The Lady Bucs came on strong in the second half to upset the University of North Carolina-Greensboro behind a strong second-half performance by Chris Forman and last second heroics by Racquel Ellis on Senior Night.
Forman, the Lady Bucs (7-19, 7-10) lone senior, scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half making sure she would not loose the final home game of her collegiate career, but she could not have done it without a buzzer-beater by Ellis.
The Lady Bucs held a one-point lead over the Lady Spartans (19-7, 13-4), who are in a three-way tie for first place in the Southern Conference, with 10.5 seconds to go before ChoRonda Gwaltney hit one of two free throws to knot the game up at 51.
Then after Gwaltney missed the second of her free throws, the Lady Bucs Lauren Trantham got the rebound to Ellis, who took it the length of the court and nailed a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer, giving the Lady Bucs the victory, 53-51.
ETSU discussed their plans for the final seconds in a timeout before Gwaltney stepped to the free throw line.
“I told Racquel if she (Gwaltney) makes one,” Head Coach Karen Kemp said, “I want you to get the ball and take it to the hole.”
The plan worked to perfection as Gwaltney missed the second free throw and Ellis took care of the rest.
“Coach told me to get the ball and take it to the hole,” Ellis said. “I just did what I do best, drive to the hole.”
The Lady Bucs overcame a 10-point deficit as they came out and outscored the Lady Spartans 21-9, taking their first lead with 7:09 remaining in the game.
From there the Lady Bucs never trailed again, recording a victory that should boost the team’s confidence heading into the conference tournament next week.
“It (the win) shows what this team can do if they come out to play every night,” Kemp said. “It’s the first top seed we’ve beaten this season.”
“It let’s a lot of our younger players know what we can do,” Forman said.
Not only was it a great conference victory for the Lady Bucs, but it was particularly special for Forman who played with the enthusiasm that has made her one of the top players in the conference.
Forman, who is 11th in the conference in scoring (11.9 ppg), sixth in scoring in just conference games (13.8), second in three-point shooting percentage (.389) and third in three-pointers made per game (1.83), will be greatly missed next year, Kemp said.
“She’s given us hard work and dedication,” she said. “She comes everyday ready to practice, always intense.”
Forman led the Lady Bucs with 18 points, with three of her four three-pointers coming in the second half to spark her team’s comeback, listening to her coaches’ advice.
“Coach was yelling at me to take (more) shots,” Forman said.
Ellis joined Forman in double digits with 16 points, including the game-winning bucket.
Trantham and Megan Jackson led the Lady Bucs in the rebounding column with six apiece. Junior Erin Thurman dished out a team-high three assists in 24 minutes of action.
The Lady Bucs will play their final game Monday at Furman.

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