Wielding a powerful offensive display, the Bucs’ men’s basketball team defeated The Citadel at Freedom Hall Jan. 30 with a score of 112-84.
Heading into the game, the Bucs were first place in the Southern Conference, while The Citadel began the day as the highest-scoring team in the conference.
“I was on edge at shootaround — I don’t want us to be complacent, I want us to play humble, to continue to be hungry, and be ready to play these games at the highest level that we can,” said Jason Shay, ETSU men’s basketball head coach. “There’s no easy games in the Southern Conference this year.”
After holding a 50-43 halftime lead, the Buccaneers did not look back in the second half, coming in strong and keeping the momentum going all the way to the end.
“We got off to another good start which was important, and it is important in games to not play from behind,” said Shay. “I thought our guys did a good job in being prepared.”
The Bucs have been known for their tough defense and having the best defense in the Southern Conference.
“Just making sure we locked down our defense,” junior transfer Serrel Smith (St. Petersburg, Florida) said. “Staying confident in our shots, staying confident in our offense, and making sure we stayed together.”
Sophomore Charlie Weber (Owings, Maryland) made a three-pointer, giving him over 100 points overall with the Bucs.
“I think we were getting stopped, we hung them over, so I think the momentum swung because of those things,” said Shay. “The turnovers, I think we got them to miss a few. They shot 54% so it wasn’t a whole lot.”
“There was a segment where we turned them over three or four times and then maybe they missed two [three-pointers], and that six-possession stretch allowed us to get some runouts and get easy baskets that were high percentage,” Shay continued. “The momentum swung, but it swung because of our defense.”
The Buccaneers travel to Wofford Monday, Feb. 1, to take on the Terriers.
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