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Bucs come up empty on road trip

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – East Tennessee State University women’s basketball’s comeback bid fell short, 64-60 at Western Carolina on Sunday.

 Free throw shooting throughout the game proved to be the Buccaneers’ (9-8, 0-2) Achilles heel, as the Blue & Gold shot a season-worst 7-for-16 from the free throw line. The Catamounts (11-6, 1-1), however, shot 17-for-20 at the charity stripe, and outrebounded ETSU 41-27.

The Bucs dropped the contest despite forcing 19 WCU turnovers and mounting a rally in the fourth quarter just days after playing their worst fourth quarter of the season at UNCG. ETSU
cut the lead from ten points at the beginning of the fourth to one on multiple occasions in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, but never retook the lead.

5th year guard Courtney Moore and senior guard Braylyn Milton each scored 13 for ETSU in Milton’s return to the starting lineup. 

 Senior guard Kendall Folley opened the scoring with a wide open 3-pointer after the opening tip. The Catamounts, who entered the contest as the highest scoring team in the conference, then got to work on offense behind seven from Zanoria Cruz in the frame. The Bucs were buoyed by balanced scoring in the opening ten, with five different players hitting a shot, including redshirt junior guard Paige Lyons’ first 3-pointer since Nov. 23.

 Freshman guard Lucy Hood hit a triple at the end of the frame to cut into WCU’s lead, and ETSU trailed 17-15 after the first quarter.

 A slew of rushed plays ensued to open the second, with three Buccaneer turnovers in the first three minutes that let Western Carolina extend its lead to 25-19. The Bucs went over four minutes without a make, including an 0-for-5 stretch from deep that spanned the full quarter. 

 Milton took matters into her own hands with halftime approaching, hitting three shots in the last four minutes of the half to bring the Buccaneers back within seven, trailing 32-25 at the break. 

 The ETSU offense kicked into gear in the second half. Junior forward Meghan Downing scored the Bucs’ first four of the half, and Moore had eight in the third quarter. The Blue & Gold held Western Carolina to their game-low, 38.5% from the field, but the Cats hit all five of their free throws in the frame.

 After a lengthy review, a foul on WCU was upgraded to a flagrant with 6 seconds to play in the quarter, and Moore knocked down both free throws awarded for the first even quarter ETSU played on the afternoon. 

 After a poor fourth quarter at UNCG on Thursday, the Bucs responded by nearly flipping the result on its head in Cullowhee. The two squads traded early baskets before a WCU layup with 6:21 to go extended its lead to ten. 

 From there, the patented Mock Brown defense took full effect, holding the Catamounts scoreless for over four minutes, during which time 5th year forward Isabella Hunt, Folley and Milton combined to knock the lead down to just a point, 55-54. 

 In the final minutes, the Bucs forced a pair of shot clock violations but could not connect on three opportunities from the field. Western Carolina hit 3-of-4 foul shots to boost the lead to 58-54 before Milton hit a triple to cut the lead back to one. The 3-point attempt on the ensuing ETSU possession didn’t fall. Moore hit another 3-pointer with ETSU trailing by four with seconds to play, but the Catamounts finished a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to seal the 64-60 win.

 Next, ETSU returns home for its first conference games from Brooks Gymnasium, beginning with Mercer at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16.