JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 12, 2023) – Winners of eight of its last nine games, the ETSU women's basketball team will welcome Mercer to Brooks Gym on Saturday. Tip-off between the Buccaneers and Bears is set for 2 p.m.  
  
GAME INFO
DATE: Saturday, January 13
TIME: 2 p.m. 
LOCATION: Johnson City, Tenn. (Brooks Gym)
TEAMS: Mercer at ETSU
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS:  Statbroadcast
TWITTER: @ETSU_WBB
GAME SPONSOR: Food City
 
ABOUT THE BUCS

• The Bucs started conference play out with a 57-40 win over Samford on Thursday night. With Thursday's win, ETSU improves to 12-4 on the season.
• This season marks the first time since the 2017-18 campaign that the Bucs have started a conference schedule 1-0. Back in 2017-18, ETSU reeled off five straight victories to begin league play and finished with an 11-3 record.
• Johnson City continues to be where the wins are for ETSU. The Bucs are 8-1 at home this season with the lone setback coming on November 30 vs. Lipscomb. The last time ETSU started a home schedule 8-1 or better was in 2015-16 when it also went 8-1.
• Overall, ETSU's 12-4 record sits behind only Chattanooga's 13-3 mark for the best record in the SoCon. Furthermore, with a win on Saturday vs. Mercer, ETSU will be have the same record as it did through 17 games last season (13-4) en route to setting the program record for wins in a season (25).
• Defense continues to be the Bucs' calling card this season. ETSU held Samford to 40 points on Thursday. It marked the seventh time this season that the Bucs have held an opponent to 50 points or fewer. Entering Friday's play, the Bucs rank 10^th nationally allowing just 52.4 points per game, which is tied with No. 1 South Carolina.
• By holding Samford to five points in the second quarter on Thursday, the Buccaneers have held an opponent to single digits in 19 different quarters this season.
• Courtney Moore played a key role in ETSU's win over the Bulldogs as she matched a season-high with 17 points. Moore, who also netted 17 points in the season-opener at Kentucky, also drained a season-high four 3-pointers to help fuel the win.
• Another bright spot for the Bucs on Thursday was Brecken Snotherly. Snotherly, who made her first career start in the win, scored a career-high 15 points on a 7-for-11 effort from the field. The freshman guard has scored 25 points over the last two games after scoring 27 points in her first 12 games.
• Rebounding was also a big factor for the Bucs against the Bulldogs. ETSU grabbed a season-high 47 rebounds against Samford, including 16 on the offensive end. Jakhyia Davis led this charge with 14 rebounds, which was the top rebounding total for a Buccaneer this season.
• A couple of Bucs are nearing milestones. First, Breanne Beatty needs to score just nine more points to reach 1,000 career points. Additionally, Moore is just 10 3-pointers away from 150 in her career. Moore, who has made 140 threes as a Buc, has a chance to break into the top five in 3-pointers made in ETSU history. Jennifer Cooke (1988-91) currently ranks fifth with 164 made 3-pointers.
• ETSU and Mercer has matched up 46 times over the years. The Bears hold the edge in the series, 25-21. The Buccaneers and Bears split the two meetings last season with each time winning on the other's home court. ETSU is 10-12 all-time against the Bears in games played in Johnson City.

ABOUT MERCER

• Mercer will bring a 6-11 record with it to Johnson City on Saturday. The Bears fell in their conference opener at Chattanooga on Wednesday, 66-57.
• The Bears are 1-7 in true road games this season with their lone win coming on December 9 at North Carolina A&T, 55-52.
• Mercer boasts a balanced attack offensively as it has four different players averaging 10.0 points or more per game.
• A player to watch for the Bears on Saturday will be Summah Evans. Evans was the 2022-23 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year.
• A strength for the Bears this season has been their ability to knock down free throws. Mercer is second in the SoCon shooting 75.3 percent from the line. Only Chattanooga (77.3) has fared better in that category than Mercer.

UP NEXT 
After their tilt with the Bears, the Bucs will head out on the road for the first time in conference play when they visit rival Chattanooga on January 20. Tip-off for that game is set for 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.