ETSU spoils UNCG’s Senior Night… Bucs earn key road win in Greensboro

Published 9:33 pm Sunday, February 27, 2022

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Behind strong second-half shooting and four Buccaneers scoring in double figures, the ETSU men’s basketball team played spoilers on Senior Night as the Blue and Gold earned a key 73-69 road win at UNCG Sunday evening inside the Greensboro Coliseum.

With the win, ETSU improved to 15-16 overall and 7-11 in conference play, while coming away victorious inside Greensboro Coliseum for the third straight season.

The Bucs used strong second half shooting as ETSU posted a 64% clip in the final 20 minutes en route to finishing 49 percent for the contest (24-49). The Blue and Gold were also 67 percent (4-6) from beyond the arc in the second stanza and went 9-of-20 for the game.

ETSU also capitalized at the free throw line as the Bucs went 16-of-20 at the stripe, including a 13-of-15 mark in the second half.

UNCG shot 47 percent (27-58) for the contest and 33 percent from long distance (8-24), while finishing 7-of-11 at the free throw line.

Both teams scored off turnovers as ETSU turned 14 Spartan miscues into 19 points, while UNCG cashed 15 Buccaneer mistakes into 15 points.

After trailing 29-28 at the break, ETSU outscored UNCG, 45-40, in the second half.

The Bucs won for just the third time when trailing at the half this season, while Sunday marked ETSU’s fourth true road win of the year. Meanwhile, UNCG suffered only its third setback when leading at the half this year.

For the third straight game, ETSU played only six guys, with the Bucs winning two of those three contests.

With the loss, UNCG – who defeated Furman and Chattanooga earlier this month – dipped to 17-13 overall and 9-9 in conference play.

David Sloan (Louisville, Ky.) led the Bucs by scoring all 19 points in the second half as he finished 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Sloan also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. Following his 5-assist performance, Sloan moved past Steve Horne for fifth on the Buccaneer single-season leaders list with 158.

For the second straight game, Mohab Yasser (Giza, Egypt) tied a career high with 15 points, while pulling down five rebounds and tallying two steals.

Jordan King (Albany, N.Y.) – who played all 40 minutes – netted 14 of his 15 points in the first half and accounted for four of ETSU’s nine made triples. King also added three boards and two assists. With his four made threes, King moved into third on the ETSU single-season list with 95 made threes.

Ty Brewer (Meridian, Miss.) totaled 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals in over 38 minutes of action.

UNCG was led by Kobe Langley as he scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Mohammed Abdulsalam added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Both teams led by five in the first half as ETSU scored the first five points to start the game, while UNCG used a late 7-0 run to go ahead 28-23 with 2:25 left before the break. The Bucs ended with momentum by scoring five of the final six points, including a deep three by King to beat the buzzer, making it 29-28.

After seeing five ties and five lead changes in the first half, the score shifted twice in the opening minute of the second before the Spartans opened a 39-36 lead following a lay-up by De’Monte Buckingham at the 13:16 mark.

David Sloan then responded as he hit his first seven shots to start the half – including three from long distance – and ETSU scored eight unanswered to go up 44-39 following a steal and monster slam by Ty Brewer with 11:09 remaining.

From there, the Bucs extended their lead to six on three different possessions, but after Sloan found King open for a three to go up 53-47, UNCG scored six straight to pull even at 53 with 6:37 left in the game.

With the game knotted at 55 at the under six-minute mark, Ty Brewer found the perfect time to knock down his first and only three-pointer, giving the Bucs the lead for good at 58-55. The triple ignited an 11-2 surge as Mohab Yasser drove to the rim, extending ETSU’s advantage to a game-high nine points, 66-57 at the 1:37 mark.

Despite leading by nine down the stretch, the Bucs held on as UNCG made three triples in the final minute, pulling within two, 70-68 with five seconds remaining. Jordan King made one of two at the line to go up three – and after ETSU fouled with three seconds left – the Spartans made the first, missed the second and Ledarrius Brewer came down with the game-winning board. Brewer was fouled and made both freebies to ice the game.

ETSU turns its attention to the Southern Conference Tournament as the eighth-seeded Bucs take on ninth-seeded Citadel Friday at 5 p.m. inside Harrah’s Cherokee Center.

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