Men’s basketball has started the season slow as they fell to No. 17 Tennessee 94-62 on Nov. 14 in Knoxville.
Following a heartbreaking 67-69 loss at Appalachian State, the Bucs headed to Knoxville in hopes of upsetting the ranked Vols and grabbing their first win of the season, but Tennessee was too tough to topple.
The Bucs, carried by Jordan King (Albany, N.Y.) and his 20 points, had a hard time finding the basket throughout the game, shooting just 34% from the field. King, who was 8-15 from the field, also added three rebounds and two assists to his stat sheet.
The hardship didn’t end on the offensive side. The Bucs were outrebounded 51-25 as well. Tennessee pressured the ball well, causing 17 turnovers and scoring 26 points by way of ETSU turnovers.
The team hung around early and looked to give the Vols a battle until a 20-3 run gave Tennessee a commanding lead entering the half, up 46-23.
The Bucs shot 24% in the first half compared to the Vols 49%. ETSU also struggled from deep, shooting just 25%, whereas Tennessee shot 50% from beyond the arc in the first half.
Halftime saw a more focused and disciplined ETSU team take the court.
While the lead was too great to overcome, the Bucs were able to show their promise. The team greatly increased their shot choice, and it proved beneficial. The Bucs were finding better looks from the field in the second period and posted a much-improved shooting percentage of 44% while shooting fewer shots.
ETSU was much more aggressive and almost doubled their scoring in the second half, scoring 39 compared to the 23 scored in the first period, but it wasn’t enough for a Tennessee team that was firing on all cylinders.
The Bucs (0-2) now look to bounce back after facing two tough foes when USC Upstate visits Freedom Hall on Nov. 18 with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
