On Saturday Feb. 7, the ETSU women’s basketball team played against Southern Conference opponents, the Furman Paladins. With a strong winning streak on the line, the Buccaneers knew they had to deliver in this game.
ETSU started the game off strong with a two point jumper scored by Carmen Richardson, pushing them into an early lead. After over five minutes of back and forth, ETSU was able to score another two points to further their lead. The first quarter ended with a low score of 11-6, in favor of ETSU.
The second quarter of the game started off strong for Furman with a solid three pointer and layup allowing them to tie up the score. Furman continued to score while defending against ETSU, allowing them to take the lead for the rest of the quarter. By half-time, Furman led with a score of 21-23.
The third quarter began slowly with neither team scoring for over two minutes. Furman broke that trend with a layup, widening the lead. ETSU didn’t give up and scored multiple points in a row, putting them back in the lead. By the end of the third quarter, Furman was able to retake the lead with a score of 37-39.
The fourth quarter started with a lot of tension. Both teams were so close in score and abilities, and neither wanted to lose. This quarter began similarly to the last one with Furman scoring the first point, but ETSU following close behind. The switch for the Buccaneers happened with 50 seconds left on the clock, when Carmen Richardson hit another two point jumper to tie up the two teams. At five seconds left, Richardson scored a 3-pointer, which allowed ETSU to take the win with a final score of 58-55.
In an interview, Coach Brenda Mock Brown said that playing against Southern Conference means that there are “Higher stakes with every game. Every game matters greatly and now there is a different level of urgency around our team.”
ETSU followed up the win with a close home loss on Feb. 10 to Mercer, 50-45.
The ETSU women’s basketball team will play against their greatest Southern Conference rivals, the Chattanooga Mocs, at home on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. Be sure to cheer on the Buccaneers as the season comes to a close, with only five more games before the SoCon Tournament begins.
For information on ETSU women’s basketball visit https://etsubucs.com/sports/womens-basketball.
