ETSU women’s basketball played Western Carolina on Jan. 26 inside of Brooks Gym, defeating the Catamounts with a final score of 70-39. This gives the Bucs three straight Southern Conference wins.
The Bucs started the game on a 14-0 run and were solid on the defensive side of the ball as well, having four of their season-high seven blocks in the first quarter alone. This has been the biggest opening scoring run of the season so far for the Bucs. Western Carolina managed to climb their way back into the game with a score of 18-10 to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, ETSU led by at least eight for the rest of the game. Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) had eight of her game-high 21 points in the second quarter to help put the Bucs up by 13 at the end of the second quarter.
The Bucs continue the trend of being an excellent second half team by outscoring Western Carolina 20-8. Western Carolina struggled to play team basketball, as they had eight turnovers and zero assists in the third quarter. ETSU’s Kendall Folley (Lebanon, Ohio) scored all of her eight points in the third quarter. In the last three games, ETSU has outscored their opponents 71-29 in the third quarter.
ETSU’s defense continued to be solid, holding the Catamounts to 2-9 shooting in the fourth quarter. The Bucs seem to be playing some of their best basketball of the season, and their shooting efficiency is a good indicator as to why. ETSU has a 10-0 record when shooting over 40 percent from the field. The Bucs shot nearly 44 percent from the field in their win, compared to 29 percent from Western Carolina.
The Bucs will play state rival Chattanooga on Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. for another Southern Conference matchup. The Bucs look to continue their successful season with a road victory.
