JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 6, 2025) – East Tennessee State University women's basketball used a strong offensive second half to pull away from a feisty Western Carolina squad, 77-64, on Thursday night in Brooks Gymnasium.

5th year guard Courtney Moore continued her torrid stretch, scoring 24 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and 4-for-9 shooting from 3-point range, the sixth time this season Moore has knocked down a quartet of triples. The Gainesville, Fla. product extended her streak of scoring in double-digits to ten games. She hasn't finished a game scoring less than ten since Dec. 20.

As a team, ETSU outrebounded WCU 38-31, highlighted by a +11 margin on the offensive glass. Junior forward Meghan Downing grabbed six offensive rebounds en route to her fifth double-digit game on the glass this season.  

The Buccaneers improved to 12-0 and 14-1 when outsourcing their opponents in fast break points and in points off turnovers, respectively. The ETSU transition defense stifled a usually strong Catamount break, holding Western Carolina to zero fast break points.

Sophomore guard Brecken Snotherly excelled at creating her own shot, scoring 15 on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 shooting from behind the arc in one of the most efficient performances of her career. The 15 points ties her career high against D1 opponents, and she scored the 15 points in 20 minutes compared to 29 minutes in ETSU's 2023-24 home win over Samford.

Snotherly thrives at home – all seven of her career double-digit outings have come in the friendly confines of Brooks Gymnasium, and all five of her double-digit games against D1 opponents have come in SoCon action.

ETSU handled the ball well throughout the game, committing just six turnovers, the lowest mark against a Division 1 opponent this season.  

The first half featured balanced scoring from both sides. The Bucs led for nearly the entire game – 37:22 – but were unable to pull away from the Catamounts. Moore scored eight in the first half, and senior guard Kendall Folley knocked down a 3-pointer after missing the South Carolina trip due to injury. Zanoria Cruz tied the game with 15 seconds left in the half before freshman guard Carmen Richardson nailed a deep buzzer-beating triple to give ETSU a 35-32 halftime lead. 

With 7:30 to play in the third, Moore added another feather to her record-book cap, becoming the third Buccaneer ever to hit 200 3-pointers in a career, joining Shemauria Bridges and Michelle DeVault. DeVault's second place mark of 239 makes is likely out of reach, as Moore would need to average over five makes from deep (her single game career-high) per game for the rest of the season just to tie it. Regardless, Moore has established herself as one of the all-time great shooters in Buccaneer women's basketball history.

Western Caroline cut the lead to one on two occasions in the frame, but was unable to tie the game as the teams went back-and-forth. In the last two minutes of the quarter, the veterans combined to extend the Bucs lead, as Courtney Moore and forward Isabella Hunt pieced together a 7-0 run that featured an acrobatic and-one layup from Moore. 

ETSU kept up the pressure to close out the win. Downing got a pair of offensive rebounds that led to a Snotherly 3-pointer with 3:48, then senior guard Braylyn Milton hit a 3-pointer of her own to extend the lead to 14 with 3:00 left. A few minutes later, ETSU shook hands as winners of three games in a row.

Next, the Bucs head off campus for their lone game at Freedom Hall in a doubleheader with men's basketball at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8. One ticket will gain admission to both games. For tickets, please call 423-439-3878 or visit ETSUTickets.com.

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