ASHEVILLE, N.C.  – No. 3 UNCG womens' basketball holds No. 6 ETSU below 50 for the third time this year, as the Spartans advance to the SoCon Championship tournament semifinals in a 57-47 win over the Bucs. The UNCG defense held ETSU to 27.6 shooting on the night (16-for-58), while outrebounding the side 41-28.

Nadine Soliman scored the Spartans' first six points of the contest as UNCG jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the opening four minutes. The No. 6 Bucs would climb back to within three before the break however, with the Spartans taking a 15-12 lead in the first 10 minutes, and hitting four of their first eight field goal attempts of the afternoon. 

The UNCG defense held ETSU to just three points in the first five minutes of the second period, before the Bucs went off for a 10-2 run to close out the half. The Spartans took a 25-23 deficit into the half time break, with forward Aja Boyd delivering a team-high in points (9) and rebounds (5) in the first 20 minutes. UNCG would outscore its opponents 12-6 in the paint during the first half, but it was the Spartans' 12 turnovers that gave the Bucs the lead heading into the third quarter. 

ETSU was held to just a single field goal in the first 6:56 of the second half however, with the Spartans opening up on a 14-3 run. The side shot 9-for-14 in the third quarter while outscoring the Bucs 24-10, with Boyd adding another 11 points to her running total. 

Boyd shot 4-for-4 in the second half to finish her night with a game-high 20 points, coming up three boards short of a double-double. The UNCG defense would hold ETSU to 12 points in the final quarter and a total of seven field goals in the second half, taking the final 57-47. Thursday's final is the 12th time the Spartans have held a team below 50 this year, and the third time they've held the Bucs below 50 on the season.

Things To Know
-- Soliman recorded her sixth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds

-- The Spartans had 21 turnovers in comparison to the Bucs' 11, but outscored ETSU 28-16 in the paint

-- Cece Crudup had a team-high three assists, adding nine points, seven boards and two steals on the evening

Coming Up Next
The Spartans will rematch with Mercer on Friday at 1:15 p.m. inside Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville. UNCG won both of its regular season matchups with the Bears, outscoring the side by an average of 13 points in those two meetings. 

-- UNCG –