JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 19, 2023) – Riding a five-game winning streak, the ETSU women's basketball team will return to action on Wednesday when they take on Gardner-Webb at Freedom Hall. Tip-off for Wednesday's contest is set for 5 p.m.
  
GAME INFO
DATE: Wednesday, December 20
TIME: 5 p.m. 
LOCATION: Freedom Hall (Johnson City, Tenn.)
TEAMS: Gardner-Webb vs. ETSU
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ (Jay Sandos & Bruce Tranbarger)
LIVE STATS:  Statbroadcast
RADIO: WXSM-AM 640 (Keith Brake)
TWITTER: @ETSU_WBB
GAME SPONSOR: Pepsi
 
ABOUT THE BUCS

• ETSU won its fifth game in a row on Sunday as it downed Campbell by a score of 54-39 at Brooks Gym. With the victory, the Buccaneers are now 9-3 on the season.
• It marks the second straight season that the Bucs have notched a 9-3 record through 12 games. The last time that ETSU has had back-to-back seasons with a 9-3 record or better through 12 games was in the 1980-81 (11-1) and 1981-82 (9-3) campaigns.
• The Bucs also had a five-game winning streak last season. The last time that ETSU had a five-game winning streak in consecutive seasons was in 2016-17 and 2017-18. If ETSU wins on Wednesday, it'll mark the team's first six game winning streak since 2017-18.
• December continues to be a month of success for the Bucs as with Sunday's win they improved to 12-1 in December 2022 and 2023. The only loss that ETSU has suffered in December was last season vs. Bowling Green.
• Wednesday's game will mark the fifth time this season that ETSU has faced a team from the Big South Conference. The Bucs, who are 4-0 in those matchups, are 59-37 all-time against the current members of the conference. During Coach Mock's tenure, the Bucs are a perfect 7-0 against Big South squads.
• The Buccaneers continue to lead the SoCon in fewest fouls per game (13.9), scoring defense (52.1), and fewest turnovers per game (13.0). On a national level, those marks rank 31^st, 13^th and 25^th, respectively.
• ETSU continues to be one of the top defensive teams in the country this season. Sunday's win against Campbell marked the second time this season that ETSU has held an opponent under 40 points (35 vs. Norfolk State). Furthermore, when the Bucs hold opponents to under 60 points, they are a perfect 9-0.
• Breanne Beatty continues to make progress in her pursuit of her 1,000^th collegiate point. Beatty, who scored seven points on Sunday, is just 25 points away from reaching the milestone.
• ETSU and Gardner-Webb have met a total of seven times over the years. GWU holds a 4-3 edge against the Bucs. The last meeting was in 2021 when Gardner-Webb came away with a 78-72 win. ETSU's last victory came on February 25, 2008, 88-76. 

ABOUT GARDNER-WEBB

• Gardner-Webb enters Wednesday's tilt in Johnson City with a 1-10 record. The Runnin' Bulldogs lone win so far this season came on December 15 vs. Appalachian State, 82-78.
• The Runnin' Bulldogs are coming off a Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championships last season. Gardner-Webb compiled a record of 29-5 that included a perfect 18-0 mark in Big South play.
• The 2023-24 Gardner-Webb squad is led by first-year head coach Scott Merritt. Merritt joined GWU after spending the past few seasons as the Associate Head Coach at Wisconsin.
• A player to watch for Gardner-Webb on Wednesday is Ashley Hawkins. Hawkins currently paces the Runnin' Bulldogs averaging 15.1 points per game.
• Gardner-Webb is a team that relies heavily on the 3-pointer. The Runnin' Bulldogs are 25^th nationally averaging 26.2 attempts from beyond the arc per game. GWU also paces all Big South teams in 3-pointers made per game (7.9).

UP NEXT 
ETSU will have a short turnaround as it will travel to take Clemson on Friday afternoon. Tip-off between the Bucs and Tigers is at 2 p.m.  
 
PURCHASE TICKETS
To purchase season or single game tickets for ETSU women's basketball, visit ETSUTickets.com or call 423-439-3878.
 
For more information on Buccaneer women's basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's basketball tab.