Bucs fans gathered once more, filling the stands at the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City Saturday. The visiting Samford Bulldogs were able squeak by the struggling Buccaneers, 75-72.

Coming off of a close 74-73 win against the VMI Keydets on Wednesday, the SoCon showdown pitted the 10-10 Bucs against the Bulldogs who entered with an impressive, and conference best 18-3 record.

The first half saw strong back and forth performances from both sides of the court. Freshmen guard, Gabe Sisk (Louisville, Ky.), would help the Bucs with 15 points throughout the match-up.

Despite the march of the Bulldogs, the Bucs were able to end the first half only being down two points, 36-34.

The second half would see the Bucs fight on, defensively with six steals and five blocks, while their offense would aid in the second half attempt. The Bulldogs were simply too much to contain as the Bucs would ultimately fall in a nail-biting final score of 75-72.

In the stats box for ETSU, senior guard standout, Ebby Asamoah (Rockville, Md.) would score 15 points, while junior guard Quimari Peterson (Gary, Ind.) was able to add an additional 12 points and an impressive three steals for the Bucs.

Photo of Karon Boyd, Ebby Asamoah, and Gabe Sisk during the basketball game against Samford. (Dora Mercado/East Tennessean)

ETSU will have to show improvement within the paint, only being able to muster a 37.9 percent on field goals throughout the game. In addition to the 12 turnovers committed by ETSU, the Bucs will have to assess the team’s performance overall in the coming days before the next game.

Despite the SoCon setback, the ETSU men’s basketball team will quickly put this loss behind them. Heading into their next game on the road against the Mercer Bears in another important Southern Conference battle.

For more information about ETSU men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com.

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