ASHEVILLE, N.C. (March 6, 2024) – The No. 5 seed ETSU women's basketball team will open play in the 2024 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Thursday when it takes on No. 4 seed Mercer. Tip-off between the Bucs and Bears is set for 5:45 p.m. at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.
 
GAME INFO
DATE: Thursday March 7
TIME: 5:45 p.m. 
LOCATION: Asheville, N.C. (Harrah's Cherokee Center)
TEAMS: Mercer vs. ETSU
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS:  Statbroadcast
RADIO: WXSM-AM 640
TWITTER: @ETSU_WBB
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ABOUT THE BUCS

• ETSU wrapped up its regular season with a 67-59 loss at Furman last Saturday. With Saturday's loss, the Bucs concluded the regular season with an 18-11 overall record and a 7-7 mark in SoCon play.
• In the regular season finale against the Paladins, the Bucs had a pair of players score in double figures. Nevaeh Brown led the way with 13 points, while Courtney Moore added 12 points of her own. It marks the 15^th time in 29 games this season that Brown has led ETSU in scoring.
• Speaking of Brown, she was named to the All-SoCon First Team on Tuesday. Brown, who was a Preseason All-SoCon selection, is one of two players to play in and start all 29 of the team's games (Breanne Beatty) this season. She also paces the Bucs in point scored (398), field goals made (149), free throws made (67), assists (72) and minutes played (950). At the conclusion the regular season, Brown ranks fifth in the conference scoring average (13.7 PPG), minutes played and is tied for ninth in assists.
• Entering tournament play, the Bucs rank 15^th nationally in scoring defense allowing 55.2 points per game. Among SoCon teams, Chattanooga (54.3 PPG) is the only team to rank ahead of the Bucs in that category.
• This week will mark ETSU's 32^nd appearance in the SoCon Tournament. The Bucs are still looking to capture their first SoCon Tournament title in program history. Despite not winning a SoCon Tournament, ETSU has reached the finals five times with its last coming in 2018. ETSU did three-peat as Atlantic Sun Tournament Champions in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
• ETSU won a game last season in the SoCon Tournament with a 63-47 victory over Samford in the quarterfinals. If the Bucs can defeat Mercer on Thursday, it'll mark the first time that ETSU has won a conference tournament game in back-to-back years since 2010 and 2011 when it played in the Atlantic Sun. The last time the Bucs won SoCon Tournament games in consecutive years was in 1991 and 1992.
• It marks the first time that the Bucs have been the No. 5 seed for a conference tournament since 1998. ETSU is 1-4 all-time as a fifth seed with its lone win coming in the 1992 tournament vs. Appalachian State, 96-74.
• ETSU is 22-26 all-time against the Bears. Each team won on its respective home floor this season with the Bucs winning in January in Johnson City, 77-71, and Mercer coming away with the victory in Macon, 65-57.
• Thursday will mark the sixth time that the Bucs and Bears have clashed in a conference tournament. ETSU is 3-2 (1-1 in SoCon) all-time against Mercer in conference tournaments. The last meeting in the postseason between these two programs was in the 2018 SoCon Championship Game and the Bears won that contest, 68-53. 

ABOUT MERCER

• Mercer earned the No. 4 seed for the SoCon Tournament after going 8-6 during league play. The Bears, who finished the regular season with a 14-16 overall record, have won three straight games entering play this week in Asheville.
• Two players to watch for the Bears on Thursday are Summah Evans and Stacie Jones. Evans was named to the All-SoCon Team and landed a spot on the league's All-Defensive Team after being named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year a season ago. Jones, meanwhile, also was named to the All-SoCon Second Team on Tuesday.
• Evans averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Bears this season in 17 games in 2023-24. Jones played in and started all 30 games for Mercer and averaged 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Additionally, Jones was named the SoCon Player of the Week on Tuesday after netting a career-high 30 points in Mercer's 76-69 win over Samford in the regular season finale.
• In recent history, the Bears have enjoyed quite a bit of success at the SoCon Tournament. Mercer has won SoCon Tournament Championships in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

For more information on Buccaneer women's basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's basketball tab.