The ETSU men’s basketball team played against Virginia Military Institute on Feb. 15 in Lexington, Virginia. The Buccaneers are first in the Southern Conference with a 12-2 record and a five-game winning streak.
The Bucs fought hard and won against the Keydets 72-67 making a comeback after being down 38-32 at the end of the first half.
“Like any other game we have to stick to our principles, keep fighting and stay locked in defensively,” said senior Tray Boyd III (Memphis, Tennessee).
After the first half of the game, the Bucs came back with heat. Junior Patrick Good (Johnson City, Tennessee) started the team off on a 12-point run scoring five points and Boyd scoring three points.
“We have to do a good job with defending,” said head coach Steve Forbes. “We have to be able to guard the three point line.”
Freshman Charlie Weber (Owings, Maryland) scored the winning bucket in an offensive rebound to give the Bucs the lead 61-59.
“We want to win every game, so we try to stay as locked in as possible,” said Boyd. “We treat every game like it’s the championship game.”
Sophomore Daivien Williamson (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) scored the most points in the game with his fifth career 20 points. Williamson also went 11-11 in free throws, which makes him the first Buccaneer to hit 111 consecutive free throws since T.J. Cromer in 2011.
“We treat everyone with the same amount of respect because anyone in our league at any given moment can beat us,” Forbes said. “So we can’t look ahead; can’t look behind. We just have to take it one at a time and treat everybody with the same amount of respect they deserve.”
The Bucs shot 39% from the field and 25% from the three, but it was at the free throw line that the Bucs dominated and took the advantage.
“Every game is important because we are in the middle of a battle to win the conference title,” Forbes said. “We can’t afford any slip ups. Every game is just as important as the next.”
The team plays Furman University on Feb. 19 in Freedom Hall at 7 p.m.
