After going 19-7 last season, women's basketball is starting the season with games against Wake Forest and Appalachian State.
Mercer v. Wake Forest
The women’s basketball team started their 2021-2022 basketball season Tuesday night against Wake Forest. The Bears lost a hard-fought game, 55-68.
In the first quarter, the Bears came out stronger than Wake Forest. They shot 50% from the field as well as the three-point line and shot 57.14% on foul shots, compared to the Demon Deacons’ 28% from the field, 0-5 behind the arc and 50% at the free-throw line.
In the second quarter, the Demon Deacons picked up their pace and didn’t let up for the rest of the game. In total, they shot 22 for 53 from the field, struggled with triples going 2 for 19 and went 22 for 30 at the free-throw line. The Bears went 19 for 56 from the field, 3 for 12 at the three-point line and 14 for 21 on free throws.
Jaron Dougherty led the Bears with 18 points along with 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Amoria Neal-Tysor had 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, while going 4 for 4 at the free-throw line. Shannon Titus led the team defensively with 4 steals and 6 defensive rebounds. Titus and Endia Banks each had 4 assists for the night. The Bears kept it close for most of the game, even tying the score twice, but couldn’t pull out a win.
Mercer v. Appalachian State
The team bounced back after the loss and beat Appalachian State Thursday night. It was a tight score throughout the whole game, but the Bears pulled away in the end 61-57.
As a team, the Bears had an impressive 60 rebounds: 24 offensively and 36 defensively. The game was tied twice, and Appalachian State took the lead once at the end of the third quarter, but the Bears pulled out the win and made their record 1-1 for the season so far.
Dougherty led statistically again, having 2 steals, 3 assists, 15 points and 20 rebounds for the Bears. Sierra Votaw also had an impressive game with 2 steals, 3 blocks, 10 rebounds and 2 assists. Votaw also added 15 of Mercer’s 61 points.
Mercer v. Troy
The Bears took the court again on Monday night and faced off against Troy University at Hawkins Arena. The team pulled out a 9-point win over the Trojans 75-66.
In the first few minutes of the game, the scoreboard was tight until Shannon Titus and Erin Gutierrez put up consecutive layups for the Bears, giving them the lead. The Bears had an impressive 23-point third quarter, shooting 60% from the field.
As a team, the Bears struggled at the 3-point line, only shooting 12.5%. They also went 43.1% from the field and 62.1% from the free-throw line. The score went back and forth between the two teams, with the lead changing five times and the game being tied twice.
Titus and Dougherty both had double-doubles — each having 13 rebounds — with Titus having 18 points and Dougherty having 19 points. The two had a combined 6 assists and 2 steals, while Titus blocked two of the Trojan’s shots.
Mercer will travel to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
