The Bucs’ 18-game home winning streak was finally brought to an end at the hands of the University of Chattanooga last Saturday night.ETSU shot 33.8 percent from the field and just 16 percent from behind the three-point arch, falling to the Mocs, 66-61, in Memorial Center.

“I thought our kids played extremely hard and I’m surprised we were in it with the way we shot,” said head coach Ed DeChellis of his team’s dismal shooting which included the free-throw line, 54.2 percent (13-24).

Despite hitting only two of 16 from behind the arch and 30.6 percent from the field in the first half, the Bucs (10-9, 3-5) found themselves only down by five at intermission, 30-25.

“We thought we were going to pick up our shooting in the second half, we just couldn’t get the bounces,” said forward Jerald Fields, who was one of three Bucs in double figures in the scoring column with 14.

ETSU made a run early in the second half with a 10-2 spurt that began with a layup by sophomore forward Zakee Wadood, which got the Bucs within one-point at 38-37 with 13:13 to play.

During that stretch the Bucs’ Ryan Lawson connected on his first two three-pointers of the game after going 0-for-5 from behind the arch in the first half.

“It definitely was frustrating in the first half not getting a lot of open shots to fall,” said Lawson, who finished with eight points on 3-for-15 shooting from the floor and 2-for-13 on three-point field goal attempts.

“Coach is never going to tell us to stop shooting . it was the worst shooting night I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

Even though the baskets weren’t falling the Bucs found a way to stay in the game and even took the lead with 4:42 remaining in the game on two free throws by freshman Tiras Wade. It was the Bucs’ first lead since leading 10-9 with 10:09 left in the first half.

The lead changed hands four times over the next 1:21 until Chattanooga’s Toot Young, who had a game-high 23 points, hit two free throws to give the Mocs (11-10, 4-4) the lead which they would not relinquish.

“He (Young) made some really tough shots against us,” said DeChellis of Young, who shot 7-for-13 from the field and 4-for-9 on his three-point attempts.

The Mocs’ Tim Parker gave Chattanooga a three-point lead with 2:33 to go with two free throws, before a jumper by Dimeco Childress; who also had an off-night shooting, scoring only eight points – seven below his season average – on 3-for-10 shooting and 1-for-7 on three point attempts; cut the lead back down to one-point, 61-60, at the 2:12 mark.

That would be as close as ETSU would get the rest of the way.

“We got it (the ball) inside and missed layups, we got fouled and didn’t make free throws, it was one of those days where the ball does not get in the basket,” DeChellis said. “It’s about making the shots at the right time (and) we didn’t make the shots at the right time.”

Joining Fields in double-figures were Wade and Wadood, who both recorded double-doubles. Wade led the Bucs’ with 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Wadood scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.

Fields just missed a double-double of his own; grabbing nine rebounds, but had a team-high three blocked shots.

The Bucs will next play at VMI on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

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