Bucs look to even season series Saturday against Mocs

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Feb. 27, 2015) – The ETSU women’s basketball team will conclude the regular season on Saturday when it visits the No. 18 Chattanooga Mocs for a 2 p.m. tip-off inside McKenzie Arena.

The two teams are currently locked into their respective positions in the 2015 Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship with Chattanooga (25-3, 13-0 SoCon) holding down the No. 1 seed, while ETSU (19-9, 11-2 SoCon) the No. 2. The Championship will begin on March 5 in Asheville, North Carolina. Visit SoConSports.com for ticket information.

All-time series

Following a 64-56 home loss to UTC on Feb. 2, the Bucs trail the Mocs, 54-21, in the all-time series. ETSU has come up short in the last four meetings against UTC. In the matchup earlier this season, the Bucs were paced by a double-double of 18 points and a game-best 15 rebounds from senior forward Destiny Mitchell (Bluffton, Ga.).

Last time out

ETSU suffered a 69-46 setback at Samford on Feb. 23. The Bucs fell behind by as many as 10 points in the first half, but battled back to get within one with a minute to go in the period. A late flurry by the Bulldogs ended up bringing the score to 30-23 at halftime. SU then came out of the break firing from the field at an impressive rate and quickly took control of the game. The Bucs were led by 13 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Serena Clark (Stone Mountain, Ga.).

Bucs at a glance

ETSU’s balance on the offensive end continues with four of its five starters averaging in double figures. The Bucs are led by underclassmen guards Shamauria Bridges (Miramar, Fla.) (13.1 ppg) and Tianna Tarter (Johnson City, Tenn.) (12.1 ppg, 3.9 apg). Senior forwards Mitchell (10.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and Clark (11.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg) round out the double-figure scorers for the Bucs who are also getting solid play from fellow veteran forward Maria Bond (Macon, Ga.) (8.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg). In SoCon play, Bridges and Tarter are leading the way with 12.4 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.

Chattanooga at a glance

Chattanooga has won 21 consecutive games this season and is fresh off of a league-championship-clinching 56-51 victory at Mercer on Feb. 23. Chelsey Shumpert leads the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game, 3-point field goal percentage (.373) and 3-pointers made (2.1), while Jasmine Joyner is next with 11.4 points and leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game. Keiana Gilbert is also in double-figures with 10.9 points and second in rebounding with 5.7 per game.

Inside the numbers

The Blue & Gold features the SoCon’s top offense with 69.7 points per game, while Chattanooga slows the pace down a bit with 62.7 points a contest. The Mocs counter with the SoCon’s best defense, allowing only 50.6 points a game. Both teams shoot the ball at an impressive rate with the squads ranking one-two in the conference in field goal percentage. ETSU enters play with a better rebounding margin (+2.4), while UTC dishes out a league-best 14.4 assists per game.

For more information on ETSU women’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s hoops link. Follow along with the Bucs on social media with Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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