In a major SoCon tournament seeding battle, the ETSU Men’s Basketball team escaped the challenging Mercer Bears 59-58 on Wednesday. The home court Buccaneers came into the dwindling in-conference regular season challenge with a 17-12 record as the struggling, yet courageous Bears team limped onto the court sitting with a 12-17 record. With the Southern Conference Tournament on the horizon, every single game matters more as both squads promised a battle.
The Bucs followed the Mercer win with an 81-66 road victory over The Citadel to close the regular season and earn the No. 3 seed in next weekend’s Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, North Carolina. ETSU plays sixth-seed Wofford Saturday, March 8, at 6 p.m.
As the ball was tipped off against Mercer, everything on the line was left on the court. ETSU and Mercer should share the lead back-and-fourth throughout the first half. Ultimately, the Bucs would be outscored by the Bears 31-28 as the halftime buzzer rang throughout Freedom Hall.
As the second half took off, the Bucs were relentless on the defensive side of the ball. Forcing 15 total turnovers, creating more offensive opportunists. Much like the first, the second half would see a tug of war take place, as both sides would share the lead. Overall, it would be the rising Buccaneers coming up on top, outscoring the Bears 31-27 for a one point, come from behind 59-58 victory. The men’s team of course have one of their own to thank for the victory as senior guard, Quimari Peterson (Gary, Ind.) stepped up in a big way, especially as the trench battle came to a close end. Leading the team with 15 points, 12 of which were scored in the second half, all coming together to help the Bucs escape the Bear attack.
For more information on ETSU Men’s Basketball, please visit ETSUBucs.com.
