Sunday, November 16, 2008

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Nov. 16, 2008) - Coming off Saturday's 10-point season-opening loss at Evansville, the ETSU women's basketball team looks to bounce back and get into the win column when they face longtime in-state rival Chattanooga on Monday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside McKenzie Arena.

The Lady Bucs and Lady Mocs have a long history as they both were former rivals back in the SoCon. ETSU is looking to avenge last season's heartbreaking one-point loss to Chattanooga. ETSU led by a point when Shanara Hollinquest was fouled with 4.3 seconds remaining and the 6-0 post player knocked down both free throw attempts, giving UTC a 70-69 lead. The Lady Bucs had one last shot, but Siarre Evans' (Griffin, Ga.) desperation heave at the buzzer missed and Chattanooga escaped with the road victory.

Chattanooga will be playing its season-opener on Monday night, and the Lady Mocs have enjoyed great success as they have won nine consecutive SoCon regular season titles. In addition, the Lady Mocs have also enjoyed home court success - winning 82 of its last 93 contests in Chattanooga.

Chattanooga has a new look this season as they have lost five key players from last year's team that went 18-0 in conference play; however, the Lady Mocs have respect from their peers from around the league because Chattanooga was once again tabbed to win the Southern Conference. The Lady Mocs will be led by Hollinquest as she averaged 11.6 points and six rebounds a year ago. In its lone exhibition game, UTC downed Lee University, 72-49, thanks to Hollinquest's 24-point, 13-rebound effort, and sophomore guard Bailey Dewart finished with 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Fans unable to make the trip to Chattanooga can follow the action live online by visiting, https://www.nmnathletics.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17700.

Below are games notes for Monday's game…

ETSU vs. Chattanooga

Chattanooga leads the longest-lived series, 49-19. The series, which began in 1971, was a longtime rivalry when both teams were in the SoCon from 1983-2005. The Lady Mocs won the last meeting, 70-69, on Nov. 20, 2007 inside Memorial Center. Shanara Holinquest sank two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining and Siarre Evans' desperation three-pointer at the buzzer was wide left. Kelly Turman led the Lady Bucs off the bench, scoring a career-tying 21 points (10-of-16 shooting), while Michele DeVault finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Holinquest led the Lady Mocs with 17 points and Kristen Spann also contributed with 11 bench points.

Let's End This Drought...

Prior to ETSU's 55-50 win against Chattanooga in the 2005 SoCon Tournament (here in Chattanooga), the Lady Bucs have lost the last seven games played on the Lady Mocs' home floor.

More about Saturday's Game at Evansville

The 83 shot attempts by the Lady Bucs were the most taken in recent ETSU history, while Gwen Washington's 23 attempts were the most-ever taken by a Lady Buccaneer rookie ... Siarre Evans' 16-point, 11-rebound performance marked her 16th career double-double ... sophomore point guard Tara Davis set a new career high with 13 points (previous best was 12, at Alabama last year) ... newcomer Shannon White had a solid debut by grabbing six rebounds in 11 minutes of work.

Kemp Eyeing 200

Head coach Karen Kemp is in search of an important milestone … Kemp is currently six wins shy of reaching the 200-win mark … over the last three seasons Kemp has posted 59 victories and the Lady Bucs are in search of their first-ever fourth consecutive winning season … Kemp currently has posted a program-best 194 victories in her career.

Kemp Back to Her Old Stopping Grounds

Monday night's game in Chattanooga will bring back some good memories for head coach Karen Kemp. Kemp spent seven seasons (1987-94) here in Chattanooga as an assistant and helped guide the Lady Mocs to regular season SoCon titles in 1991 and 1992, while also winning the ‘88 and ‘92 SoCon Tournament titles as well.

Countdown to 1,000

Junior Siarre Evans has built an impressive resume over her first two seasons as a Lady Buc … the Griffin, Ga. native was named Atlantic Sun  Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Conference and Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team in her rookie season, and last season the sophomore was named First Team All-Conference and Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team … Evans enters this season only 168 points shy of becoming the 16th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau … the junior guard/forward was also a unanimous selection the 2008-09 Preseason All-Conference Team.

Lady Bucs Tabbed the A-Sun Favorite

For the first time since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference, the ETSU Lady Bucs were selected the league favorite in both the coaches and media polls … ETSU is also looking to become the first team since Georgia State (2001-03) to repeat as conference champions.

Calling all Seniors?

