ETSU men’s basketball played Davidson on Nov. 17 inside a packed Freedom Hall and came out with a close win and a final score of 70-68. A 47-point second half was enough to sneak past the Wildcats and move to 2-2 on the season.

Both teams struggled offensively to start the game, and after a media timeout, Davidson had taken advantage of that and rushed out to an eight-point lead with a little over seven minutes to go in the first half. Despite having to play from behind in the first half, the Bucs defense was making their presence known. They applied pressure to shooters and held Davidson to only one three-pointer the entire first half. Going into the half, the former Stephen Curry-led Wildcats had the lead 31-23.

In the second half, ETSU came out hot, and after a Jaden Seymour (Charlotte, N.C.) three-point basket, it cut the deficit to only 3 with a lot of basketball yet to be played. With no team willing to give an inch, this was a close ballgame for the entirety of the second half.

Photo of Jaden Seymour during the basketball game against Davidson. (Dora Mercado/East Tennessean)

A layup by Quimari Peterson (Gary, Ind.) was enough to give the Bucs their first lead of the contest, putting them up by one with just under 12 minutes left to play. Peterson played 40 minutes and chipped in 14 points of his own. The Bucs managed to push their lead out to five after Karon Boyd (Concord, N.C.) sunk two free throws.

Continuing to go back and forth, Davidson tied the game back up after a made three with just under three minutes left of playing time. With the game all tied up at 64, Ebby Asamoah (Rockville, Md.) took the game into his own hands and knocked down a triple to give the Bucs a three-point lead late in the game. Asamoah had a game-high 24 points and four three-pointers.

An energetic and spirited Freedom Hall might have been just what the Bucs needed in a game of this nature. Despite the clutch shot from Asamoah, Davidson answered and brought the game within two with only 18 seconds left.

Freshman Maki Johnson (Huntington, W. Va.) had the block of his young college career against a three-point shot from a Davidson player. Asamoah came down with the rebound but was called out of bounds, which gave Davidson another chance to take the lead with two seconds left. Davidson put up a triple to go for the win, but a missed shot was secured by Asamoah to give the Bucs a hard-earned win.

ETSU travels to Cleveland, Ohio, to play Cleveland State in the Viking Invitational on Nov. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

Author