East Tennessee State finally got the shots to fall Wednesday night at Freedom Hall Civic Center.
After struggling from the field in their first couple of games, the Bucs raced out to a 34-point lead against the Division II Pioneers. Then, Tusculum went on an 18-2 run against the second string before the Bucs got it turned around in an 82-54 victory.
Still, ETSU was 32 of 58 from the field (55.2 percent) and 11 of 21 from 3-point range (52.4 percent). ETSU coach Brooks Savage described it as giving his team a chance to play well and get back on the horse after a tough loss to Eastern Kentucky last Friday night.
“It’s a lot easier when you make shots,†Savage said. “We were getting good quality looks at what we call expected shots. It was good to see them go in. We’ve been shooting the ball well in practice, but now we have to make them in a real game. It just makes everything easier. It was a good response after the weekend.â€
Fourteen players saw action and 12 scored for the Bucs (2-1). It didn’t count against the record of the Division II Pioneers (0-3). Five ETSU players finished in double figures with reserve guard Maki Johnson the leading scorer with 12 points.
Gabe Sisk and Karon Boyd each finished with 11 points and Curt Lewis was the leading rebounder with six. Sisk said the Bucs have to not have the lulls in the game like the stretch in the second half.
“You have to continue to play hard no matter who the opponent is,†Sisk said. “We got off to a slow start in the second half. That’s what we learned, that we have to focus more and play hard to the end.â€
The other double-digit scorers were Jaden Seymour and Allen Strothers with 10 points. Strothers finished with a game-high five assists, and said the extra shots the Bucs put up after practice started to pay off.
“You just have to stay in the gym and stay confident,†Strothers said. “We didn’t let it deter us from taking shots. I like getting my teammates the ball and making sure everyone gets the touches. It’s about lifting each other up.â€
ETSU got going early with a 25-8 lead less than nine minutes into the game and was up 50-19 at the half.
The Bucs exploited their obvious advantages and outscored the Pioneers 38-12 in the paint. Their depth came into play against a Tusculum team which had played the previous night at North Georgia.
With so many reserves playing, ETSU outscored Tusculum 52-20 off the bench.
ETSU had 16 steals with four apiece for Strothers and Quimari Peterson.
“The press was good. Our second unit came in, changed the game and blew the game open,†Savage said. “We got the tempo of the game up as those guys gave us a real nice look.â€
Jason Britton, the freshman who starred for North Greene High School last season, was the game’s leading scorer with 13 points for Tusculum. J3 Swindell was the next leading scorer for the Pioneers with nine.
NEXT UP
ETSU travels to Davidson on Saturday at 5 p.m. It’s a rematch of last season’s showdown, which the Bucs won 70-68 in Johnson City. Tusculum will look for a first win Friday at Lander, a team coached by Science Hill’s all-time leading scorer Omar Wattad.