Feb. 11, 2002

Final Stats

Johnson City, Tenn. - The East Tennessee State Lady Bucs found their touch from the outside in the second half and pulled away from Western Carolina, winning 73-59 Monday night from Memorial Center.

East Tennessee State (10-14, 5-10 Southern Conference) led the game 32-28 after a first half dominated by defense. The Lady Bucs collected six steals in the first half while the Catamounts (14-10, 6-9 SoCon) dominated the boards, outrebounding ETSU 27-19. Lady Buc junior forward Misty Copas had 10 points at the break, while Western Carolina was led by senior center Laura Echols, who had seven points.

Western Carolina began the second half on a 9-3 run, taking a 39-35 lead after a layup by Marsha McGillivary with 14:24 remaining in the game. The two teams would trade the lead seven times during the middle of the second half before the Lady Bucs would go on a 22-7 run over the last 6:42 of the game that began with the Lady Catamounts in the lead, 52-51. The game-deciding run was sparked by ETSU junior guard Kiya Verdell, who began the stretch with two consecutive three-pointers.

The Lady Bucs were on fire from behind the arc in the second half, hitting on 6-10 from long range in the second stanza, including four in the last eight minutes of the game. ETSU also did a better job on the boards in the second half, outrebounding Western Carolina 24-18.

ETSU was led by Copas, who had a game-high 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Verdell and senior guard Erin Thurman each had 13 points, and Thurman added a game-high seven assists. Sophomore forward Lauren Trantham contributed 10 points and had a game-high four steals. Freshman guard Ashley Reed played key minutes in the second half and scored eight points, including a three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining that sealed the win.

Western Carolina was led by Echols, who had 13 points and added nine rebounds. Forward Janetta Heggins played well, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end, while scoring eight points and dishing out a team-high four assists. McGillivary also scored in double-digits for the Catamounts, tallying 11 points on the evening.

Western Carolina continues on the road, traveling to College of Charleston Saturday night (Feb. 16) at 7 p.m.