The 2021 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Tournament was triumphant for both ETSU men’s and women’s teams, and while two season-ending-losses concluded the Buccaneers’ time in Asheville, North Carolina, each team experienced both highs and lows along the way.
The men’s team fell short of victory on March 7 in the semifinal game against UNC Greensboro. The final score touted a twelve-point UNCG victory over the Buccaneers. The outcome was eventually decided after twelve UNCG three-pointers and a total of twelve turnovers for Shay’s Bucs.
This loss followed a win for the men’s team on the first day of the tournament, humbling the same team which they had lost to on two separate occasions prior to the tournament — the Chattanooga Mocs.
During the first game, David Sloan and Damari Monsanto proved once again that their one-two punch combination would be far too much to handle, as Sloan ended his night with 17 points, only to be rivaled by his teammates’ 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Monsanto managed to put together a great offensive night, despite going down with an injury early in the game.
Men’s basketball head coach Jason Shay seemed pleased with Monsanto’s perseverance when speaking to the media after the game against the Mocs.
“I think that he slowed down a little bit,” said Shay. “It was good that he got some open looks and got to the foul line. Any time as a shooter and see the ball go through the net, that helps your confidence moving forward. He was pretty efficient, he had 18 points on nine shots, I’ll take that all day every day. That’s the Monsanto I know that got off to a good start in conference play.”
David Sloan also sent words of respect to Monsanto, detailing the redshirt freshman’s adversity.
“I really didn’t think he would come back,” said Sloan. “He’s a dog. He works hard everyday and does the things that we need. I seen it happen and I didn’t think he would come back, but it was good to have him back.”
Shay ultimately chopped up the Bucs’ comeback win to defensive adjustments — ETSU intertwined from man-to-man and a zone look throughout the game.
“Chattanooga got off to a really good start, again,” said Shay. “They’ve been doing that all year, but we were able to hang in there. I thought that our zone was effective, especially in the first half. It slowed them down and allowed us to get back in the game.”
Like the men’s team, ETSU women’s basketball also lost their semifinal tournament game. Ezell’s team fell short of a win after playing from behind for most of the night against Wofford on March 5.
The Terriers shot 13-17 from the foul line in the first half, while ETSU struggled to find the same success — the Bucs failed to get any free throw attempts in the first half.
Despite the obvious advantage, Ezell’s squad only trailed by 8 points heading into the second half of the game. From there, ETSU found themselves playing the keep up game for the remainder of regulation. Wofford outlasted the Bucs, winning the game 75-64 and concluding the Buccaneers’ 2021 season.
This loss followed an unexpected victory for the women’s team in their first tournament game. Thanks to Jakhyia Davis’s 21 points and an all-around team effort, the Buccaneers shocked the tournament with a 68-61 win against the No. 1 seeded Samford Bulldogs.
Ezell’s unit managed to pick Samford’s pocket throughout the entirety of the game, closing out with 15 steals. ETSU was able to net 21 points off of their opponent’s mistakes. The Bucs closed out the game with an impressive victory, turning heads and demanding attention from SoCon teams along the way.
Ezell told the Johnson City Press that ETSU’s shocking victory over Samford just a day prior was quite the emotional obstacle to overcome.
“It was difficult to muster enough emotion and engagement after yesterday,” said Ezell. “So high and then to turn around 24 hours later and be so low.”
The eight-year ETSU head coach also gave credit to the Wofford coaching staff, explaining the Bucs’ season ending loss.
“… Take nothing away from Wofford,” said Ezell. “They had three kids in double figures. They exploited some matchups and they took advantage of the whistle.”
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