Holding off Western Carolina

Thursday, February 10

Macon, Ga.

7:00 PM

Mercer University

16-6,9-1SoCon

Western Carolina

6-18,0-10SoCon

Western Caro.

Mercer

Photo by: James Thomas

2/10/2022 9:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Bears pull away from Catamounts, 46-40

MACON, Ga. – In the penultimate game of the home slate, Mercer escaped an upset bid from Western Carolina at Hawkins Arena on Thursday night. Jaron Dougherty led the Bears (16-6, 9-1 SoCon) in scoring with 11 points and corralled eight boards. Amoria Neal-Tysor and Erin Houpt each added 10 points on the night, while Shannon Titus tallied eight and claimed a team-high nine rebounds. Endia Holliday led the visiting Catamounts (6-18, 0-10) with 10 points and nine boards.

How it Happened
Despite Mercer winning the tip, Western Carolina claimed the early momentum and raced to a 6-5 lead to go into the second. A Neal-Tysor jumper at the second's halfway point gave Mercer a lead it would not relinquish during an 11-1 run that would carry into the intermission. In the second, Mercer kept the Catamounts off the scoreboard for 5:05 in the 18-8 in the second stanza.

Neal-Tysor notched half of her 10 in the third – which included a shot from distance. In the final frame, Mercer withstood Western Carolina's highest scoring frame – 18 notched – to keep it too close for comfort. Five points and a pair of boards from Dougherty helped secure the ninth league win of the season for the Bears.

Quotables – Head Coach Susie Gardner
On the game
"We shot 15% in the first quarter and 18 in the fourth. Fortunately for us, it was a six-point game and they were 5-for-17 from the free throw line. Just disappointed in our consistency, our lack of consistency. We have to shoot the ball better on Saturday. We need to rebound better, we got outrebounded by 14. As much as I try to take positives from a game, I'm really struggling to find a lot of positives from this win."

Up Next
Mercer will celebrate Diploma Day and honor its eight graduates when they welcome UNCG to Hawkins Arena. Tipoff with the Spartans is slated for 2 p.m.

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.