Mercer Dazzles on Diploma Day

Saturday, February 12

Macon, Ga.

2:00 PM

Mercer University

17-6,10-1SoCon

UNCG

6-17,2-8SoCon

UNC Greensboro

Mercer

Photo by: Kayla Davis

2/12/2022 5:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Bears rout Spartans, 75-43, to close out home slate

MACON, Ga. – For the final home game of the season, the Mercer Bears had a big win when they needed one. Following a disappointing performance on Thursday night, Mercer (17-6, 10-1 SoCon) took control in the second quarter and never looked back against UNCG. Amoria Neal-Tysor's near-triple-double paced the Mercer offense with 23 points and seven assists. Defensively, the Sanford, N.C. product pulled eight boards. Shannon Titus added 12 points and seven rebounds to the cause. Nigeria Harkless tallied 11 points and corralled five rebounds. Two freshmen – Kassidy Jones and Ashlee Locke – notched their first collegiate points in the contest, both in the final frame.

How it Happened
Following a first quarter that saw the Spartans (6-17, 2-8 SoCon) take the lead, the Bears seized the game's momentum for the remaining three. With Jaron Dougherty getting into foul trouble early, Neal-Tysor etched six points into the scorebook in the first quarter, with Erin Houpt adding a three. Neal-Tysor helped swing the pendulum Mercer's way with 13 in a second quarter that featured a 12-0 scoring run that lasted north of four minutes to hold an eleven-point lead going into the intermission.

Not letting up from their 23-point second quarter, the Bears started the third with a 6-0 run that spanned to the media break (4:49) before UNCG could get a bucket in. Titus' eight points in the third led the Orange & Black to a 25-point advantage going into the final quarter. Mercer closed out the Spartans with the help of two freshmen – Jones and Locke – who combined for eight points to lead the home team.

The Bears outrebounded UNCG 46-32. In addition, the home team took advantage of the miscues by the Spartans with 14 points off turnovers and notching 14 second-chance points – doubling up UNCG in the category.

Quotables – Head Coach Susie Gardner
On the game
"Amoria kept us in the game in the first half with 19 points. We got in a little foul trouble in the first half and I'm proud of how we maneuvered. I thought our defense was outstanding. They're the best rebounding team in the conference and one of our goals was to out-rebound them, and we did: 46-32. That was a big deal for us. I just felt like we were focused defensively, which led to our offense."

On the impact of the graduating class
"With the way times are now, it's not like you bring in one class as freshmen and they're with you for all four years. You have Amoria and Jaron who fit that category. You have a junior college transfer with Allie and then three grad transfers. It's a melting pot with the team. What's so great about this team is that you can bring players for four years and then one year, but all mesh together."

Notables
• Amoria Neal-Tysor has scored 20 or more in six of 11 league games
• Mercer finished the home slate at 8-3
• For the ninth time in 10 seasons, the Bears finished .500 or better at home
• Since 2015-16, Mercer has logged 10 or more league wins in every season but one

Up Next
Mercer will venture to upstate South Carolina for the penultimate road trip, meeting Wofford at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on February 17. Tipoff with the Terriers is set for 7 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.