Lopez leads ETSU women over UNC Greensboro

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Daniela Lopez scored 18 points to lead the East Tennessee State women to a 58-48 victory at UNC Greensboro on Saturday afternoon. Lopez, the 5-10 junior transfer from Xavier, hit 7-of-14 shots, including going 3-for-7 from 3-point range. It was her second straight game in double digits and sixth of the season. The Lady Bucs, who never trailed in the contest, improved to 9-11 overall and 2-3 in the Southern Conference. The homestanding Lady Spartans fell to 12-9 and 2-4. ETSU got off to a strong start, opening the game on an 11-0 run and leading by four points at the end of one quarter. The Bucs led 30-27 at the half and then opened the lead to 17 points in the third quarter. Senior forward Meghan Downing, finished with nine points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. That increased her SoCon lead to 35 blocks on the season and the 36th consecutive game with at least one block. Anala Nelson also finished with nine points. Carmen Richardson, a preseason All-SoCon player like Downing, had a game-high five assists to go along with seven points. Jaidyn Harper contributed eight points and six rebounds in a balanced effort. The Spartans were led by Jeni Levine, who had a game-high 20 points along with five rebounds and three assists. No other UNCG player scored more than six. ETSU turned out another strong defensive effort, holding UNCG to 32.1 percent shooting. The Bucs took care of the ball on offense with just nine turnovers. ETSU held advantages with its inside game, outscoring the Spartans 22-12 in points in the paint and 14-4 in second-chance points. The Bucs return home at Brooks Gym to face Samford on Friday 7 p.m. and then play Mercer next Sunday at 4 p.m.