Wednesday, March 03, 2010

MACON, GA. – The 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship began with the regular season champion ETSU pulling away for an 84-49 victory against Stetson in quarterfinal action from Mercer’s University Center.

The No. 8 Hatters took an early 10-9 lead but the No. I Lady Bucs roared back with a 28-8 run to close the first half with a 37-18 lead. Two-time A-Sun Player of the Year Siarre Evans led the way offensively with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Lady Bucs also got a lift from First-Team All-Conference member TaRonda Wiles with twelve points and three boards. Senior forward Ashli Jackson and junior center Natasha Graboski paced the Hatters with 14 points apiece.

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

Stetson broke out of the gate early as Jackson sank a 3-point shot to put the Hatters on the board 44 seconds into the game. However ETSU took control of the pace as the Lady Bucs built a 19-point lead to end the first period. Sophomore forward Natalie Pickwell began a 10-2 Lady Bucs run with a bucket at 4:05 remaining in the first stanza. A jumper from junior guard Tarita Gordon opened second-half play, as the Lady Bucs extended their lead by as many as 35 points on a Santana Morrison free throw with just over a minute remaining in the game.

Next, ETSU will face the winner of No. 4 Belmont/No. 5 Kennesaw State on Friday at Noon. 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
* ETSU wins its 7th straight A-Sun Championship game. They sit two wins away from joining Georgia State (2001-03) and Florida International (1992-95) as the only schools in A-Sun history to win three straight titles. * The Lady Bucs advance to Friday’s first semifinal. They will face the winner of Thursday’s Belmont-Kennesaw State meeting. The Lady Bucs swept their regular-season meetings with both, beating the Bruins, 81-67 in Nashville and 87-65 in Johnson City. ETSU took down Kennesaw State by scores of 90-59 in Kennesaw and 81-63 at home.

ETSU
* 2010 Player of the Year Siarre Evans finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, her 19th double-double of the season and the 52nd of her career. * The 35-point win represented the largest for the Bucs in A-Sun Championship play – their previous widest margin came in the 2009 Championship, an 82-60 victory in the semifinals against Mercer. * The 84 points tie the Bucs record for an A-Sun Championship, matching the total they scored against Lipscomb in the 2008 Semifinals.

STETSON
* Natasha Graboski recorded her second double-double of the season as she finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Her other double-double came on Feb. 20 against Lipscomb. * Since winning the A-Sun Championship, the Hatters have lost five-straight championship games.