ASHEVILLE, N.C. (March 7, 2024) – The fifth-seeded ETSU women's basketball team fell to fourth-seeded Mercer in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament on Thursday night at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville by a score of 67-52. With Thursday's loss, the Buccaneers move to 18-12 on the season, while Mercer improves to 15-16 and advances to the SoCon semifinals to take on top-seeded Chattanooga on Friday.
 
ETSU was led on Thursday by Meghan Downing. Downing netted a career-high 18 points on efficient shooting efforts from the field (6-for-9) and the free throw line (6-for-7). Downing also led the Bucs with eight rebounds against the Bears. Courtney Moore added 10 points in her 100^th game in an ETSU uniform and Nevaeh Brown chipped in nine to round out the offensive leaders for Bucs.
 
The first two quarters on Thursday had multiple shifts in momentum with seven lead changes. Each team had sizable runs in the first half as well. ETSU looked like it might head into the locker room with the lead as a free throw by Brown and a made jump shot by Downing gave the Bucs a three-point lead, 26-23, with 4:24 to go before halftime.
 
Mercer, however, reeled off a 9-0 run to regain the lead, 32-26. A pair of free throws from Downing got the Mercer lead back to four points, 32-28, but a last-second 3-pointer by the Bears extended their lead back to seven, 35-28, at the half.
 
The Buccaneers kept battling as the second half began. ETSU eventually tied the score at 40-40 with 5:50 to go in the third quarter after Breanne Beatty made a layup. Mercer, however, found a different gear after that point. The Bears would go on to score 18 of the next 20 points to build a 16-point lead, 58-42, heading to the final quarter.
 
Mercer continued to build their advantage in the fourth quarter and saw its lead grow to as many as 23 points, 67-44, with 7:03 to go in the contest. The Buccaneer defense stepped up and did not allow the Bears to score another point on Thursday. ETSU did cut into the Bear lead a bit but, in the end, Mercer advanced to the SoCon semifinals for the ninth time in the last 10 years with a 67-52 win over the Bucs.
 
ETSU, which has notched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, will return most of its team for the 2024-25 season. River Ruffus-Milner, Sarah Thompson, Meleah Kirtner, Jakhyia Davis, and Beatty are all scheduled to graduate for the Bucs. ETSU concludes the 2023-24 season with an 18-12 record.
 
For more information on Buccaneer women's basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women's basketball tab.