Mercer's women's basketball team traveled to Athens Thursday to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bears came up short of the win with a final score of 52-67.
The Bears struggled to shoot as a team, going 33.3% from behind the arc and 29.8% from the field. 16 of the Bears’ points came from the free-throw line where they shot 80%. The score was tied twice, and the lead changed a total of 7 times throughout the night in what was a close matchup despite the final score.
Even though they lost, the Bears put up a fight against a top-tier program. Mercer’s defense held strong, holding the Dawgs to 67 points, their lowest total of the season so far. Georgia had previously scored 78 points against Furman and 97 against Gardner-Webb.
Amoria Neal-Tysor scored 19 points for the Bears and had 7 rebounds. Shannon Titus and Endia Banks also contributed heavily to rebounds with a combined 11. Shannon also chipped in 12 points, 3 steals and 2 blocks.
The matchup marks the second close game played by Mercer's women's team against a strong Power 5 opponent, the first coming against Wake Forest in the season opener. With their two games against more balanced opponents resulting in wins, the season still looks promising for the Bears.
Mercer will be on the road again this Sunday as they take on Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
