GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 9, 2025) – East Tennessee State University women's basketball was doomed by a poor fourth quarter and fell 64-43 to UNCG on Thursday.

5th year guard Courtney Moore led ETSU (9-7, 0-1) with ten points. Moore was the only Buccaneer to score in double digits against the Spartans (10-5, 1-0).

The two squads, both of which ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense entering tonight's contest (UNCG 5th, ETSU 22nd) flexed their defensive acumen early, with each side making only one field goal in the first five minutes.

The offenses got on track in the back half of the frame, with freshman guard Carmen Richardson and 5th year guard Courtney Moore trading triples with UNCG. Moore made a heady play to force a fastbreak turnover at the end of the quarter and keep the score knotted at 12.

The Bucs and Spartans traded the lead for the bulk of the second quarter until a pair of free throws for junior forward Meghan Downing sparked a 9-2 ETSU run to end the half that included a made 3-pointer from senior guard Braylyn Milton in her first action since Dec. 8. The run gave the Bucs a 30-24 lead at the break.

UNCG found its way to the free throw line often in the third quarter, shooting 10-for-12 from the charity stripe despite making just two field goals in the frame. The Bucs had just one trip to the line, with redshirt junior guard Paige Lyons hitting both, and ETSU managed four shots from the field to maintain a 40-38 lead heading to the final quarter.

5th year forward Isabella Hunt hit a jumper with 8:38 remaining in the game. However, Hunt's basket would be ETSU's last from the field as the Bucs went cold from the field in the fourth. Meghan Downing scored ETSU's last point with a free throw, before the Bucs failed to score in the last five minutes. On the flip side, Jayde Gamble scored 12 of her 14 points in the last ten minutes, leading the Spartan run to close the game and sealing a 64-43 victory

Next, ETSU travels to Western Carolina at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, to face the Catamounts after the contest was postponed from its originally scheduled Saturday, Jan. 11 date due to anticipated inclement weather conditions.

For more information on Buccaneer women's basketball, follow @ETSU_WBB on X (Twitter) and Instagram, and visit ETSUBucs.com.