Friday, November 23, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 23, 2007) - Coming off a one-point heartbreaking loss to in-state rival Chattanooga on Tuesday night, the ETSU women's basketball will look to rebound and get back into the win column when they host Evansville Saturday afternoon. Tip is set for 1:30 p.m. inside Memorial Center.

Below is breakdown of Saturday's match-up:

Lady Bucs Last Game

Chattanooga's Shanara Hollinquest hit a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining, and knocked off the Lady Bucs, 70-69, Tuesday night inside Memorial Center. ETSU outscored the Lady Mocs, 43-33, in the second half, and Kelly Turman (Atlanta) matched her career high with 21 points but it was not enough to pull off the comeback victory.

For the game, ETSU shot a season-high 45.6 percent from the field (26-57); while Chattanooga finished at 41.7 percent (25-60). The Lady Bucs ended the contest 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the free throw line, compared to 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) by the Lady Mocs. ETSU out-rebounded its opponent for the third straight game, winning the battle of the boards, 40-38.  

About Evansville

Evansville wraps up its four-game road swing Saturday afternoon with a trip to Memorial Center. The Purple Aces are currently 1-2 on the swing, and 2-2 overall this season. UE is coming off a 78-67 victory over Morehead State Monday evening. Senior guard Courtney Felke hit a school-record eight three-pointers, and scored a career-high 28 points in the win over the Eagles.

Like the Lady Bucs, Evansville also participated in the 2007 Preseason WNIT. Likewise, the Purple Aces finished 1-2 in the tournament, defeating Marshall, 89-77, then falling to 17th-ranked Michigan State, 73-53, and Western Kentucky, 75-56.

The Purple Aces return all five starters from last year's 19-12 squad and 12 players overall. Coach Tricia Cullop's team is picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2007-08; while senior guard Rebekah Parker was chosen as a preseason all-conference choice. Parker was one of only two players in Division I to lead her team in scoring, rebounding and steals last season.

The Series

This marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

ETSU vs. The MVC

The Lady Bucs are 1-1 overall against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference with ETSU's lone win coming against Indiana State. The last time the Lady Buccaneers faced a team from the MVC was on Dec. 16, 2000, when ETSU faced Bradley in the Denver Pioneer Classic.

Player Watch

Senior guard Kelly Turman has been a spark plug for the Lady Bucs. Turman scored 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting Tuesday night versus Chattanooga. The 21 points matched her career-high, which also came against the Lady Mocs on Jan. 29, 2005. The Atlanta, Ga. native is averaging 11.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17 minutes of work off the bench for ETSU. Turman has reached double figures in scoring in three of the first four games this season.

Evansville will be led by Courtney Felke who is averaging 15.3 points per game, and 4.5 treys per contest. Felke is coming off her career-high 28-point performance Monday night at Morehead State.

Broadcast Info

Fans can view the ETSU/Evansville game live via video streaming by clicking the ASun.TV link located above.

A Look Ahead

The Lady Bucs will have a week off before concluding their three-game and 2007 home swing, when ETSU hosts 2007 Big South Tournament Champion UNC Asheville Saturday, Dec. 1 at 1:30 p.m. The game marks the 17th meeting in the series, with the Lady Bucs winning 15 of the 16 contests. Evansville will finally return home and host Tennessee Tech Tuesday night.

Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on Lady Buccaneer basketball and all other ETSU athletic news.