Friday, March 06, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The ETSU Lady Buccaneers jumped on Mercer quickly and led throughout, eliminating the Bears, 82-60, in the opening semifinal contest of the 2009 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship on Friday from Lipscomb's Allen Arena.

ETSU (19-10) set a torrid offensive pace hitting 62.1 percent of their shots from the field in the first half, in taking a 44-28 lead into the locker room. The Lady Bucs finished shooting an even 54 percent for the game. Mercer (17-14) hit only 35.2 percent from the field.

Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Siarre Evans had 20 points, with 13 coming in the second half. She pulled down 10 rebounds for her conference-leading 17th double-double. TaRonda Wiles paced ETSU with a game high of 22 points, connecting on 9-of-14 from field.

Mercer's Courtney Ford scored 12 points off the bench in the first half. The ETSU defense slowed Ford down in the second stanza, hitting just one field goal, finishing with 17 points for the game. In her final game for the Bears, Dominique Chism led the squad with 18 points and seven rebounds.

ETSU will face the winner of Belmont and Jacksonville game in the Atlantic Sun Championship that will air Saturday at noon CT on CSS and ASun.TV. The Lady Bucs defeated the Dolphins in last year’s title game, 75-72. Belmont beat ETSU in the 2007 final, 69-57.

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.