Friday, January 02, 2009

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 2, 2009) - It has been 37 days since the ETSU women's basketball team have hosted an opponent inside Memorial Center, but on Saturday afternoon the streak will finally end as the Lady Bucs take on conference rival Jacksonville in their Atlantic Sun home opener. Tip is set for 1:30 p.m.

The Lady Bucs - who played away from Johnson City for the entire month of December - hope to bounce back from last Sunday's 72-66 loss at Wake Forest, and look to take charge in A-Sun play. Junior Siarre Evans (Griffin, Ga.) posted her third straight double-double (22 points/13 rebounds) against the Demon Deacons, but ETSU couldn't knock down a go-ahead shot with less than two minutes to go and Wake Forest kept its unblemished record intact.  

Despite the loss at Wake, ETSU (3-6, 1-1) have still won two of its last three contests, and the Lady Bucs are a perfect 3-0 in conference home openers since making the move to the A-Sun. 

ETSU's first opponent in 2009 won't be an easy one, as the Lady Bucs and Jacksonville have built a rivalry over the past two seasons. The Lady Bucs ended Jacksonville's season the last two years - including a 75-72 victory over the Dolphins in the 2008 Atlantic Sun Championship. Also, ETSU played spoiler to JU in the regular season, as the Lady Bucs' 80-74 victory on Jan. 28 snapped the Dolphins' 17-game home winning streak.

Like the Lady Bucs, Jacksonville have also won two of its last three games and bring a record of 5-6, 1-1 into conference play on Saturday. The Dolphins are led by preseason all-conference selection Virginia Gregoire's 10.1 points per game, while junior guard Courtney Jackson has given JU a boost over the last five games. Jackson helped guide the Dolphins to the South Padre Island Shootout title last month, as she averaged 18.3 points and five rebounds while shooting 51.4 percent (19-37) from the field and 52.2 (12-23) from beyond the arc en route to receiving Tournament MVP honors.

ETSU is 6-1 all-time and 2-0 inside Memorial Center against Jacksonville.

Reserved seat tickets for Lady Buccaneer Basketball games are $5 for adults and $3 for children 17 and under. ETSU students are admitted to games free of charge with a valid ETSU ID.

Tickets are available on game days at the center gate on the upper concourse, and can be purchased in advance by calling the ETSU Ticket Office at 423-439-3878 or online at www.ETSUBucs.com.  Tickets can also be picked up in person at the ETSU Ticket Office in the Memorial Center from 8:30-4:30 from Monday through Friday.

Fans unable to make trip to Johnson City can catch all the action live on ASun.TV. Live stats will also be available by clicking the link above.

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