Friday, March 05, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Siarre Evans led all scorers with 25 as ETSU knocked off Belmont, 77-63, to advance to the final of the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championships

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

ETSU entered the game on a 7-0 run, as Evans, who collected her 20th double-double on the season, posted the first points of the game with a layup followed by a three-pointer nearly one minute later. Belmont remained scoreless due to ETSU high defense pressure until 15:56 when sophomore guard Cacy Burtnett put the Bruins’ on the board with a three-pointer. Belmont started 1-for-8 from the field before the first media timeout until a Kristin Bunch bucket sparked a 13-4 Bruins run at 14:03. At this point, Belmont went from 1-of-8 shooting to 4-for-7 from the floor.

The Bruins would claim their first lead with 8:39 remaining in the first half after freshman center Alyssa Visbeen scored on a layup. The Belmont momentum was effective, but short lived, as ETSU rallied back from 2-14 shooting and junior guard Tara Davis hit a 3-point equalizer with 5:38 remaining, the first bucket for the No. 1-seeded team in nearly five minutes. ETSU claimed an 11-0 run after a Gwen Washington rebound ended with a jumper from Evans. Belmont then used a 7-0 advantage to bring the score within one in the Bruins’ favor, however Evans insisted that the Lady Bucs would lead heading at halftime as the Griffin, Ga. native added a jumper with three seconds remaining.

Wiles opened up second-half play with a three-pointer, closely followed by a Tarita Gordon trey. Wiles, a Danville, Fla. native, seized the first four minutes of the second half, scoring more points in that period that in the entire first stanza. ETSU capitalized off of 15 turnovers during the second half and increased the margin to 15 points, thanks in part to a layup from Evans with 4:32 remaining. A Belmont turnover helped to seal the win for ETSU, and the Lady Bucs held onto the ball for the final 27 seconds.

Next, ETSU will face the winner of No. 6 Jacksonville/No. 7 UNF at Noon tomorrow. 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 8th straight A-Sun Championship game. With a win on Saturday in the title game, the Lady Bucs would join Georgia State (2001-03) and Florida International (1992-95) as the only schools in A-Sun history to win three straight titles.
* ETSU becomes the first team since Georgia State (2000-2003) to make four consecutive title games. Like the Panthers, the Lady Bucs will go for three straight titles after losing the first title game on the run.

ETSU
* ETSU held a 30-29 advantage at the halftime break despite only shooting 29.4 percent from the floor (10-for-34). That mark represented the 3rd worst first-half percentage for the Lady Bucs (25.8 percent on 11/15 at Mississippi State; 28.6 percent on 2/6 at Stetson).
* 2010 Player of the Year Siarre Evans connected on 5-of-11 in the first half and scored 16 points…the rest of the team combined to shoot 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) and score 14 points.
* Evans finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, her 20th double-double of the season and the 53rd of her career. In her last four A-Sun Championship games, Evans has four double-doubles, averaging 19.0 ppg and 11.8 rebounds.

BELMONT
* After going scoreless in the first half on 0-5 shooting, Belmont’s Haley Nelson scored the Bruins’ first 10 points of the half. It would be until Amber Rockwell’s 3-point field goal the 12:44 mark than a different Bruin registered a second-half point.
* Nelson finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds – her ninth double-double. For the championship, she averaged 16.0 points and 16.0 rebounds – and tied a Championship record with 20 rebounds in the Bruins quarterfinal game.
* Shaunda Strayhorn, the conference’s leader in assists totaled eight assists and five rebounds – her sixth game with at least five assists and five rebounds and the first since Jan. 16 at Jacksonville (seven assists, five rebounds).
* With 14 points and 13 rebounds, Cacy Burtnett recorded her second double-double of the year. The 13 rebounds tie her career high, set against Mercer on Feb. 25