ASHEVILLE, N.C.. -- Amoria Neal-Tysor scored 26 points and Mercer rode a blistering third quarter effort to beat Furman, 73-54, in the women's Southern Conference Championship game Sunday afternoon at Harrah's Cherokee Center.

The victory earned Mercer (23-6), the SoCon regular season champion, the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  The loss was the second setback to Mercer in championship game play in the last four seasons for Furman (19-12).

Furman got a game high 20-point performance from Tate Walters.  Grace van Rij followed with 12 points, and Tierra Hodges, the league's player of the year, finished with 11 points.

Walters and Hodges were named to the SoCon All-Tournament first team, and van Rij collected second team laurels.

Furman took a 25-24 lead into halftime after Tate Walters collected a loose ball under her own basket, dribbled over mid-court, and launched a running one-hander from above the circle that ripped the net for a 3-pointer as time expired.

It was a different story in the decisive third quarter, however, as Mercer combined 11-of-15 shooting with stout defense to outscore Furman 30-4 in the period and take total control.

Erin Houpt led the charge, connecting on 5-of-7 shots in the frame, including a pair of 3-pointers, for all 12 of her points.

The Bears opened the second half with a Houpt 3-pointer for a 27-25 lead.  After Walters answered with Furman's only basket of the period, Mercer rode a decisive 24-0 blitz, capped by a Shannon Dougherty 3-pointer, to go up 51-27 with 2:06 remaining in the period.

The big third period keyed Mercer to a 52.8 percent shooting effort (28x53).  The Bears were also a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line.

Furman shot just 18-of-52 from the field (34.6 percent).

Hodges, who had played all but three minutes and 14 seconds in Furman's last seven games, was limited due to foul trouble, registering 30 minutes of court time before checking out in the final minute.  Hodges finished the tournament with 51 points and 42 rebounds.

Walters connected on 7-of-14 shots, including 3-of-6 3-pointers, and 3-of-4 free throws in 36 minutes.  She totaled 58 points and 15 points in the Paladins' three tournament contests.