Facing the nation’s No. 11-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, the ETSU men’s basketball team found itself within striking distance late, but was unable to make a run when it was needed and dropped a 78-66 contest Wednesday night inside Thompson-Boling Arena.Junior guard Justin Tubbs posted a game-high 22 points, and the Bucs also got double-digit scoring from junior forward Tommy Hubbard with 11 and freshman point guard Sheldon Cooley with 10.

“What I saw was our team really scrap and battle,” said ETSU head coach Murry Bartow. “We were within six late and had some breakdowns in our free-throw block outs. If we do better there we have a good chance to make a run and win.”

The Bucs turned it over 13 times and shot well both from the floor (44 percent) and free-throw line (85 percent). ETSU also held its own in the paint, being out-rebounded only by two at 34-32.

Tennessee came out on fire in the first half, shooting 75 percent from the floor during the first 10 minutes of play and building a lead of as many as 14 points at 26-12 with 9:39 left. However, from there ETSU outscored the Vols 19-10 the rest of the way to finish the half just five back at 36-31.

In the first 20 minutes, the Bucs held their own in most every statistical category, but UT dominated in the paint, outscoring ETSU 24-10 under the basket. ETSU stayed close thanks to a 75 percent clip at the foul line, well above their season average of 60 percent.

In the second half, the Bucs cut the Tennessee lead to three at 42-39 with 15:36 thanks to a layup by Tubbs. ETSU trailed just 64-58 with 4:37 left, but an 8-0 spurt by UT ended with a three-point play by Tyler Smith that made it 72-61 with 1:25 left. From there the Bucs were unable to turn the tide.

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