ETSU advances to consolation championship

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 26, 2022) – A tenacious defensive effort down the stretch made all the difference in a 48-44 win for ETSU women’s basketball on Saturday, defeating UAlbany on the second day of the UNLV Thanksgiving MTE hosted inside Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

With the win, ETSU improves to a 5-2 overall record and advances to the consolation bracket championship of the prestigious tournament tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. ET (11:15 a.m. local time). The Bucs will face the winner of Stetson and UC San Diego.

Graduate guard Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) made a go-ahead bucket with 5:31 remaining in the game, putting ETSU ahead 44-42. From there, the Buccaneer defense put the clamps on and did not allow UAlbany (3-3) to score for over five minutes. Ahead 45-44 with under 30 seconds to go, ETSU iced the game with free throws to secure the win.

For the first time since the exhibition against Mars Hill, ETSU had three scorers in double figures. Sophomore Nevaeh Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) spearheaded ETSU’s scoring efforts for the third-straight game, scoring 14 points. Thomas added 11 points, while sophomore Kendall Folley (Lebenon, Ohio) chipped in 10. Folley also led with four steals, while Brown added three.

UAlbany was paced by Ellen Hahne with 14 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter: Statistically, both sides were fairly even in the first frame, but ETSU ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a one-point advantage. The Bucs had five steals and turned those into five points off turnovers.

Second Quarter: After assisting on the last two baskets of the first quarter, Brown took a shot of her own and sank it behind the arc, pushing the lead to 16-12 within the first minute. Moments later, fellow sophomore Sarah Thompson (Gate City, Va.) nailed a second-chance three-pointer off a rebound from McDaniel and forced the Great Danes into a timeout. The Bucs led the entire quarter but never led by more than nine points.

Third Quarter: Five points in the first minute of the second half pulled the Great Danes back even with ETSU, then the teams proceeded to swap the lead a few times. At one point in the quarter, both sides were shooting 8-10 from the charity stripe and 5-12 from the field for the game with the difference coming on one two-point basket by ETSU. UAlbany outscored the Bucs 12-9 to pull within two heading into the final 10:00.

Fourth Quarter: The drama spilt over into the final frame, as the two sides were tied at 42-42 with 5:51 remaining. Thomas scored a go-ahead layup with 5:31 to go to make it 44-42 — a score that held for over four minutes. Brown later stole one away with 1:37 remaining and made a free throw at the other end to tack on another point. With 35 seconds to go, UAlbany had the ball and called a timeout behind by three, trying to set up something at the other end. A layup by Hahne brought the Great Danes within one, but free throws by Brown and Folley put the game on ice.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• UAlbany lead most of the first quarter, but ETSU led most of the game after that with over 28 minutes of lead time. The Bucs led for 71.6 percent of the game.

• The Bucs trailed by seven in the first five minutes of the game but went on to lead by as many as nine points in the second quarter. In total, there were six lead changes on Saturday.

• ETSU utilized its bench more effectively and balanced out the minutes, outscoring UAlbany 25-5 in bench points.

• The Bucs also had seven second chance points and allowed just one from the Great Danes.

• Brown and Folley combined for 17 points and five assists in the first half alone.

• UAlbany had slightly higher shooting percentages all around, but ETSU attempted nine more shots thanks to less turnovers and an 8-3 advantage in offensive rebounding.

• The Bucs shot 13-17 from the free throw line with Brown, Thomas and Folley all making at least three at the line with just one miss apiece. 

• Brown accomplished an interesting trifecta with three steals, three assists, three rebounds, three turnovers and three personal fouls 

• Folley played 38 minutes on Saturday and was the only starter to eclipse 30 minutes. Brown and Jakhyia Davis (Knoxville, Tenn.) had 35 and 29 minutes off the bench, respectively.

COMING UP NEXT

The Bucs move on to the consolation bracket championship (fifth-place game) with a meeting against the winner of Stetson and UC San Diego. Tip-off is set for 2:15 p.m. inside Cox Pavilion and will mark the second game of the final day.

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