JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 10, 2021) – Returning home for the first time in nearly a month, the ETSU women’s basketball team showed a lot of grit and fight, but the Buccaneers suffered a 66-56 setback to UNC Asheville on Friday night inside Brooks Gym.

Trailing by as many as 16 late in the third quarter, the Blue and Gold cut the deficit to four in the closing minutes; however, missed opportunities haunted ETSU. UNCA closed the final two minutes and sixteen seconds on an 8-2 spurt to hang on for the 10-point road win.

For the contest, ETSU missed 12 free throws, finishing 13-of-25 at the stripe, while also going 3-for-19 from beyond the arc. Overall, the Bucs shot 35 percent from the floor (20-58) and also missed 12 lay-ups, going 10-of-22 from short distance. ETSU outrebounded the top team in the Big South by three, 43-40, and scored 12 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds.

Carly Hooks (Atlanta, Ga.) and Courtney Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) combined for 31 points, while Jamir Houston (Cleveland, Ohio) added nine of the Bucs’ 21 bench points. Hooks scored a team-high 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four of ETSU’s five assists. Moore netted a career-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and pulled down five rebounds.

UNCA was led by Nadiria Evans as she poured in 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting (9-for-14 at the free throw line) and grabbed nine rebounds. Kai Carter posted a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulldogs shot 43 percent (26-61) from the field and went 2-for-16 from beyond the arc.

With the loss, ETSU moved to 1-8 on the year, while the Bulldogs moved to 5-3 on the campaign. 

The Bucs now embark on a three-game road swing beginning Monday morning at Wake Forest. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m.

For more information on ETSU women’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s basketball tab.