Family night for the ETSU women’s basketball team could not have ended any better after the team took a big win over Brevard College on Saturday in Brooks Gym.
The Bucs were knocking down three-pointer after three-pointer, and Brevard was unable to stick with them, resulting in a 69-46 win.
“Everyone’s family was here, and it was nice having them here,” said ETSU guard Malloree Schurr (Montgomery, Texas). “My family didn’t come, but I feel that the team is a family to me. Like coach E. says, ‘Put your family in your heart and play hard for them,’ and I think that’s exactly what we did.”
Brevard’s senior guard Hadara Bannister (High Point, North Carolina) started the game with a three-pointer, but it didn’t take ETSU’s junior guard Shamauria Bridges (Miramar, Florida) long to respond with a three-pointer of her own. The Bucs locked in on defense as they held Brevard to 20 percent shooting halfway through the first quarter.
A couple of three-point shots from freshman guard Carley Lytton (Floyd, Virginia.) got the Bucs going as they took a 10-8 lead with about three minutes remaining in the quarter.
With 17 seconds left, Schurr got contact and was forced to the line after making the basket, but was not able to make the free throw. Brevard capitalized on the missed free throw and scored on the other end of the court, ending the half with ETSU ahead 19-12.
The Bucs shot 50 percent from inside the three-point line and 57.1 percent from outside compared to Brevard’s 23.5 percent overall and 40 percent from three-point range.
Both teams were fired up going into the second quarter, shooting three-pointers on both sides of the court. A three-point shot from Bannister and a score in the paint by Madison Lenox (Raleigh, North Carolina) put Brevard within three points, but two back-to-back three-point shots from Bridges pulled the ETSU lead to 29-21.
Brevard continued to stay with ETSU, but a shot taken about 4 feet outside of the three-point line by Bridges calmed Brevard down and ended the first half 35-34.
Bridges led ETSU in the first half with 13 points, shooting 42.8 percent from the three-point line.
Both teams did well in three-pointers. ETSU shot 50 percent, and Brevard College shot 44 percent.
Bridges wasn’t letting up as she started the third quarter with a three-pointer and a layup before Brevard College could respond. Lynsey Crisp (Robbinsville, North Carolina) scored the first bucket for Brevard on a jumper from inside the line. Crisp led her team in scoring with 10 points.
Another three-pointer from Bridges gave ETSU a 45-29 lead. The next three minutes were scoreless until Schurr got a tough basket under the rim. The Bucs were attacking the boards, and they finished the third quarter with 35 total rebounds compared to Brevard’s 25.
Schurr led the Bucs with eight rebounds.
“My main thing was to rebound today and be aggressive,” said Schurr. “Shamauria did a great job tonight, and we just have to rebound when she’s not hitting them.”
ETSU finished the third quarter ahead 60-37.
Brevard College came into the fourth quarter scoring the first four points, but it was scoreless for the next six minutes. Despite the low scoring from Brevard, ETSU continued to increase the lead. The pattern continued until the end of the game when the Bucs took a commanding 69-46 win.
Bridges set a career-high of 30 points. This was her third game in a row scoring over 20 points.
“It was fun,” said Bridges. “It didn’t feel too much different than my previous game; my shot just seemed to be falling more.”
The ETSU women’s team will face Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia, on Monday at 7 p.m.
“I think it was a big day all around for our athletic department, and it was our day to finish the day right,” said coach Brittney Ezell. “Our volleyball team won their first round in the SoCon matchup, our football team finished on a high note, so it’s our job to finish it out. I thought the kids came out with the right mentality tonight. They enjoy playing at home, and our crowd was great.”
