Preparing for the Paladins

Thursday, January 20

Macon, Ga.

7:00 PM

Mercer University

Furman

Photo by: James Thomas

1/19/2022 6:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Furman to visit Hawkins Arena for a battle with the Bears

MACON, Ga. – In their third conference contest in just a five-day stretch, Mercer will welcome the Furman Paladins to the friendly confines of Hawkins Arena on Thursday evening. The Bears enter the game with an unscathed 4-0 league record, while Furman comes with a 1-1 mark.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Teams: Mercer Bears (11-5, 4-0 SoCon) vs. Furman Paladins (8-8, 1-1 SoCon)
Date: Thursday, January 20, 2021 • 7 p.m.
Location: Macon, Ga. • Hawkins Arena
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Sybil Blalock and Luke Winstel
Radio: 100.9 FM – The Creek / SportsMic
Radio Talent: "The Voice of the Bears" Rick Cameron
Twitter Updates: @Mercer_WBB

Last Time Out
Mercer defeated ETSU behind a strong third quarter, 66-54, on Monday afternoon in Macon. Four Bears – Endia Banks, Jaron Dougherty, Amoria Neal-Tysor and Shannon Titus – put up double digits in points to separate Mercer from the visiting Bucs. Dougherty, a senior forward, pulled a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards to lead the Bears. Super-senior, Titus, snagged seven rebounds and dished three assists on the day. As a team, Mercer utilized 33 points off turnovers and second chances.

Series History
Mercer and Furman are meeting for the 26^th time. The Bears have the 20-5 series advantage, including nine of 11 in Macon and have only dropped two since joining the SoCon. A season ago, Mercer took all three meetings – two regular season and the SoCon semifinals in Asheville, N.C.– en route to the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Neal-Tysor tallied 34 points and Dougherty dropped 17 and pulled seven rebounds in that conference tournament game in the 81-71 win.

New Season, New Bears
There will be plenty of new faces at Hawkins Arena for the 2021-22 season, as Mercer welcomes eight new student-athletes – Kinley Fisher, Endia Banks, Erin Houpt, Erin Gutierrez, Kassidy Jones, Nigeria Harkless, Ashlee Locke and Lauren McNamara-Clement – to campus.

Scouting the Paladins
Furman is led by twice-named SoCon Player of the Month, Tierra Hodges, a fifth year from Covington, Ga. The guard/forward is averaging 20.0 points and 12.0 boards through the Paladins' two league games, including 9-for-11 from the charity stripe and her 16.4 ppg ranks second in the league. Additionally, her 174 rebounds lead the league.

Tate Walters - a sophomore guard - has created chances for the Furman offense, leading the squad with 50 assists – including nine in their two league games - as well as swiping away 25 from opponents.

Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer 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.