Tuesday, March 09, 2004

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Mar. 9, 2004) - The Southern Conference announced today its Athletes of the Month for the month of February. East Tennessee State junior Tiffani Mayes (Sumter, S.C.) earned the award for women's basketball, while sophomore Tim Smith (Newport News, Va.) was the men's basketball recipient. Mayes averaged 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during the month of February. She shot 52.2 percent (60-of-115) from the floor and added 13 assists to her credit. In addition, Mayes picked up seven blocks, 12 steals and had a team-high 25 offensive rebounds. She tied a career-high with 24 points in a 65-60 come-from-behind win over UNCG on February 21, leading the Bucs to a 5-3 record for the month. Meanwhile, Smith led the ETSU offense with 19.9 points per game and 39 assists as ETSU went 7-1 in February. He also finished third on the team with an average of 5.8 rebounds per game, picking up his first two career double-doubles. Smith shot 44 precent from the floor, 37 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the free-throw line while leading the Bucs with 19 steals.