Bears defeat ETSU with late third quarter run

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 12, 2023) – An untimely run in the second half spoiled a valiant comeback effort from ETSU women’s basketball on Thursday, as the defending Southern Conference champion Mercer Bears defeated the Bucs by a 66-52 final inside Brooks Gym in Johnson City.

ETSU overcame a double-digit deficit in the second quarter with a 15-4 run to end the half, then continued a 10-0 run to take a 29-28 lead in the third quarter. The turning point was a 12-0 run later in the frame by Mercer, putting the Bears ahead for good.

With the loss, ETSU slips to a 13-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in SoCon play. Mercer improves to 6-10 overall and 2-1 in the SoCon.

Graduate guard Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) led the Bucs with 18 points, including 5-12 shooting from the floor and 8-10 shooting at the line. Thomas has scored in double figures in six of the last eight games.

Sophomores Nevaeh Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) and Kendall Folley (Lebanon, Ohio) combined for 19 points. Both Brown and Folley along with fellow sophomore Courtney Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) combined for 12 steals as ETSU forced 25 Mercer turnovers in the effort. 

On the other end, Preseason SoCon Player of the Year Amoria Neal-Tysor finished with 22 points and Erin Houpt added 18 with 13-14 shooting at the free throw line to propel the Bears.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter: Mercer would be the early aggressor with a 7-0 run, making three of its first four shots to force an ETSU timeout within the first two minutes. The Bucs broke the run after the timeout, as Thomas — the second-leading free throw shooter in the league at 88.0 percent coming in — made both free throws at the 6:54 mark. Mercer used another 7-0 run to build a bigger lead, leading 18-7 at the break.

Second Quarter: The Bucs stormed back in the second quarter, working back from a 24-9 deficit with 6:59 remaining to a more manageable four-point margin by halftime. The Bucs started to chip away with a 6-0 run, then went on to end the quarter on a 9-4 run. The final score of the half came with 34 seconds to go as Moore stole a loose ball and passed it in the corner to Kendall Folley for a trey.

Third Quarter: ETSU took its first lead of the frame early in the third quarter, going up 29-28 on free throws by Thomas. Prior to that, Nevaeh Brown started the second half with a three-pointer. Unfortunately for the Bucs, the third quarter did not end as well as it started. Mercer used a 12-0 run to extend the lead back to double digits, leading 50-39 at the end of the third.

Fourth Quarter: The Bears held on in the final quarter as ETSU tried to work back into it with more three-point shooting, but the rims were more kind in the paint as the Bucs found a 10-0 advantage down low. The Bears retained its lead with free throw shooting, as Neal-Tysor and Houpt went 8-8 from the line in the final frame.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Mercer was the more efficient shooting and rebounding team on Thursday with 45.7 percent shooting from the floor, 87.5 percent shooting from the line and 44 rebounds, but ETSU created more opportunities with a 25-13 advantage in turnovers. 

• Both teams had 12 offensive boards, but Mercer closed many of its defensive possessions with 32 defensive rebounds.

• Despite the loss, ETSU had a 30-16 advantage in the paint, a 17-13 advantage in turnovers and a 10-6 advantage in second chance points. Both teams had 14 points each in transition. 

• Nevaeh Brown, Journee McDaniel (New Bern, N.C.) and Meghan Downing (New Madison, Ohio) all had a block, while Courtney Moore broke up a couple of opportunities in the paint to force an inbound.

• All but five of ETSU’s points came from the starting five. 

• ETSU drops to a 13-2 record when allowing under 70 points.

• For the second straight game, ETSU won the turnover battle and now owns a 7-2 record in such games.

• ETSU now has a 6-3 record in Brooks Gym.

COMING UP NEXT

For the first time since 2019, ETSU women’s basketball will host a game inside Freedom Hall as the Bucs welcome Samford to Johnson City this Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. Information on ticket purchases will be available tomorrow morning on ETSUBucs.com. 

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