner

Mercer Athletics · Mercer WBB Postgame SoCon Championship vs. Wofford 03 07 2021_Coach Gardner

Redshirt Senior Jada Lewis

Mercer Athletics · Mercer WBB Postgame SoCon Championship vs. Wofford 03 07 2021_Jada Lewis

Junior Jaron Dougherty

Mercer Athletics · Mercer WBB Postgame SoCon Championship vs. Wofford 03 07 2021_Jaron Dougherty

Notables
» Mercer won its third Southern Conference Tournament Championship in the last four years.
» The Bears were one of four teams to punch their ticket to the Big Dance so far, along with Belmont (OVC), N.C. State (ACC) and South Carolina (SEC).
» Mercer set a SoCon Championship Game record for fewest points allowed with 38.
» Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
» Neal-Tysor was one of four Bears named to the All-Tournament teams. She was joined on the first team by Jaron Dougherty and Jada Lewis, while Shannon Titus collected second team honors.
» Mercer saw its streak of 16 consecutive games with at least one player scoring 20 or more points snapped.
» The Bears won the opening tip for the 17th time this season, improving to 16-1 in those games.
» Mercer is a perfect 15-0 this season when leading after three quarters.
» The Bears held Wofford to a 24.5 field goal percentage, its third-lowest of the season. It was also Mercer's sixth time holding an opponent under 30 percent from the floor in a game.
» Mercer's eight turnovers marked the 13th game this season the Bears had single-digit turnovers.
» The Bears improved to 17-3 on the year when three or more players score in double figures.
» Dougherty collected her 10th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
» Dougherty set a new career high with six steals in the game.
» Dougherty reached 90 steals for her career while also pulling down her 500th rebound.
» Dougherty scored in double figures for the 20th game of her junior campaign and 42nd of her career.
» Titus has blocked at least 40 blocks in each of the last three seasons.
» Lewis produced her team-leading 21st game in double figures this year and the 74th of her career.
» The Powder Springs, Ga., native dished out her 250th career assist in the game.
» Neal-Tysor became the 12th player in Mercer history to make at least 100 career 3-pointers.
» Neal-Tysor scored in double figures for the 35th time in her career.
» Neal-Tysor dropped at least 10 points in all six games in her home state of North Carolina this season and is averaging 25.5 points per game in the Tar Heel state.
» Titus posted four blocks in a game for the third time this season.
» Titus has blocked at least 40 blocks in each of the last three seasons.
» Titus tallied her 150th career block, becoming the third player in program history to reach the milestone.
» Titus also recorded 70 assists in a season for the second time in her career after dishing out 73 as a sophomore in 2018-19.
» Sydneey Boykin recorded her fourth steal of the SoCon Tournament in the title game.
» Boykin forced a turnover in all three games in Asheville this weekend and has 10 on the season.

Up Next
The Bears will depart for San Antonio, Texas to compete in the NCAA Tournament with the first round starting on March 21-22. Mercer will learn its fate for the Big Dance on Monday, March 15, during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, which will air on ESPN at 7 p.m.

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.