Friday, March 05, 2010

MACON, Ga. - Micah Williams and Tommy Hubbard combined for 38 to lead ETSU past Kennesaw State and into the finals of the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championships.

Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column associated with this game here.

The Bucs continued to get great shooting from Williams, who went 7-of-12 from the floor and scored the bucket that put ETSU ahead for good. The Bucs fell behind early in the first half as Kennesaw State opened up a 15 point lead at 15:35 of the first half. ESTU chipped away at the lead and with the help of a last second Williams 3-pointer, took a 31-29 lead into halftime.

ETSU shot 60-percent from the field in the second half but was unable to pull away due to a cavalcade of Kennesaw State of 3-pointers. The Owls connected on five of their first eight but only managed one in the final 9:17.

Freshman sensation Markeith Cummings led the way for Kennesaw State with 23 points to lead all scorers. Poor free throw shooting doomed the Owls, who missed eight from the line.

ETSU sits as the defending A-Sun tournament champion and looks to back-to-back titles since Belmont won its third in a row in 2008. The Bucs will take on the winner of No. 2 Jacksonville/No. 6 Mercer, Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on A-SunTV and ESPN2.

Tickets to all Championship games are available at MercerBears.com.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

A-SUN CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
* The Buccaneers become the first fifth seed to make the title game since UCF in 2003. Only once has a fifth seed won the A-Sun title…Georgia State in 1991.
* ETSU will attempt to join Belmont (2006-08), UCF (2004-05), Samford (1999-2000), College of Charleston (1997-98) and UALR (1989-1990) as the only repeat champions in conference history.

ETSU
* Micah Williams again led ETSU in scoring, posting 20 points. In two A-Sun Championship games, Williams has averaged 26.0 points.
* Since losing to Kennesaw State in its first ever meeting (Jan. 12, 2006), the Buccaneers have won the last nine meetings.

KENNESAW STATE
* Markeith Cummings scored 23 points, to top 20 for the 11th time this season. He closes the season with 575 points. For the time being, no freshman in the nation has scored more than Cummings and it ranks as the 3rd-highest total in Kennesaw State history.
* LaDaris Green grabbed 14 rebounds…his 10th game with at least 10 rebounds. He finishes the season with 254 rebounds, at the moment ranking 5th among freshmen in the NCAA.
* No eight seed has won a semifinal game in the A-Sun Championships since FIU in 1995. The Golden Panthers won the tournament title that season.