The ETSU women’s basketball team will play the Western Carolina Catamounts on Feb. 11 in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
The two teams last met on the court in January, with ETSU winning 74-62.
However, this time the Bucs will not be playing at home in the familiar Brooks Gym.
“The biggest challenge is just like any road game; we don’t have our fans around us,” said senior guard Chandler Christopher, who scored 20 points during ETSU’s last matchup with Western Carolina.
Two players other than Christopher were also able to score in the double digits against the Catamounts in January: sophomore Tianna Tarter with 17 and freshman Carley Lytton with 10.
Although the Bucs went into halftime with a 25 point lead over the Catamounts, Western Carolina narrowed that down to only seven points halfway through the fourth quarter, but the Bucs still managed to end the game with a 12-point lead.
The Bucs have played their last two games in Johnson City and came out on top.
They won their most recent game against Furman by four points. The last time these two teams met, the Bucs lost by the same margin.
Winning against Furman, which is always a strong opponent, could provide the drive the Bucs need to take down the Catamounts for the second time in two months.
The Catamounts have lost their last two games against Mercer and Samford.
ETSU is currently fourth in the Southern Conference standings, while Western Carolina is sixth. In overall standings, ETSU has a record of 14-10 and WCU 6-17.
“It’s the second half of conference,” said Christopher, “and we know that every game counts, and it’s going to require us to play our best against every team we play.”
