ETSU had nine players score at least seven points; Bucs win fifth straight

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 27, 2021) – The Buccaneers had nine players score at least seven points, including three in double figures, as ETSU men’s basketball collected its fifth straight win by fending off a scrappy Lees-McRae club, 92-74, on Saturday afternoon inside Freedom Hall.

The Bucs, who scored 53 second-half points, used a 19-2 run to erase a five-point deficit and go ahead 62-50 with just under 11 minutes remaining. Eventually, ETSU’s lead grew to 20 as the Bucs secured their seventh straight win in the series.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• In a game where ETSU struggled with its long-range shooting, the Bucs were able to get points in the paint and at the free throw line. The Blue and Gold scored 38 points in the paint and went an impressive 28-of-31 at the charity stripe, setting season highs in made free throws and free throw percentage (90.3).
• The Bucs won the battle on the boards by eight, 48-40, and cashed 20 offensive rebounds into 27 second-chance points.
• For the game, ETSU shot 41 percent from the field (29-of-71) and 26 percent from beyond the arc (6-of-23).
• ETSU’s 53 second-half points were the most in a frame this season. The Bucs went 19-of-20 at the line in the second half.
• Since 2015-16, the Bucs are 31-2 when making at least 20 free throws in a game.
• With Saturday’s win, ETSU improved to 5-2, while making it 68 straight wins over non-Division I programs. The Bucs also moved to 2-0 inside Freedom Hall this season and are 79-16 (.832) at home since 2015-16.
• Vonnie Patterson (Louisville, Ky.) hit the Bucs’ first three-pointer on Saturday when David Sloan (Louisville, Ky.) found him open on the wing at the 9:40 mark of the first half, extending ETSU’s streak of making at least one triple to 1,067 straight games.

TOP PERFORMERS

• Three Bucs scored in double figures with Charlie Weber (Owings, Md.) registering his first collegiate double-double as he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, marking career highs for the ETSU post player. Weber was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line, extending his run to 11 consecutive made free throws.
• David Sloan kept his streak of scoring in double figures alive as he finished with 15 points, five assists and tied a career high with four steals. Sloan, who has scored in double figures in 11 straight games dating back to last year, also went 8-of-10 at the free throw line, setting new career bests for the Buccaneer guard.
• Jordan King (Albany, N.Y.) netted 14 points and grabbed five rebounds, while fellow newcomer Jaden Seymour (Charlotte, N.C.) finished with a career-high seven points.
• Silas Adheke (Lagos, Nigeria) and Ty Brewer (Meridian, Miss.) both missed joining Weber with double-doubles. Adheke finished with eight points and a tied a season-high with 10 rebounds, while Brewer added eight points and pulled down a season-high 12 boards. The Buccaneer duo also combined to go 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
• Mohab Yasser (Giza, Egypt) scored a season-high nine points, while Ledarrius Brewer (Meridian, Miss.) and Vonnie Patterson rounded out the Bucs who scored at least seven points. Brewer totaled nine points, three rebounds and three assists and Patterson, who celebrated a birthday on Friday, posted eight points and tied a career high with three steals.
• The Bobcats had four players score in double figures with Justin Nichelson posting a game-high 16 points off the bench.

POSTGAME COMMMENTS 

Listen to postgame comments from head coach Desmond Oliver and center Silas Adheke following the Buccaneer win. 

GAME SUMMARY

Both teams got off to sluggish starts as ETSU led 5-0 four minutes in. However, after the Bobcats pulled within two near the midway point of the half, the Bucs rattled off 10 unanswered points to go up 12, 24-12, when Weber fed Ledarrius Brewer for his lone three-pointer of the day with just under nine minutes left before intermission.

The Buccaneer lead didn’t last long as Lees-McRae responded with a 17-4 run to take its first lead of the game at 29-28, but ETSU closed the final five minutes scoring 11 of the final 15 points to take a 39-33 lead into the locker room.

Out the break ETSU pushed its lead to eight, but again, the Bobcats didn’t back down.

Over the next four minutes, Lees-McRae got hot as they mounted a 14-1 run to go ahead 48-43, at the 15:23 mark.

The Bucs were then forced to press and the moved worked as they went on their 19-2 run to take command at 62-50 with 10:57 left to play. The Bobcats were able to get back within single digits on six different possessions, but they closest they would get was eight.

With ETSU leading by nine with four and a half minutes left, the Bucs threw the final run at the visitors from Banner Elk, N.C. The Blue and Gold scored eight straight points to see their lead balloon to 17, 86-69, after Weber sank a pair of free throws with 1:38 showing on the clock. The Bucs led by as many as 20 on a lay-up by Yasser in the closing seconds and secured their fourth win in six days.

UP NEXT

ETSU hits the road to take on preseason Conference USA favorite UAB on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EST inside Bartow Arena.

For more information on ETSU men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s basketball tab.