King’s career day not enough to carry Bucs past VMI

Published 10:35 pm Saturday, January 29, 2022

LEXINGTON, VA. – Jordan King (Albany, N.Y.) scored a career-high 27 points on seven made three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to carry ETSU men’s basketball to a road win at VMI, as the Buccaneers suffered an 83-79 setback on Saturday afternoon inside Cameron Hall.

Saturday’s game was nip-and-tuck for all 40 minutes as it featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, while neither team led by more than nine points.

The stats were nearly identical as the Bucs were plus-1 in field goals made (29-28) and plus-3 in rebounds (34-31), while the teams both netted 12 threes. The difference maker was at the free-throw line with ETSU going 9-of-13, compared to VMI finishing 15-for-18.

The Bucs were plus-12 in fast-break scoring, 17-5, while finishing plus-6 in the paint, 32-26.

ETSU led by one at the break, 39-38, but allowed 45 second-half points en route to being outscored by five in the final 20 minutes. VMI shot 50 percent from the floor (14-28) and 58 percent from beyond the arc (7-12) in the second half. The Bucs shot 55 percent (16-29) but went 4-of-11 from long distance.

VMI turned 10 offensive rebounds into 10 second-chance points, compared to the Bucs recording six second-chance points on 11 offensive boards.

The Bucs’ 13-game win streak over VMI came to an end as ETSU was dealt its third straight loss. The Blue and Gold moved to 12-11 overall and 4-6 in SoCon play. VMI, who beat the Bucs for the first time since Jan. 17, 2015, improved to 12-10, 5-5.

Jordan King set career highs in points (27), threes made (7) and field goals made (10) as he registered his eighth career 20-point scoring game (fifth as a Buccaneer).

Ledarrius Brewer (Meridian, Miss.) posted his fifth career double-double as he totaled 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Brewer and King combined for 49 points and 19 of ETSU’s 29 made field goals.

Ty Brewer (Meridian, Miss.) registered four points, six rebounds, three steals and a career-high five blocks. Brewer’s five blocks were the most by a Buccaneer since David Burrell swatted six shots in the SoCon Championship win over UNCG on March 6, 2017.

Mohab Yasser (Giza, Egypt) came off the bench and scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-3 from three).

VMI had four players score in double figures with Trey Bonham leading the charge at 21. Jake Stephens finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half as ETSU took a 39-38 lead into the locker room thanks to a go-ahead three-pointer by King with 17 seconds left.

The Bucs carried momentum with them into the second half as they opened a nine-point lead when Yasser drove in for a lay-up at the 15:21 mark.

Less than two minutes later the Blue and Gold pushed the margin back to nine after King knocked down his sixth three-pointer of the night, making it 58-49, with 13:41 remaining.

Unfortunately, the Bucs couldn’t deliver the knockout punch.

Over the next four-plus minutes, VMI answered with 16-5 run to regain a 65-63 lead with just over nine minutes left to play.

The final nine minutes and 10 seconds featured six lead changes and two ties, but despite holding a pair of one-point leads in the closing minute and a half, ETSU couldn’t get the defensive stop needed to secure the road win.

Jaden Seymour (Charlotte, N.C.) gave the Bucs a 77-76 advantage with 1:32 left, while Ty Brewer’s first made field goal with 44 seconds to go put ETSU back up 79-78 with 44 ticks showing on the clock.

VMI quickly regained the lead when Bonham drove the lane, made a lay-up and drew the foul to complete the three-point-play, making it 81-79 with 36 seconds remaining. Following an ETSU timeout, Ledarrius Brewer got inside the paint, drew contact on a short jumper, but Sean Conway was credited with a block and Stephens came away with the defensive rebound. The Buccaneer defense was forced to foul and VMI connected on both free throws to ice the game.

ETSU heads to Cullowhee, N.C. Wednesday night to take on Western Carolina. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Ramsey Center.

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