Sunday, January 04, 2009

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 4, 2009) - Coming off a stellar come-from-behind win over conference rival Jacksonville on Saturday, the ETSU women's basketball team looks to close out its brief two-game homestand with a victory Monday evening when the Lady Bucs host North Florida. Game time is set for 4:45 p.m. inside Memorial Center.

After falling behind by more than 15 in the first half and 11 in the second, the Lady Buccaneers powered their way past Jacksonville Saturday afternoon, 86-77.

ETSU outscored the Dolphins, 47-27, in the final 18-plus minutes and picked up a critical conference victory. Junior Latisha Belcher (Martinsville, Va.) led the way with 19 points, while fellow junior and Virginia native TaRonda Wiles (Danville) chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 36 minutes of action. However, it was the leadership and spark that Tara Davis (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) gave ETSU off the bench that kicked things into gear. Davis finished with a career-high 14 points and picked up four rebounds, two assists and two steals as well.

ETSU looks to keep its seven-game conference home winning streak alive when they take on a gritty North Florida team.

The Lady Bucs have yet to lose to the Ospreys, as ETSU is a perfect 5-0 in the series, and picked up a 57-39 victory the last time these two teams met on Jan. 28, 2008 inside Memorial Center. Wiles, Belcher and Siarre Evans (Griffin, Ga.) combined for 31 of ETSU's 57 points, and as a team, the Lady Bucs forced UNF into 30 turnovers.

After winning back-to-back games against Wofford and Lipscomb, UNF has lost its last seven contests - including a 69-50 loss at USC Upstate on Saturday. Jennifer Bowen led the Ospreys with 10 points, but UNF couldn't overcome its first half struggles, as they were outscored 33-18 by the Spartans. The Ospreys turned the ball over 31 times, but outrebounded Upstate, 45-36.

Freshman guard Jadhken Kerr is leading the team in scoring (8.8), but hasn't played in the last six games for UNF. Bowen is second in command with 7.7 points per game, while 5-11 freshman forward Kayla Mobley leads the club with 5.6 rebounds per game.

Reserved seat tickets for Lady Buccaneer Basketball games are $5 for adults and $3 for children 17 and under. ETSU students are admitted to games free of charge with a valid ETSU ID.

Tickets are available on game days at the center gate on the upper concourse, and can be purchased in advance by calling the ETSU Ticket Office at 423-439-3878 or online at ETSUBucs.com.  Tickets can also be picked up in person at the ETSU Ticket Office in the Memorial Center from 8:30-4:30 from Monday through Friday.

Fans unable to make trip to Johnson City can catch all the action live on ASun.TV. Live stats will also be available by clicking the link above.

For more information on Lady Buccaneer basketball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.