Third quarter run propels Bucs past Paladins

GREENVILLE, S.C. (Jan. 19, 2023) – Three was the magic number for ETSU women’s basketball on Thursday, as the Bucs used a scorching hot run in the third quarter with five made threes to snap a three-game skid and defeat Furman 64-56 on the road in Greenville, S.C.

Trailing 40-30 early in the third quarter, ETSU went on an astronomical 23-5 run to end the third quarter that started with 16 unanswered points. From there, ETSU’s trademark defense held off the Paladins the rest of the way en route to the Bucs’ first Southern Conference win of the season.

ETSU improves to 14-6 overall and 1-3 in SoCon play, while Furman drops below .500 with a 9-10 overall record and a matching 1-3 conference start.

Four players scored in double figures for ETSU, including a career night from sophomore guard Sarah Thompson (Gate City, Va.) with 12 points on four three-point baskets. Three of those came on consecutive shots for a 9-0 run in the third quarter, flipping the lead in ETSU’s favor. She also hit one in the fourth quarter to extend the lead.

Sophomore Kendall Folley (Lebanon, Ohio) was also instrumental in the win with a team-high 15 points and six assists while matching a team-high five rebounds with two other players. Folley took over in the second half with 13 points and four assists. 

Graduate guard Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) and sophomore Nevaeh Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) did their usual damage, combining for 24 points on the day. Brown, Folley, Meghan Downing (New Madison, Ohio) and Jakhyia Davis (Knoxville, Tenn.) all had five boards in the effort.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter: The Bucs came out firing in the first quarter, as Brown had nine points in the early going and started with successful baskets on her first three shots from the field. Returning to the lineup after exiting in the first half last Saturday, sophomore Courtney Moore (Gainesville, Fla.), who has started every game this season, added an early three-pointer to give ETSU a 10-4 lead at the media break.

Second Quarter: Furman took its first lead of the game with 6:34 to go in the second quarter, forcing an ETSU timeout with a game-tying layup from Grace van Rij with just under seven minutes remaining, then making a go-ahead free throw from Kate Johnson. ETSU regained the lead with back-to-back buckets from Thomas, but Furman surged back ahead to lead 32-28 at the break.

Third Quarter: Furman jumped to its largest lead of the game early in the second half at 40-30, but that was erased by a 23-5 run by ETSU to end the third quarter. Thompson sparked a 16-0 run within that stretch with three consecutive triples. She and Folley both had nine points in the frame, as ETSU outscored Furman 25-13 and shot 8-11 from the field for 72.7 percent.

Fourth Quarter: With a lot of offense in the third quarter to build a lead, the ETSU defense finished the job in the fourth quarter with just 11 points allowed. The Bucs finished off the second half outscoring the Paladins 36-24 en route to a second half comeback.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• ETSU had one of its best shooting days of the season with a 24-57 showing from the floor (42.1 percent) and 8-18 from behind the arc (44.4). The eight made threes are the most for ETSU against a NCAA Division I opponent this season.

• In the third quarter, ETSU finished 8-11 from the floor and 5-7 behind the arc for 72.7 and 71.4 percentages, respectively.

• The Bucs once again won the turnover battle (16-11) and had 24 points off turnovers.

• Eleven was a key number for the Bucs as the team had 11 steals, 11 assists and 11 turnovers. Furman only had two steals and finished with 16 turnovers.

• Despite being outrebounded minus-eight, ETSU still won the paint with a 28-26 advantage and had a 17-14 advantage in second chance points.

• ETSU jumped out ahead early and led into the second quarter, then went on to finish with over 29 minutes of lead time. The Paladins only led for 8:46 of game time.

• There were six lead changes in Thursday’s game.

• The Bucs improve to 5-1 in true away games and are 8-2 outside of Johnson City — including neutral site games.

COMING UP NEXT

The Bucs will look to finish a two-game road swing with another win on Saturday, traveling to Spartanburg to face Wofford at 2 p.m.

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