ETSU Gives Vandy a Scare

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – East Tennessee State forward Latisha Belcher dominated play in the paint, carving her way through black-gold-and-white clad bodies and sinking tough inside baskets.

ETSU guard Siarre Evans shot straight, true arrows from the perimeter, collecting a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds.

And the Buccaneers rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to pull within three points midway through the second half against No. 13 Vanderbilt on Friday night at the Memorial Center.

ETSU gave Vandy a serious scare with a no-nonsense, no-quit fight. But the shaken Commodores eventually settled down to pull out a 66-55 victory before a record crowd of 3,459.

And the Buccaneers – a season removed from their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance – are still in search of their first win of the 2008-09 campaign.

“We’re going to keep working hard and keep competing. And when it comes time to play those games that really, really matter … we’ll be ready for ‘em,” Bucs coach Karen Kemp said.

Belcher added 10 points, four steals and three rebounds for ETSU, while Tara Davis contributed eight points, five steals and four assists for the Buccaneers (0-3).

Christina Wirth and Merideth Marsh tied for a team-high 16 points to lead the Commodores (3-0). Marsh hit 5 of her 13 3-point attempts and collected five rebounds, while Hannah Tuomi grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for Vandy.

“I brought [the team] here and I told them that no one wants to play here,” Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. “And I brought ‘em here because we should be able to win these games; we should be able to win in this kind of environment, and it’s teaching us a lot.”

Despite the defeat, Kemp found what she was looking for from her young team.

ETSU has no senior on its roster, and Kemp said leadership was her main concern when the Bucs’ season began.

ETSU found its leader on Friday evening, in the form of a two-party government run by Belcher and Evans.

And the Bucs’ resilience in the second half – ignited by a renewed intensity on defense – provided hope for the future.

“I think we picked up the intensity more in the second half,” Evans said. “We had intensity in the first half but … we had some defensive mental lapses.”

The Bucs held Vandy to 36-percent shooting (11 of 30) from the field in the second period, and the Commodores hit just 31 percent (7 of 22) of their 3-point attempts in the game.

“We feel like we can play with most people in the country. And that’s why I’ve scheduled like I have this year, because I think this team is ready to play at that level,” Kemp
said. “So, yes, I expect when we step on the court with [Atlantic Sun Conference] teams that we come out with the same intensity and passion that we did tonight against Vanderbilt.”

Meanwhile, ETSU reached the foul line 17 times in the second half, compared to just five appearances for Vandy. And Vanderbilt was called for 14 second-half personal fouls, while the Commodores received six in the first period.

“We struggled guarding the dribble-drive and guarding the ball with one person,” Balcomb said. “They had us on our heels, and then we ended up fouling and sending them to the free-throw line too much.”

A 3-pointer from the left wing by Marsh gave Vandy a 10-5 lead with 15 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Commodores’ tight, aggressive defense initially frustrated the Bucs, and ETSU committed six turnovers in the game’s first six minutes.

The Bucs battled back, though, and a three-point play by Belcher pulled ETSU within 14-13.

ETSU then stretched its advantage to 19-14, riding a 14-2 run.

The Bucs’ march hit a wall, though, when Vandy went small and allowed 5-foot-8 junior guard Jessica Mooney (five points, two steals) to take control of the offense.

Mooney easily sliced through the interior of the Bucs defense, using agile spin moves to gain position.

And Mooney’s strong first-half performance peaked with a steal and ensuing basket, giving Vanderbilt a 25-19 lead with 5:25 left in the first half. 

As Vandy’s offense found a solid groove, the Buccaneers’ suddenly slowed down.

ETSU ended the first half buried in a 4-for-15 drought after connecting on 6 of its first 12 shots.

The Bucs committed 17 first-half turnovers, shot 37 percent (10 of 27) from the field and were just 1 of 9 on 3-point attempts.

Vanderbilt outscored ETSU 22-8 in the final eight minutes of the first half and took a 36-23 lead into halftime.

NOTES: ETSU freshman forward Natalie Pickwell, a Sullivan South graduate, finished with no points on 0-of-3 shooting. … The crowd of 3,459 set a home attendance record for ETSU women’s basketball. The previous high was 1,236 for last season’s game against Kennesaw State. … Vanderbilt’s 66 points marked the first time this season the Commodores have failed to reach the 80-point mark.

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