MOREHEAD, Ky. (Dec. 3, 2023) – The ETSU women's basketball team got back into the win column on Sunday with a 56-52 victory on the road at Morehead State. With Sunday's win, the Buccaneers improve to 5-3 on the season.
Nevaeh Brown led the charge for ETSU in the victory. Brown netted a season-high 19 points to go with five rebounds.
Jakhyia Davis added eight points, while
Kendall Folley,
Breanne Beatty and
Sarah Thompson each chipped in six points.
ETSU jumped out to a fast start on Sunday. Morehead State briefly held a 3-2 lead before the Buccaneers reeled off an 11-0 run to seize the momentum and make the score 13-3. The Eagles were able to get the deficit back down to seven, 16-9, heading to the second quarter.
After shooting 26.7 percent from the field in the first quarter, Morehead State's shooting improved considerably in the second (50 percent). With their offense clicking better, the Eagles trimmed the Buccaneer lead all the way down to two points, 23-21, with a little over two minutes to go before halftime. It looked like it would a one-possession game going into the break after an Eagle 3-pointer made the score 29-26 ETSU. However, a last-second putback by Davis pushed the Buccaneer lead back out to five, 31-26.
The comeback for Morehead State continued in the third quarter. The Eagles scored five of the first seven points in the second half to pull into a tie with the Bucs, 33-33, at the media timeout. Following the timeout, however, ETSU put together a 12-0 run to regain control of the game heading to the final quarter, 45-33. Five different Buccaneers scored during this key stretch as Beatty and
Brecken Snotherly both knocked down 3-pointers, while Brown, Folley and
Meghan Downing all tallied baskets inside the arc.
The 12-0 run by the Buccaneers was not enough to completely count out the Eagles. Like it did in the first half, the Eagles battled back to get back within three points, 53-50, with a little over two minutes to go. ETSU, which did not score a field goal in the final 5:54, got a couple of key made free throws by Folley to push the lead back out to five before an Eagle layup closed the gap to three again, 55-52, with 53 seconds to go. Brown was fouled and she made one of two attempts from the charity stripe to make ETSU's lead four, 56-52, with 30 seconds to go. Morehead State had a pair of attempts in the final seconds but neither found the bottom of the net as the Buccaneers held on for the 56-52 win. It is ETSU's third straight victory against Morehead State.
ETSU will now turn its attention to a season-long five-game home stand. The first game in this stretch will be on Wednesday when the Bucs host Charleston Southern at Brooks Gym. Tip-off for that game is set for 6 p.m.
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.
