East Tennessee State kept the game close Wednesday night against Vanderbilt, but could not overcome the Commodores in a 86-75 loss in Memorial Gym in Nashville.
ETSU falls to 1-3 while Vanderbilt raises their record to 4-1 on the young season. The Commodores have now won all six games in the series with the Buccaneers, dating back to 1983.
“The problem that has reoccurred in our loses is that we lose our poise,” ETSU head coach Ed DeChellis said. “During a span of three or four minutes we go from one up to four to six points down. We have to get over the hump. That’s our Achilles’ heel. When someone makes a run at us we don’t have the poise on the floor to work through the situation.”
The Commodores came out with some early jitters through the majority of the first half, but were able settle into their game, which included an up-paced offense and an aggressive defense.
“I don’t think we played our best, but I think East Tennessee State had something to do with that,” Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings said. “They give us a fight every time they come in here, and tonight was no different. I think we were feeling some effects from the game on Sunday (UConn). I was extremely disappointed in how they outrebounded us. Essentially, that is what kept them in the game.”
The second half would be a similar tale to the first in that the Commodores had to weather an early offensive storm by the Buccaneers to pull away late.
The Buccaneers cut the lead to 53-49 with 12:43 left in the game, but the Commo-dores were able to stretch the lead out again and really never give them an opportunity to get back into the contest.
Buccaneer senior guard Ryan Lawson tied a game-high with 18 points on 7-13 from the floor, including 4-9 from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Tiras Wade kept up his hot play to begin the season, adding 14 points for the Bucs. Junior forward Jerald Fields was the third Buccaneer to score in double-figures, contributing 11 points for ETSU. Junior forward Zakee Wadood had a game-high five steals, a team-high seven rebounds and tied with Lawson and freshman point guard Tim Smith with a team-high three assists.
“Once again we were able to win the rebounding battle,” DeChellis said. “We played better in the second half. We handled the ball better and played with a purpose. Our 1-3-1 got them sideways and kept us in the game.”
Commodore center Brian Thornton tied a personal best with 18 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds and blocking two shots. Vandy center David Przybyzewski finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots in 19 minutes of action.
“It was a victory, and I would have signed up for an 11-point win at the beginning of the night,” Stallings said.
This marks the end of a three-game road trip for the Buccaneers. ETSU returns to action Saturday at 4 p.m. against UNC-Asheville in the Memorial Center in Johnson City.
UNC-Wilmington 78
ETSU 57
Last Saturday, ETSU lost to UNC-Wilmington, 78-57, in Wilimington, N.C.
The Bucs fell behind early in the first half and could not recover.
The Seahawks, playing their home opener, won their second straight and improved to 2-1 with the non-conference victory.
Sophomore guard Tiras Wade had a season-high 21 points on the day and freshman point guard Tim Smith added 14 points for ETSU. Wade also had a team-high six rebounds.
UNCW senior guard Brett Blizzard led four players in double figures with 21 points, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range
Blizzard made 8-of-16 shots and added five assists to pace the Seahawks Junior forward Anthony Terrell collected 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while senior center Craig Callahan chipped in 12 and junior guard Tim Burnette scored 12.
After building a 42-31 lead at intermission, Terrell made back-to-back baskets to open the second half and give the Seahawks a 46-31 cushion with 19:17 remaining. ETSU battled back with an eight-point run to cut the deficit to 46-39.
A turnaround jumper by Jerald Fields with 16:17 left brought the Bucs to within seven points.
Callahan scored from close range and Blizzard canned a trey to push the lead back to 51-39 and the Seahawks went on another seven-point spurt to go ahead, 60-45, on Burnette’s 3-pointer with 10:31 left. A 3-pointer by Burnette with 6:47 gave the Seahawks their largest lead at 67-46.
The Seahawks took command early in the first half and built a 15-point lead before settling for a 42-31 advantage at intermission. Tim Burnette converted a conventional 3-point play at 5:47 to give UNCW a 36-21 lead.

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