ETSU suffers first ever loss to Bulldogs in Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Feb. 4, 2023) – In a physical Southern Conference contest, the ETSU men’s basketball team dropped a 73-62 decision to Samford on Saturday afternoon inside the Pete Hanna Center. 

In a game featuring 40 total fouls (two technicals), the Bucs suffered their first-ever loss to the Bulldogs in Birmingham. ETSU was 8-0 all-time against Samford in Birmingham prior to today’s setback. 

Jalen Haynes (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, while Jamarius Hairston (Salisbury, N.C.) finished in double figures for the fourth time in his last five contests. Hairston added 14 points and accounted for four of ETSU’s six made three-pointers. 

As a team, ETSU outshot Samford 46 percent to 40 percent, and made one more triple; however, free throw shooting and turnovers featured the biggest discrepancy. The Bulldogs went 26-of-33 at the charity stripe, compared to the Bucs going 10-for-16. The Blue and Gold also turned the ball 19 times, resulting in 25 points for Samford. The Bulldogs turned to ball over 11 times with ETSU only scoring eight points off those miscues. 

Samford scored the first eight points of the game and built a 19-point lead in the opening half before taking a 39-29 lead into the locker room. 

The Bulldogs eventually led by as many as 24 points in the second half, but as ETSU was trailing 60-36 at the 10:25 mark, the Bucs used a 19-6 run to get within 11 with just under three minutes remaining. Despite holding Samford to one made field goal over that final 10:25, the Blue and Gold couldn’t inch any closer as the Bulldogs held on for the 11-point win. 

ETSU held Ques Glover – Samford’s leading scorer – 10 points below his season average as well as Logan Dye to six points below his mark. Glover netted five points and Dye – who was 0-of-4 from the field – added eight on 8-of-12 shooting at the free throw line. 

Samford was led by A.J. Staton-McCray as he totaled 16 points, while seven Bulldog players scored at least five points. 

With the loss, ETSU dipped to 9-16 overall and 5-7 in league play, while Samford remained atop the conference standings. The Bulldogs improved to 16-9, 10-2.

The Bucs now head to Greensboro to take on UNCG Tuesday night at 7 p.m. inside the Greensboro Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

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