Balanced Bucs blast Mars Hill, 84-56
Published 2:51 pm Thursday, December 1, 2022
- Contributed Photo ETSU extends win streak over non-Division I opponents to 73 straight games – a run dating back to 1987-88.
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Five Bucs score in double figures; ETSU cruises to 28-point win
JOHNSON CITY – Every Buccaneer took advantage of their opportunity on Wednesday night.
Five Bucs scored in double figures, including Jaden Seymour (Charlotte, N.C.) recording a double-double and Jalen Haynes (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) being perfect from the field, as ETSU men’s basketball cruised to an 84-56 win over Mars Hill inside Freedom Hall.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
ETSU snapped a three-game skid as the Blue and Gold improved to 4-4 on the season, while extending their win streak over non-Division I opponents to 73 straight games – a run dating back to 1987-88.
The Bucs had a lot of fun in the rout as ETSU set season highs in shooting percentage (.538), rebounds (45) and assists (22), while tying a season-high with 35 made field goals.
ETSU also notched a season-high 52 points in the paint, while scoring 21 points off 17 Mars Hill turnovers and posting 15 fastbreak points.
The Blue and Gold held Mars Hill to 38 percent shooting (24-64) and 19 percent from beyond the arc (5-26), while ETSU was plus-19 on the boards, 45 to 26.
ETSU led for nearly 38 minutes of the game and used an 18-2 run from the 16:10 mark to 9:46 remaining in the first half to open a 13-point lead, 24-11.
The Bucs held the Lions to 28 first-half points. ETSU is now 70-8 when holding opponents under 30 first-half points since the start of the 2015-16 season.
In the first half, the Bucs shot 63 percent (17-27) and were 14-of-17 from two-point range.
TOP PERFORMERS
Seymour finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, while Haynes was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field, tallying a game-high 19 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Haynes was the first Buccaneer to shoot 100 percent from the field on at least eight made field goals since David Burrell finished 8-for-8 in a win over Fordham on Nov. 11, 2016.
Jordan King (Albany, N.Y.) and DeAnthony Tipler (Ashland, Miss.) each scored 14 points, and Josh Taylor (Atlanta) added 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Haynes, Taylor and Seymour combined to go 18-for-24 from the field for 42 points and 25 rebounds.
Redshirt freshman guard Allen Strothers (Newport News, Va.) dished out seven assists.
Freshman Braden Ilic (Morristown, Tenn.) came off the bench to post four points and a career-high eight rebounds, while sophomore transfer Justice Smith (Lyons, N.Y.) finished with four points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Mars Hill was led by Kory Davis as he scored 16 points and dished out eight assists.
GAME SUMMARY
First Half
Mars Hill jumped out to an early three-point lead in the opening four minutes, but then the Bucs mounted their 18-2 run to go up 24-11 when Tipler drove in for a lay-up off a Lion turnover with just under 10 minutes remaining.
The Lions cut the deficit back to single digits one final time in the half before Seymour assisted on a King dunk, making it 37-22 with 1:48 left in the half. From there, ETSU took an 11-point lead into the break, 39-28.
Seven different Bucs scored in the opening 20 minutes with ETSU connecting on 63 percent from the field, while the Blue and Gold assisted on nine of their 17 made field goals.
Second Half
Mars Hill opened the second half with a dunk to pull back within single digits, but five straight points by the Bucs pushed the lead to 14, 44-30, with 17:30 left in the contest.
The Buccaneer lead never dipped below single digits the remainder of the night as ETSU’s margin grew to 20 when Seymour found Haynes in the paint for a turnaround jumper, making it a 56-36 score at the 12:21 mark.
ETSU’s largest lead of the night moved to 30 in the closing seconds of the game thanks to Kristian Shaw (Hendersonville, Tenn.) laying one home, giving the Bucs an 84-54 lead.
UP NEXT
ETSU wraps up its brief two-game homestand on Saturday when the Bucs host Jacksonville State at 4 p.m. inside Freedom Hall. The Bucs will honor all-time scorer Tim Smith prior to the game with a special jersey retirement.
