Friday, January 05, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 5, 2007) - The ETSU women's basketball team will be looking to make school history Saturday afternoon when they host conference rival Belmont at 2 p.m. inside Memorial Center. With a win tomorrow, the Lady Bucs will post back-to-back 4-0 starts in conference play, which is something that has never been accomplished in their 39-year history.

Despite it only being the fourth conference game for each program, Saturday's game holds huge implications as both teams are tied for the top spot in the A-Sun at 3-0. ETSU beat Mercer, Stetson and Lipscomb to begin conference play, while Belmont edged North Florida, Jacksonville and Kennesaw State to remain unbeaten. After tomorrow only one team will remain perfect in the conference since these are the only two remaining teams without a loss in the Atlantic Sun.

The Lady Bucs hold a 3-2 series lead against the Bruins, with each team winning on their home floor last season. ETSU defeated Belmont, 66-52, in the first match up, but the Bruins got revenge as they knocked off the Lady Bucs 70-50 in Nashville.

Juniors Nichelle Akers (Sumter, S.C.) and Jenny Norman (Peachtree City, Ga.) have stepped up their games against conference foes this season. In the three conference games, Akers ranks second in steals (3.7 per game) and is tied for fifth in rebounding (7.7 per game), while Norman ranks second in field goal percentage (.611) and has scored in double figures in two of the three A-Sun contests. As a team, ETSU has definitely approved on the defensive end as they are the only team allow less than 50 points in league games (49.7). To go along with the solid defensive play, the Lady Bucs also rank first in rebound margin at +15.3.

There will be a live video stream available tomorrow by clicking on the link above or visit http://etsustream.intellithought.net/. For more information regarding the Lady Bucs please visit www.ETSUBucs.com or click on the game notes link.