by JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 31, 2019) – ETSU women’s basketball took care of business en route to the new year, beating Converse 73-35 in the confines of Brooks Gym on Tuesday afternoon. The 38 point margin was the largest win since the Bucs returned to the SoCon and tied for the largest margin of victory since beating Mercer on January 31, 2011 by a 100-62 score.
The two-game win streak moves ETSU to 5-9 on the season as the Bucs have one final non-conference matchup before heading into SoCon play.
For the 13th consecutive game, Micah Scheetz (Knoxville, Tenn.) scored in double figures as the redshirt junior finished the afternoon with 11 points. The Bucs were led by 12 points from Shynia Jacks,on (Warner Dobins, Ga.), adding five rebounds. Cierrah Perdue (Atlanta, Ga.) finished with a career-high 11 points with seven rebounds and three steals, while E’Lease Stafford (Navajo) also scored in double figures with 10. Tijuana Kimbro (Memphis, Tenn.) once again nearly grabbed an elusive first double-double of her career, scoring eight points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Kaia Upton (Nashville, Tenn.) finished her first game back in the starting lineup after having the flu with nine points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds.
As a team, ETSU shot a season-best 44.4% (28-63) from the field while shooting at a 25.0% (4-16) rate from behind the arc. The Bucs got to the line to make 13-19 (68.4%) free throws. The Blue and Gold dominated the glass with a 45-31 margin in rebounds, using 14 offensive rebounds to grab a 15-9 advantage in second chance points. ETSU outscored the Valkyries 18-0 in fast break points, while dominating the margin in points off turnovers at 37-2.
After a slow start in which both sides combined for 10 turnovers in the first four minutes, the Bucs found their offense. Leading 3-2, ETSU scored on seven of their next nine opportunities to increase their advantage to 20-9 after the end of the first quarter. The Bucs shot 8-13 in the frame, good for 61.5%. Six different Bucs grabbed points, led by Upton with five.
After Converse cut the lead back to single digits at 22-14, the Bucs used a 12-0 burst behind five from Scheetz to re-establish their advantage. Holding the Valkyries to just 3-13 shooting in the second, the Bucs were able to more than double up Converse as the sides entered the halftime intermission with ETSU leading 34-16. The 18 point advantage marked the largest halftime lead for the Bucs since leading Appalachian State by 10 after the first half in late November.
Exchanging baskets early on, the Bucs used a 17-0 run capped by a Perdue bucket to push the score to 53-19. ETSU forced 11 turnovers and turned it into 15 points while grabbing an 18-0 advantage in points in the paint. The 25 points marked the joint-highest the Bucs have totaled this year, scoring 25 in their fourth quarter comeback against Liberty in the second game of the year.
The Blue and Gold increased their advantage by as much as 44 in the fourth quarter, letting off the gas to coast to a 73-35 score for their second consecutive win in Brooks Gym. ETSU moves to 3-5 at home this season.
The Valkyries were led with 10 points from Ellen Nardella, who shot 4-12 from the field. Converse shot just 14-49 (28.6%) from the field, held to just 6-23 (26.1%) from three.
