ETSU fans were holding their breath after the first five minutes of Thursday night’s men’s basketball game between ETSU and the Wingate Bulldogs.
The Bucs were 0-6 from 3 point range.
Wingate held a 12-4 lead.
And during the second minute of play, last season’s second leading scorer Kevin Tiggs hobbled off the court with an apparent leg injury.
But those fans who stuck it out ended up bearing witness to Buccaneer milestones.
ETSU didn’t trail again after 11:03 had passed in the first half, and the Bucs went on to win 96-66 at their first game of the season in Memorial Center. The victory marked coach Murry Bartow’s 200th career win as a head coach, and senior guard Courtney Pigram became just the second player in Buccaneer history to record a triple double.
“I didn’t think I was going to come out there and get a triple double,” Pigram said. “I just wanted to make things happen.”
Pigram led the Buccaneer charge as he led the game in assists (10), rebounds (10), and tied teammate Tiggs in scoring 21.
“(Pigram) just played the way we need him to play,” Bartow said. “Tonight he was very much in control of his game.”
Though the Bucs, as a team, eventually controlled most aspects of the game, they started slowly. The game was tied 2-2 when Tiggs collided with two Wingate players and grasped his left leg in pain. After he limped off the court, this season’s co-leading scorer Mike Smith picked up an early second foul, forcing him to the bench. After Smith sat down, the Bulldogs went on a 10-2 run to make the score 12-4. The Bucs were unable to respond, going 0-6 on their shot attempts, with all of those attempts coming from beyond the 3 point marker.
“We had a little heart-to-heart at that point in the game,” Bartow said of his team. “We just made it real clear that nobody was going to shoot outside of 12 feet.”
After a timeout with 15:38 left in the first half, things started going ETSU’s way. Tiggs returned to the game, seemingly unaffected by injury. Smith returned as well, and he and Tiggs led the charge with four points each in bringing the score to 17-17.
With 10:57 left in the half, Tiggs hit one of two free throws to make the score 18-17. The Bucs never trailed after that point.
“We were just figuring out where everybody fit on the team,” Tiggs said of his team’s early struggles. “We knew that playing better offense will lead to good defense. It worked out well for us tonight.”
After Bartow forbade his team from long-range shooting, he switched strategies and decided to work the ball closer to the hoop. This was highly effective, due in large part to forward Seth Coy.
Coy, a 6-foot-11-inch, 240 pound freshman was able to work inside with ease to score 11 points in the first half. “(Inside play) is something we’ve been working on all week,” Coy said. “I was pretty much ready for this.”
Pigram added 12 and Tiggs added 11 to give the Bucs a 43-31 lead at halftime.
The Bulldogs were hopelessly outmatched in the second half. After scoring a quick basket, ETSU then went on an 11-0 run to make the score 54-34. Their post play continued to dominate Wingate, as Pigram and senior forward Greg Hamlin were able to work inside to score or to find open teammates with ease.
With 9:09 left to play in the game, ETSU held a 70-44 lead. As the Bucs’ confidence grew higher, so did their showmanship. Tiggs soared above the defense twice to put the crowd on their feet with two dunks, and Pigram, while at about the halfcourt line, launched an alley-oop pass over four Bulldogs to Hamlin for the slam.
The Bucs cruised their way to their first home victory of the season. After the game, Bartow seemed cautiously optimistic about his team’s performance.
“I thought, defensively, we did very well,” Bartow said. “Twenty turnovers, I don’t like. Giving up 15 offensive rebounds, I don’t like. There are some things we have to improve on.”
Bartow, who is in his 12th season as a head coach, had little to say in regards to his 200th victory. “When you’re in it as long as I’ve been in it, you’re going to win some games along the way,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of great players.”
The Buccaneers travel to Tennessee Tech for their next game on Monday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.

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