ETSU's rosters consists of four juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen, however, the Lady Bucs do not have a single senior on their team … the Lady Bucs are one of two team in the Atlantic Sun to not post at least one senior on their roster, with the other team being Florida Gulf Coast.

The Schedule of all Schedules

When fans look at ETSU's 2008-09 regular season slate they may be asking themselves what coach Kemp was thinking, as the Lady Bucs' schedule features seven teams who appeared in postseason play a year ago … ETSU hosts 12th-ranked and SEC favorite Vanderbilt, and travels to Evansville (WNIT participant), Chattanooga (NCAA participant), Georgia (NCAA participant), Kentucky (WNIT participant), Liberty (NCAA participant) and Florida Gulf Coast (WNIT participant) … of the Lady Bucs' eight non-conference opponents, six of them played in the postseason last year.

Belcher's Seeing Double

Last season Latisha Belcher posted three double-doubles in 33 games, and the junior post quickly carried the success over into this campaign as she posted a double-double effort in the Lady Bucs' lone exhibition game against Cumberlands. Belcher finished the night with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes versus the Patriots. The Martinsville native and 2008 Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 steals since joining the starting line up on Jan. 2 at Alabama last year.

New Season, New Faces

With a new season upon us the Lady Buccaneer family has some new faces, as coach Kemp brought in four new players and two coaches to her staff. Natalie Pickwell (Kingsport, Tenn.), Gwen Washington (Manassas, Va.), Shannon White (Kansas City, Kan.) and Natasha Dixon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) are the four new ETSU players, while Josh Wick and Kelvin Long are the newly acquired coaches to Kemp's staff. Wick comes to Johnson City after being an assistant at UNLV in 2007-08, and spent four years at North Carolina; while Long - who is not a new face to the Lady Bucs after being Kemp's graduate manager a year ago - took over as a new assistant in August.

Home Court Advantage

The Lady Bucs have won 29 of their last 37 home games; including 23 of their last 27 conference home contents … ETSU carries a six-game home winning streak into the 2008-09 season … throughout that six-game win streak, the Lady Buccaneers defeated the opposition by over 23 points (81.5 to 58.3) and forced the opponents into 24 turnovers as well.

Making History

The Lady Bucs made history last season as they went on a roll and won the Atlantic Sun regular season and tournament championships - resulting in their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. ETSU also set team records for most points scored in a season (2,478), rebounds (1,360), steals in a single-game (24, vs. Campbell), and tied program records for single-season wins (21) and consecutive wins in a season (8).

Chasing History

With ETSU being tabbed the conference favorite; the Lady Bucs will now venture out and look to become the first team since Georgia State (2001-03) to repeat as conference champions. By claiming the 2008 A-Sun Championship, the Lady Buccaneers became the fifth straight team to win its first-ever conference crown. In addition, ETSU is also looking to become the first team in school history to post its fourth consecutive winning season.

Wiles Watch

Junior guard/forward TaRonda Wiles enjoyed a break-out season as a sophomore. The versatile player nearly doubled her output in every statistical category and looks to carry the momentum into her third season as a Lady Buc. Wiles played in all 33 games (started 32) and averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27.3 minutes a year ago. The Danville, Va. native was also one of four ETSU players to be named to the Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team in Nashville.

Siarre's Soaring

For the second straight year Siarre Evans was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. In her first two years, the Griffin, Ga. native has also received First Team All-Conference honors and has positioned herself as one of the top players in the league. The junior guard has played in 65 games (starting 62) since arriving on campus and is averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in those games. Evans also has an outside shot of becoming only the third player in Lady Buccaneer history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, as she is 168 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point club and 529 rebounds short of eclipsing the 1,000 rebound mark.

Pack the House

The Lady Bucs will look to "Pack the House" on Friday, Nov. 21, when ETSU hosts 12th ranked Vanderbilt in its home opener. ETSU tries to break the attendance record - which was set at 1,236 - when the Lady Buccaneers defeated Kennesaw State, 81-77, on Feb. 2, 2008.

A Look Ahead

The Lady Bucs head home for their home-opener on Friday, Nov. 21, when 12th-ranked and SEC favorite, Vanderbilt, visits Memorial Center for a 7 p.m. tip. The two in-state teams have met only three previous times, with ETSU holding a slight 2-1 advantage. However, there has been a long layoff in the series, as both teams have not played since Jan. 28, 1982, when Vanderbilt defeated the Lady Bucs, 61-58, in Nashville.