Tuesday, November 20, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 20, 2007) - The ETSU women's basketball team outscored longtime in-state rival Chattanooga by 10 points (43-33) in the final 20 minutes, but it was still not enough to carry them past the Lady Mocs as the Lady Buccaneers fell, 70-69, in their home opener Tuesday night at Memorial Center.

The Lady Bucs (1-3) saw four score in double figures as senior guard Kelly Turman (Atlanta) tied her career-high with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and senior Michele DeVault (Columbus, Ohio) netted 17 and grabbed six rebounds. Ironically, it was back on Jan. 29, 2005 when Turman set her career mark in points, which was also against the Lady Mocs. TaRonda Wiles (Danville, Va.) ended with 11 and Siarre Evans (Griffin, Ga.) chipped in with 10. Shanara Hollinquest scored a team-high 17 points for Chattanooga, including the game-winning free throws with 4.3 seconds left on the clock.

"Kelly is a talented scorer and gives our team such a huge spark off the bench," said head ETSU women's basketball coach Karen Kemp. "She has such a soft touch, and I guess there is something about the Chattanooga jersey that gets her fired up when she takes the court."

Trailing 37-26 at the break, the ETSU women opened up the final 20 minutes on a 14-2 run to gain a one-point lead, 40-39, with 16:31 remaining in the contest. The Lady Bucs received a lift from DeVault and Evans during the run. After going 1-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first half, ETSU drained its first four threes during the stretch, as DeVault and Evans each connected on a pair.

Chattanooga (3-1) quickly rallied back and regained the lead, 53-47, when Tagan Hatchett hit a three-pointer with 10:48 left on the clock. However, the Lady Buccaneers continued to fight back, scoring 12 of the next 17 points and took back the lead on Turman's jumper at the 6:18 mark. From there the game would seesaw back and forth as both teams held their largest lead at three points.

With 1:28 remaining in the contest, Wiles connected on a pair of free throws, giving ETSU a 69-68 lead. However, Chattanooga's defense would not let the Lady Buccaneers find the bottom of the net for the remainder of the game. ETSU had a chance to make it a three-point game with 16 seconds left, but Turman's jumper at the top of the free throw line would not fall and Hollinquest grabbed the rebound. Hollinquest was then fouled on the other end of the court as she and sophomore Latisha Belcher (Martinsville, Va.) battled for a loose ball, but Belcher was whistled for a push in the back with 4.3 seconds left on the clock. Hollinquest, who was 1-for-4 from the charity stripe prior to the free throws, connected on both, giving the Lady Mocs the 70-69 victory. ETSU had one final opportunity for the win, but Evans' desperation three-pointer fell short at the buzzer.

"We came out with a lot of intensity in the second half, but missed free throws cost us the game," added Kemp. "I am very proud of how our girls fought back, but there is nothing to be said when you go 7-for-13 at the free throw line in the second half."

For the game, ETSU shot a season-high 45.6 percent from the field (26-57); while Chattanooga finished at 41.7 percent (25-60). The Lady Bucs ended the contest 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the free throw line, compared to 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) by the Lady Mocs. ETSU out-rebounded its opponent for the third straight game, winning the battle of the boards, 40-38, Tuesday night.

In the first half, the Lady Mocs stormed out to a 7-0 lead, but the Lady Bucs quickly answered with a 10-2 run to take their first lead at the 13:32 mark. During the next four minutes the lead would change hands five times, until Chattanooga then took over for the final nine minutes of the half. The Lady Mocs used a 20-7 run to take an 11-point lead into the locker room, 37-26.

Turman led all scorers at the break with nine, while DeVault scored eight of her season-high 17 points during the first 20 minutes. Three-point shooting played a key factor in the first frame with Chattanooga going 5-of-13, compared to only 1-of-10 by the Lady Bucs.

The Lady Buccaneers will look to snap their two-game losing streak Saturday, when they host Evansville at 1:30 p.m. inside Memorial Center. Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for updated Lady Buccaneer news and statistics.