Monday, January 18, 2010

MACON, Ga. – ETSU’s Siarre Evans helped guide the Lady Bucs to a perfect 2-0 mark this past week with wins against the Stetson Hatters and the league-leading FGCU Eagles inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center. For her performance during the week, Evans claimed the sixth Player of the Week award of her career and second on the season, the conference office announced on Monday.

Despite not being at 100-percent, the Griffin, Ga. native still averaged 15 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals in 29.5 minute of work on the week. Evans’ 10th double-double of the season (43rd of her career) helped ETSU snap FGCU’s 22-game conference winning streak and put the Lady Bucs a half-game back of the Eagles with the 88-83 victory on Saturday afternoon. In the five-point win, the senior recorded 20 points and 14 rebounds.

On Thursday, in ETSU’s 19-point win against Stetson, 78-59, Evans finished with 10 points, a season-high five assists, four rebounds and a season-best four steals in only 24 minutes of action. The sport management major stands as only one of three players in the A-Sun to average a double-double on the year, as Evans ranks first in rebounding (11.1) and third in scoring (17.6).

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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.

Other Top Performers
Courtney Cannon, Campbell (Jr. - Guard - Starkville, Miss. - Accounting) – Cannon led Campbell with 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, as the Lady Camels finished the week with a 1-1 in A-Sun play. The junior guard posted a CU season-high 19 points against league-leader FGCU, tacking on five rebounds with a 6-for-6 performance from the free throw line. Cannon notched her first double-double in a Campbell uniform on Saturday against Stetson, recording 12 points and 12 boards in a 61-46 win.

Kourtney Carter, Mercer (Jr. - Center - Fullerton, Calif. - Business) – Carter led Mercer to a pair of wins last week, missing back-to-back double-double games by a single rebound. The junior center tallied a career-high 12 rebounds in Mercer’s win against USC Upstate, to go along with a career-high 18 points in the Bears’ win against the Kennesaw State Owls.

Tee’Ara Copney, USC Upstate (Jr. - Guard - Orlando, Fla. - Sport Management) – Copney scored 20 points for the second time this year on Thursday against Mercer after the junior guard hit three 3-pointers in the game and posted two steals as the Spartans nearly came back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Bears.

Brittany Kirkland, UNF (So. - Guard - Monroe, Ga. - Community Health) – Kirkland averaged over 20 points, shooting better than 50 percent from the field as UNF split the weekend against Belmont and Lipscomb.

Haley Nelson, Belmont (So. - P - Scottsboro, Ala. - Early Childhood Education/Physical Education) – Nelson helped power the Bruins to a pair of crucial Atlantic Sun wins last week. At Lipscomb, the Scottsboro, Ala., native pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, netted eight points and recorded four blocks in the loss. At UNF, Nelson dropped in a game-high 20 points, shooting 60 percent from the floor. Two days later, the sophomore notched her fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds against Jacksonville.

Ashanti Williams, Jacksonville (So. - Guard - Boynton Beach, Fla. - Communications) – Williams recorded two of her best games of the season off the bench against Lipscomb and Belmont. The sophomore guard record 11 points against Lipscomb before adding a career-best 14 points and five boards against Belmont on Saturday.