Wednesday, January 25, 2006

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 25, 2006) - After falling to Gardner-Webb last Saturday in only its second Atlantic Sun loss of the season, ETSU will look to rebound this weekend as it faces A-Sun foes Stetson and Mercer on the road.  The Lady Bucs have been victorious in all three of their conference road games this season.

About the Game ...

Tonight's A-Sun matchup will feature two of the A-Sun top scorers in ETSU's B.J. Banjo and Stetson's Nefertiti Walker.  The tandem is currently ranked second and third in the A-Sun scoring standings, at 20.3, and 19.4 ppg, respectively.  The Lady Bucs (11-5, 7-2) need a win to stay atop the A-Sun standings, after falling to Gardner-Webb, 72-68, last Saturday.  Stetson (3-12, 1-7) will be looking to grasp its second A-Sun victory of the season,  after losing to Jacksonville, 71-59, last weekend.  The Lady Bucs have been clutch on the road as of late, earning wins in all three of their conference road games. 

Scouting the Hatters  ...

Stetson, last season's A-Sun tournament champions, have had a rough start this season, going 0-7 before picking up its first victory over Bethune-Cookman.  The Hatters' lone A-Sun win came against Lipscomb, when Stetson downed the Bisons, 70-62, in DeLand.  One bright spot for the Hatters has been the scoring prowess of star Nefertiti Walker, who is averaging 19.4 ppg, 19.6 in A-Sun games.  Walker has led the Hatters in scoring in all but one game this season, including a 33-point performance in the win over Quinnipiac.  She is also atop the A-Sun in free throw percentage, sinking 90.5 percent for the season.  Janene Maclin is leading the team on the boards, pulling down 6.3 rpg.

The Series ...

Stetson leads the all-time series 1-0, after picking up a 74-71 victory on Dec. 1, 1995.

Last time out ...

Gardner-Webb overcame a 13-point second half deficit to slip past the Lady Bucs, 72-68, Saturday afternoon in Brooks Gym. With the win, Gardner-Webb improves to 7-9 overall, 6-3 in the Atlantic Sun, while the Lady Bucs fall to 11-5, 7-2 in conference. Trailing 66-63, with just 2:34 remaining the in the second half, Gardner-Webb got a crucial basket from Brittany Harmon to bring the deficit to one with 2:14 to go. GWU earned its first lead of half at the 1:30 mark, as Trisha Bennett drained a three to give the Runnin' Bulldogs the 68-66 advantage. GWU continued its late run with a layup from Sequenta Blackman to make the score 70-66, with just over a minute remaining. A pair of free throws by B.J. Banjo (Baltimore, Md.) would bring the Lady Bucs back within two, before Kelly Turman (Atlanta, Ga.) took a charge on a drive by Laura Povilonyte, to give the Lady Bucs the ball with 22 seconds on the clock. Another offensive foul was called just 12 seconds later, this time on Banjo, giving possession back to Gardner-Webb with 10 ticks left. The Lady Bucs were forced to foul, putting Blackman at the line with nine seconds on the clock. Blackman made good on both attempts, icing the four-point victory for the Runnin' Bulldogs. The loss was the ETSU's second home defeat in the last three games in Johnson City.

On the Horizon ... 

Following tonight's game, ETSU will travel to Macon, Ga. to meet Mercer on Jan. 28.  Tip off against Mercer is set for 2 p.m.