Freshman grabs 11 steals in 96-68 triumph at Murray State

MURRAY, Ky. (Nov. 29, 2017) – ETSU’s women’s basketball retuned to the win column in emphatic fashion Wednesday night, setting a season high in points and getting a history-making performance in a 96-68 over Murray State in a non-conference game at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.

Freshman guard Erica Haynes-Overton (Nashville, Tenn.) set an ETSU single-game record with 11 steals, and just missed a triple-double, with 19 points and eight rebounds.

Haynes-Overton’s 11 steals eclipsed the old mark of nine set by Kiya Verdell against Appalachian State in 2003 and matched by Nicelle Akers against Campbell in 2006.

The Bucs (5-4) trailed for a total of only 20 seconds in snapping a three-game skid, and surpassed their previous season high of 87 points – set against Cincinnati on November 10 – with more than four minutes left in the game.

“I’m beyond proud of the collective effort in tonight’s win,” said head coach Brittney Ezell.  “Our kids showed remarkable toughness to compete and perform at such a high level after a long road trip in Florida for Thanksgiving. We played unselfishly and with a lot of confidence tonight. We had a lot of incredible individual performances, but all within the framework of the team, which is another testament to our team chemistry. Road wins are difficult to get, so we’re thrilled to have this one and head home to Johnson City.”

Wednesday night’s point total was the most ETSU has scored in game since an 96-84 win over Richmond in the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center on November 14, 2010. The 28-point margin of victory was the largest since a 32-point win, 79-47, at Wofford on January 12, 2015.

All nine ETSU players scored and four finished in double digits. The Bucs were shooting at a .509 clip (27-53) late into the 3^rd quarter and finished the night at .458 (38-83), the fourth time this season they’ve shot better than 45%.

The Bucs scored 26 points in the first ten minutes, matching their highest total in a quarter this season. Graduate transfer Shy Copney (Johnson City, Tenn.) came off the bench spark the outburst, scoring 12 points on 4-5 shooting, including 3-4 from three-point range. Her 3-pointer with 5:27 left in the quarter put the Bucs ahead 10-8 and in the lead to stay, and her four-point play with :04 remaining pushed the ETSU advantage to 26-17.

The Racers (2-5) scored the first eight points of the 2^nd quarter to pull within 26-25, but Copney sank another jumper, igniting a 19-6 run that gave the Bucs a 14-point lead, at 45-31, with 2:01 to go before halftime.

The Bucs would lead by no fewer than 11 points the rest of the night. The Bucs pushed their advantage to 20 points late in the 3^rd quarter, and would go on to lead by as many 32 points.

Copney finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Tianna Tarter (Johnson City, Tenn.) added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. Freshman guard Alayjah Sherer (Tupelo, Miss.) went for 12 points and six rebounds.

ETSU outrebounded the Racers 58-42 and held a commanding 27-11 advantage in points off turnovers.

“We’d like to send congratulations to our men’s basketball team and coaching staff on their win at Fordham,” Ezell said, “and we want to send all the best of luck to our volleyball team and their staff as they start the NCAA tournament at Kentucky this weekend.”

The Bucs continue their season-long seven-game road trip with a visit to Winthrop University on Sunday, December 3. Tip-off is at 2:00 pm.

For more information on Buccaneer women’s basketball visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s basketball page.