Wednesday, November 27, 2002

RADFORD, Va. (November 27, 2002) - East Tennessee State's women's basketball team claimed a 72-60 victory at Radford University Wednesday night, as head coach Karen Kemp's Lady Buccaneers won their first game of the 2002-03 season. The first half was back and fourth as neither team grabbed more than a six-point lead. Radford (1-2)would see their largest lead of six at 9:19 of the first half, 22-16. The Buccaneers (1-2 retaliated with an 8-2 run to knot things up a 24 -- They would eventually grab the lead for good with another spurt, going up 37-31 with a 7-0 run late in the first half and take a four-point lead into the break. The Highlanders got within a field goal twice early in the second half, but were unable to get the tying bucket. After the 13-3 run put the Buccaneers up by 12, RU could not get the deficit under double-digits the rest of the game as they got cold, shooting 32.3 percent from the field and 60 percent from the line in the second half. ETSU was led by junior forward Lauren Trantham (Asheville, N.C.), who recorded her second double-double of the season with 11 rebounds and 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. Junior guard Kiya Verdell (Hartwell, Ga.) chipped in 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds, while senior forward Misty Copas (Kingsport, Tenn.) added 10 points to the winning effort. Sophomore Tiffani Mayes (Sumter, S.C.) got into foul trouble early in the second half, but managed nine points and eight rebounds, both career bests, in just 15 minutes on the court. Amanda Neby (Plymouth, Minn.) led the Highlanders with a game-best 20 points, including nine rebounds and three steals. Holly Sharkey (Westminster, Colo.) was the only other Highlander in double figures, scoring a career-high 10 points on 5-of-7 from the field. Sherri Rickman (Roanoke, Va.) and Jesse Brunjak (Ooltewah, Tenn.) each scored nine points and grabbed nine and six boards respectively for the Highlanders. The Lady Buccaneers will depart early Thanksgiving morning for this weekend's four-team holiday tournament at Georgia Tech. ETSU first game will be against the host Yellow Jackets on Friday, Nov. 29. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Make sure to log on to www.ETSUBucs.com for all of the latest results.