Bucs set three-point record in thrashing of Wofford

Published 11:46 pm Thursday, February 16, 2023

 JOHNSON CITY – Thursday night was a historic one for the ETSU women’s basketball program, as the Buccaneers set a new school record with 16 made three-pointers in a memorable 83-45 win for the ages over Wofford inside Brooks Gym in front of over 600 fans.

Though the game was essentially in hand, the record was broken in dramatic fashion. In the third quarter, ETSU went 7-11 behind the arc, setting a new season-high of 13 heading into the final frame. As time began to slip away in the fourth quarter, true freshman Journee McDaniel (New Bern, N.C.) nailed a triple on an assist from fellow freshman Paris McCarthy (Castleisland, Ireland) with 2:41 remaining.

Though entering the game late in the fourth quarter, McCarthy would be the one to send ETSU into the record books. With 1:59 remaining, she took an assist from teammate Sarah Thompson (Gate City, Va.) and sank it to tie the record. The chatter of a potential school record began to spread after that, as McCarthy took an inbound from Thompson with 1:04 to go and drained it to send the bench and the crowd into a frenzy.

While aiding the school record with the last two assists, Thompson — a Gate City native — made four of her own and scored a new career-high of 17 points. She tied graduate teammate Jiselle Thomas (Norwalk, Ohio) for the game-high scoring total.

The previous school record of 15 was set back in ETSU’s last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010 against Xavier. ETSU also had 15 three-pointers against North Florida in 2006.

ETSU has now won seven of its last eight games, improving to a 20-7 overall record. This team becomes the ninth in ETSU women’s basketball history to reach 20 wins in a season. The Bucs also improve to 7-4 in Southern Conference play, tying Wofford and Samford for second in the league.

The Terriers drop to 17-8 overall following its lowest point total of the season. Tonight’s result also sets the new series record for margin of victory at 38 points. The previous high was 32 in a 79-47 win for ETSU back in 2015.

Four Bucs finished in double figures, with Kendall Folley (Lebanon, Ohio) scoring 13 and McDaniel adding 12 to join Thompson and Thomas. Those four, along with McCarthy, Nevaeh Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) and Courtney Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) combined for the 16 three-pointers.

Thomas and Jakhyia Davis (Knoxville, Tenn.) had a game-high six rebounds, while Thompson, McDaniel and freshman Meghan Downing (New Madison, Ohio) had five each. Moore added a game-high five assists.

Wofford was led by Rachael Rose with 13 points and four rebounds and three assists.

First Quarter: For the seventh time this season, ETSU started the contest with a quick triple to start the scoring. Nevaeh Brown was the first to strike, hitting a three within the first 12 seconds of the game. Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first quarter in what looked to have the early makings of a high-scoring game, as ETSU led 20-17.

Second Quarter: Just like last week’s win at Mercer, it was the second quarter that turned the tide in favor of ETSU. The Bucs went on a 15-0 run and forced Wofford into seven turnovers and no points over a stretch of six and a half minutes. That run extended to a 20-2 run by the end of the half, as Wofford went without a field goal for over eight minutes but made a pair of free throws.

Third Quarter: Local product Sarah Thompson continued ETSU’s run with an early three-pointer and would go on to do more damage, as ETSU extended a 32-4 run into the third quarter. Thompson reached her career-high in scoring before the quarter ended with four triples to go with her three points from the first half. ETSU also set a new season-high of 13 three-pointers before the end of the third quarter, going 7-11 behind the arc in the frame alone.

Fourth Quarter: The Bucs cruised in the fourth quarter and eventually led by 41 points before Wofford made one last basket at the buzzer. ETSU shot 55 percent in the second half, going 7-13 in the third and 3-8 behind the arc to achieve the record. Wofford was limited to just 1-13 shooting in the fourth quarter, missing its first 13 baskets before sinking the final attempt.

The Bucs will play their final regular season home game against Furman on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. Prior to the game, ETSU will hold special pre-game ceremony for graduating player Jiselle Thomas.

For more information on Buccaneer women’s hoops, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s basketball page.