Sunday, January 31, 2010

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 31, 2010) - The ETSU women's basketball team will look to go for the series sweep over Belmont on Monday evening, as the in-state rivals square off inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center. Tip time is set for 4:45 p.m.

ETSU (12-7, 10-1 in A-Sun) defeated the Bruins by 14, 81-67, back on Jan. 23 inside the Curb Event Center, and a Lady Buccaneer win on Monday would mark the third consecutive series sweep by the Blue and Gold.

The Lady Bucs closed out the month of January on a high note, as ETSU won eight straight games since dropping an 85-78 stunner at USC Upstate back on Jan. 4 in Spartanburg. In nine games last month, ETSU averaged 82.4 points per game and outscored its opponents by 15.6 points per contest.  

On Saturday, the Lady Bucs picked up their first series sweep in 2009-10 with the 82-59 victory over Lipscomb. Five ETSU players scored in double figures with senior TaRonda Wiles (Danville, Va.) leading the way at 18 points. However, it was the bench play that sparked the Lady Bucs, as Tara Davis (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) finished with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists and freshman guard Johneshia Good (Johnson City) scored a career-high 10 points in 14 minutes.

Belmont (11-9, 6-6 in A-Sun) is coming off an 11-point win at Campbell on Saturday afternoon, 70-59. Junior guard Shaunda Strayhorn led the Bruins with 25 points and five assists, while sophomore post Haley Nelson added 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in 22 minutes.

ETSU leads the all-time series, 8-5, and the Lady Bucs have won the last five meetings by an average of 19 points per game.

Fans unable to make the trip to Johnson City can watch all the action live through ASun.TV and live stats will be offered at ETSUBucs.com.   

In addition, ETSU students who attend Monday's contest - along with a handful of selected Lady Buccaneer games - will have a chance to win a Nintendo Wii and enter a drawing for a $1,000 cash giveaway, which will be announced at the last regular season game on Feb. 22. Each time ETSU students attend a Lady Buccaneer game, they will have an opportunity to enter the drawing for more chances to win the cash prize at the end of the season against USC Upstate.

For more information on Lady Buccaneer basketball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.