ETSU women’s basketball to finish season on Sunday at 5 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 18, 2023) – ETSU saw its run at a Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) championship slip in the final moments of a tightly-contested game inside the Clive M. Beck Center in Lexington, Ky., as the Bucs fell 57-53 against New Mexico State in the semifinal round.

With the loss, ETSU (24-10) will finish their magical season in the third-place game set for tomorrow at 5 p.m. against the loser of Cal Baptist (20-13) and Georgia Southern (21-8) later tonight. Meanwhile, New Mexico State (18-16) will play the winner of that game for the title at 7:30 p.m.

In a game that saw 12 lead changes, New Mexico State had a six-point lead heading into the final 30 seconds. A pass outside from Nevaeh Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) to Courtney Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) in the corner pulled the Bucs back within three at 54-51.

After NMSU made two free throws at the other end, Brown sank a quick layup with 14 seconds to go to make it 56-53. On the inbound right after that, Brown stole it away and the Bucs regained possession with momentum on their side. Unfortunately for the Blue & Gold, a crucial shot fell off the mark and the Aggies were able to ice the game.

In the effort, sophomore Jakhyia Davis (Knoxville, Tenn.) had her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds — both team-highs. Moore and Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) each added 12 points on the day.

The Bucs were more efficient on the day, shooting 19-41 for a respectable field goal clip of 46 percent. Meanwhile, the Aggies took advantage of more opportunities from the field and at the line with 20-58 shooting (34 percent) and a 16-23 showing at the charity stripe.

ETSU — who set a new single-season school record yesterday with a win over FIU — will look to add one more to that total tomorrow at 5 p.m. The opponent will be decided in the 7:30 p.m. game between CBU and Georgia Southern.

BRACKET UPDATE

Round 1 – Friday, March 17

ETSU 81, FIU 56

New Mexico State 51, UIC 41

Cal Baptist 96, North Dakota 79

Georgia Southern 69, NIU 58

Round 2 – Saturday, March 18

FIU 68, UIC 65 — Consolation

New Mexico State 57, ETSU 53 — Winner’s Bracket

North Dakota 102, NIU 99 (OT) — Consolation

Cal Baptist vs. Georgia Southern — 7:30 p.m. — Winners Bracket

Round 3 — Sunday, March 19

UIC vs. NIU — 12:00 p.m.                   7th place game

UND vs. FIU — 2:30 p.m.                    Consolation Final

ETSU vs. CBU/GS — 5:00 p.m.            3rd place game

NMSU vs. CBU/GS — 7:30 p.m.          Championship Game

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