Thursday, February 04, 2010

MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Game of the Week features a clash of A-Sun titans as FGCU and ETSU meet at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday from Alico Arena. Catch all of the action on A-Sun.TV.

FGCU has not lost a home game in Alico Arena since Jan. 8, 2009 against ETSU. The Eagles are currently riding a 20-game home winning streak which ranks as the seventh-best streak in the nation. The meeting boasts a showdown between the top scoring, rebounding and assist teams in league play. ETSU leads the league in scoring with 82.3 points while FGCU averages 19.0 assists per game. The Lady Bucs and the Eagles both stand as the league’s top shooting teams in conference play at 43.9 percent and 43.4 percent, respectively, and ETSU and FGCU also shoot at league-best .390 and .356 from beyond the arc.

ETSU’s TaRonda Wiles leads the league in scoring with 18.9 points per game, to go along with 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 steals. The senior also stands at 45-for-56 (.804) from the charity stripe and leads the A-Sun overall in three-point field goal percentage with a 45.8 rate from behind the arc and ranks sixth overall in field goal percentage with a 44.3 rate from the floor. Wiles’ teammate, senior Siarre Evans averages 17.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals and ranks fourth in field goal percentage (.457) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.407).

On the season, senior forward Adrianne McNally paces the Eagles with 13.0 points and 4.2 assists per game. FGCU’s junior forward Shannon Murphy averages 12.2 points, 4.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game and ranks 15th in field goal percentage (.413) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.392). ETSU tied the all-time series with FGCU, 2-2, on Jan. 16.

In their last meeting, the Lady Bucs snapped the Eagles’ 22- game A-Sun winning streak with an 88-83 home victory inside the ETSU/ MSHA Athletic Center. ETSU placed four in double figures and connected on 18-for-23 from the charity stripe to help secure the victory.

Junior guard Tara Davis finished with a career-high 21 points, to go along with four assists, four rebounds and two steals and 11-of-12 shooting from the free throw line. Siarre Evans recorded her 10th double-double this season with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while senior TaRonda Wiles finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists and junior guard Tarita Gordon collected 18 points.

For FGCU, senior forward Chelsea Lyles set a career-high with 25 points on 8-of- 12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. Senior guard Brittany Brown scored a season-high 19 points off the bench, shooting 5-of-8 from three-point land. As a team, the Eagles made a season-high 15 three-point field goals out of 31 attempts (48.4-percent).

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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.