Fending off Furman

Saturday, February 19

Greenville, SC

6:00 PM

Mercer University

19-6,12-1SoCon

Furman

15-11,8-4SoCon

Mercer

Furman

Photo by: Mark Olencki - Wofford Athletics

2/19/2022 8:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Bears spoil Furman's Senior Day, clinch Regular Season crown with 71-64 win

GREENVILLE, S.C. – In the final game of a tough road trip, Mercer couldn't afford to dwell on the previous game's big result. Quite simply, they didn't. The Bears (19-6, 12-1 SoCon) weathered a challenge from a daunting Furman side that had previously dealt them their lone SoCon setback.

Erin Houpt led the Bears with 22 points, while Shannon Titus and Amoria Neal-Tysor followed with 18 and 16, respectively.

In a game that featured 10 lead changes and wasn't decided until the Bears' game-ending 7-2 run, Mercer outrebounded the Paladins (15-11, 8-4 SoCon) by a 40-36 margin in a game that was decided inside the three-point arc. Titus pulled down eight boards, while Jaron Dougherty and Allie Thayne each nabbed nine to help carry the Bears out of Greenville with the win.

Grace Van Rij led Furman with 26 points and seven rebounds while Tierra Hodges – the three-time SoCon Player of the Month – tallied 18 points and grabbed nine boards.

How it Happened
Off claiming the tip, Mercer raced out to a 10-2 lead before the Paladins clawed back to make it as close as 10-8 before closing the quarter-ending margin to 15-11. Neal-Tysor notched six of her 16 in the opening frame, while Dougherty, Houpt and Titus tallied two apiece. The middle quarters were back-and-forth battles that saw Furman take a one-point lead into the break and Mercer eek a four-point edge going into the fourth.

Houpt tallied 20 between the second and fourth quarters to push Mercer to the edge. The Bears saw their four-point lead turn to a one-point deficit before momentum went Mercer's way. A Nigeria Harkless layup with under four minutes gave the Bears the lead for good. Six points from the free throw line by Houpt sealed the deal for the Orange & Black.

Quotables – Head Coach Susie Gardner
On the performance
"It was a back-and-forth game. It was a possession game the entire second half. I'm proud of the effort. Both teams were giving it their all on both ends of the floor – we had several players play 39-40 minutes for both teams. It came down to us hitting a few shots and getting stops and some rebounds. Furman's really good. We had a lot of help from our starters and entire bench."

Notables
• Since joining the SoCon in 2014-15, this is the sixth regular season championship season
• In Greenville, Mercer improved to 9-3 versus the Paladins
• Amoria Neal-Tysor has scored in double-digits in 12 of the 13 league games this season
• Erin Houpt – the SoCon's leader in 3s made -has hit at least two from distance in nine league games

Up Next
Mercer will close the regular season at Samford at 3 p.m. ET on February 26 in Birmingham, Ala. The game can be seen on ESPN+.

Follow the Bears:
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