DELAND, Fla. (Dec. 2, 2006) - The ETSU women's basketball made it three straight road wins this week by defeating Stetson 78-69 Saturday evening in the Edmunds Center. With the win the Lady Bucs move to 4-4, 2-0 in the A-Sun, and reach the .500 mark for the first time this season. Stetson has lost six of its first seven games this season.

In the first half, Stetson opened up to an early 8-5 advantage four minutes into the game, but ETSU quickly answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead at 12-8. Every ETSU starter was in the scoring column when Nichelle Akers (Sumter, S.C.) drove in for a lay up at the 14:36 mark. With the Lady Bucs leading 18-13, the Hatters used a 9-3 run to regain the lead 22-21 with 7:50 remaining before halftime. From there neither team could build any momentum during the final eight minutes of the half as there were 10 lead changes, and each team held a three-point advantage during the stretch.

ETSU closed out the half with a 6-0 run, as they held Stetson scoreless for the final 3:15, and went into the break with a 35-32 advantage. Jenny Norman (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Kelly Turman (Atlanta) gave the Lady Bucs a lift in the first half as they each scored eight points. Senior Brooke Wilhoit (Severville, Tenn.) finished the first half with all nine of ETSUs assists, tying her career-high. ETSU shot 43.2 percent (16-37) in the first half, while Stetson finished the half shooting 51.9 percent (14-27) from the field.

             Freshman Siarre Evans (Griffin, Ga.) came out on fire to start the second half as she scored nine of the first 13 points for the Lady Bucs, which helped extend the ETSU lead to eight, 48-40 with 14:07 to go in the contest.  Stetson would answer with a 4-0 run, but the Lady Bucs quickly brought their lead back to eight, 52-44 by scoring four points in fifteen seconds. Michele DeVault (Columbus, Ohio) would push the ETSU lead into double digits, 54-44, for the first time in the contest by sinking two free throws with 11:22 left in game.

            The Lady Bucs would gain their largest lead of the game, 59-47, when freshman TaRonda Wiles (Danville, Va.) drove in for an easy lay up with 9:21 remaining in the game. The Hatters would get to within five, 63-58, with five minutes left in the game, but that is as close as they would get. The Lady Bucs pushed their lead back to 12 when Wilhoit drained a three-pointer at the 2:19 mark. Stetson would fight to the end, but ETSU proved to be too much for the host team.

ETSU had four players score in double figures and were led by Evans' game-high 21 points, while Stetson's Kellie Olson finished with 18. Wilhoit finished with a career-high 12 assists while Norman tied her season-best with 10 points. The Lady Bucs shot 46.2 percent for the game (16-37) while the Stetson finished 42.4 percent (28-66) from the field.

            After playing four games in nine days, the Lady Bucs will now be able to enjoy a 13 day break before they step on the court again. The road trip continues when ETSU heads to Cape Girardeau, Mo., and face Southeast Missouri State on Dec. 15.