On Jan. 28 the ETSU women’s basketball team traveled to play Wofford in a Southern Conference matchup. The Bucs stormed back from a 20 point deficit to get their fifth SoCon win.

The Bucs were able to pull off the victory, winning 77-69. In the first half, the Bucs got off to a slow start, giving up 23 points in the first quarter. Head Coach Brittney Ezell went deep on her bench in the first half, playing 13 players mostly in small increments to keep the Bucs in the game.

“Hats off to Wofford and their staff, and they put it to us in the first half,” Ezell said.

Freshman Kelci Marosites (Elizabethton, TN) was key in the first half for the Bucs. She shot very well, scoring eight points and made two 3-pointers in just seven minutes.

Senior Tianna Tarter (Johnson City, TN) and sophomore Raven Dean (Charlotte, N.C. ) combined for 17 points in the first half, shooting a combined 53 percent. However, offense was not the problem for the Bucs — their defense gave up 44 points in the first half allowing Wofford to shoot 63 percent.

Kelsey Lambdin was key for Wofford in the first half, scoring 11 points on four of six shooting.

In the second half, the Bucs made a quick turnaround defensively, forcing Wofford to shoot 27 percent from the field on 9-33 shooting. The Bucs offense was very efficient, shooting 60 percent from field goal and 3-pointers.

“Sometimes experience is the best teacher, they showed a lot of toughness,” Ezell said. “I think Mike Starke, our conditioning coach, needs to be commended because our condition was there.”

Led by Tianna Tarter, the Bucs overcame the deficit from Wofford.

“Tianna willed us to win today,” Ezell said. “She was the best player on the floor. She is just such a special talent and knows when it’s time to take over.”

Tarter scored 21 points in the second half on 8-11 shooting. She finished with 29 points for the game. Senior Shamauria Bridges (Miramar, Fl.) scored 11 points in the second half, knocking down three 3-pointers.

The Bucs won the third quarter 22 to 13 and the fourth quarter 22 to 12. With the win, the Bucs improve their conference record to 5-2.

Author

  • Edwin Nelson

    Edwin Nelson is a Sophomore from Chattanooga who moved to Johnson City to pursue a journalism degree at ETSU. His passion for writing about sports — especially basketball — is what led him to choose journalism as a major and join the East Tennessean staff. When he’s not watching the Bucs play, he’s watching his favorite professional basketball team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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