The ETSU Lady Bucs used their senior moments Monday, as they continued to beat up on Southern Conference rivals and handing Western Carolina a 78-73 defeat.
It was senior night at Memorial Center.
Seniors Lauren Trantham, Kiya Verdell and Jessica Lonon were recognized before they played their last home game in Johnson City.
ETSU (11-11, 11-5 SoCon) came back to overtake the Catamounts (7-14, 6-8 SoCon) with a 21-2 run that started at the end of the first half.
Trantham dished out 13 points for ETSU and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the team on the spurt in the second half.
“We came out flat in the first half, but Coach (Karen) Kemp talked to us at halftime and said that (WCU) was not even as good as she thought,” said Trantham about the 21-2 run to start the second half.
“She reminded us it was our last game and told us what we were playing for.”
Kiya Verdell hit three key three-point field goals in the second half to keep the Lady Bucs ahead of the Catamounts.
Verdell’s 15 points, added to Tiffani Mayes’ 22, helped the Bucs stay out of trouble despite three WCU players in double figures.
“It’s not hit me yet that I’ve played my last game at ETSU,” said Verdell.
“I struggled in the first half but managed to knock some down in the second half.”
She said that she had to perform well since her parents drove up to see her final home game.
Kemp played a plethora of players. At the end of the first half, she had mostly underclassmen and a walk-on out on the floor.
Even though she is losing three of her best offensive and defensive players, she has confidence in her upcoming team.
“We still have a lot of basketball left to play,” Kemp said. “Lauren, Jessica and Kiya have brought a lot to this university. They give 110 percent while they are on the floor. Lauren has started almost every game she has played in.”
“I’m thankful that we brought the young ladies, the freshman and sophomores into a winning program.”
ETSU came out flat in the first half, shooting 46 percent from the floor and 28 percent from the free-throw line.
Although WCU had the momentum going into the second half of play, her team couldn’t keep ETSU from overpowering them.
“That’s the difference,” said WCU coach Beth Dunkenberger on the 21-2 ETSU run. “They came out focused in the second half and we stayed in the locker room mentally.”
Dunkenberger said that for the rest of the season her team needs to play smarter and harder as they head into the SoCon tourney in a few weeks in Charleston, S.C.
Freshman Brooke Wilhoit started the most games at the guard position this season.
Wilhoit scored her career high of 18 points against Davidson this past Saturday in a 83-54 victory.
“It was much better than I could have ever imagined,” said Wilhoit on her first season as a Lady Buc.
“The seniors were great leaders and so were Tiffani and B.J.
“It was a great year and I hope that the next three years are just as good or better.”
ETSU now holds sole possession of the third-place spot as Davidson lost to league leaders Chattanooga Monday as well.
Trantham has not had the season like she has had in the past few years.
But she feels with graduation and load of other things on her mind she is starting to get back in the swing of things.
“I had been in a really bad funk this year,” she said. “I have been talking to some people and trying to get my head straight.”
“This year has been special to me because of the whole senior thing. It being my senior year and having a lot of academic stuff has been on my mind, like what I’m going to do once I graduate.
“It’s been weighing me down, but once I started playing basketball, I got things back together,” she said.
ETSU face Appalachian St. in Boone on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Author