Bears to take on Wofford in conference championship Sunday after semi-final win

The Mercer Bears women’s basketball team is heading back to the Southern Conference title game for the second time in three seasons after a 81-71 win over the Furman Paladins.

Mercer got out to a hot start and went into the half up by 18 points. After struggling in the third quarter and allowing the Paladins to cut the lead to single digits, the Bears closed the game strong to hang on for the win.

Here are three takeaways from Mercer’s win over Furman and a look ahead to the Bears showdown with Wofford on Sunday at noon at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

1. Feed the hot hand

Amoria Neal-Tysor has been the catalyst for the Bears success through the first two games of the SoCon tournament. In the quarterfinal matchup against Western Carolina, Neal-Tysor scored 27 points. The junior guard followed up that performance with a career high 34 points against Furman on Friday.

Neal-Tysor has hit nine 3-pointers in the first two games of the tournament, which has been a key in outpacing the competition. Against Western Carolina, she had one more three than the entire Catamounts’ team and against Furman she tied the Paladins with five. Her ability to score at will over the last two games could power the Bears to an NCAA tournament bid if she continues at this torrid pace on Sunday.

2. Defensive player of the year showcase

Shannon Titus has taken home the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons and for good reason. The senior forward has great lengthy to swat the ball away on blocks and has good instincts when it comes to getting steals.

Her ability to lock down the other team’s best player game in and game out is the single biggest reason that the Bears are in a position to head back to the NCAA tournament.

Head Coach Susie Gardner has been able to count on Titus to shut down the other team’s top player and force the role players to beat the Bears, something that hasn’t happened often this season.

3. Back on the big stage

This Mercer program is no stranger to success. Gardner coached this team to back-to-back undefeated SoCon seasons and a pair of SoCon titles. The Bears are only one year removed from that success.

Mercer struggled last season and failed to reach double digits wins for the first time since 2011. It was also the first time the Bears haven’t had a winning record since that 2011 season. This is a young group of players and outside of Titus were not key pieces on those two title runs.

Titus’ leadership as the only person used to the big stage of a SoCon title game will be key on Sunday against Wofford. The Bears are 2-0 against Wofford this season but both games came down to the wire. The first game was a 54-47 win and the second a 83-74 win in double overtime. Titus was the key in that game with 27 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Look for Gardner to rely heavily on Titus, Neal-Tysor and the Bears’ leading scorer Jaron Dougherty.

This story was originally published March 5, 2021 at 5:02 PM.