Contributed/ETSU Athletics

On Nov. 29, ETSU played Central Arkansas on their home court at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tenn. Beginning the game with a 5-0 record, the ETSU men’s basketball team had nothing to lose.

The game started out strong for the Buccaneers with a 3-pointer from Blake Barkley. ETSU continued to stay in the lead until midway through the half, when Central Arkansas was able to pull ahead by two points. The Buccaneers and the Bears went back and forth on who had the lead, staying within three points of each other. After an excellent 3-pointer by Jaylen Smith, ETSU regained their footing and soared to the lead. The first half ended with a score of 30-37, the Buccaneers with a seven point lead.

The second half of the match started off even stronger for ETSU, quickly gaining a 16 point lead. Central Arkansas did not score until almost five minutes into the game, lagging behind the Buccaneers. ETSU kept their lead throughout the half, eventually winning the game by 23 points. The game ended with a final score of 57-80, with the Buccaneers blowing the Bears out of the water. 

This game was especially important for senior guard Brian Taylor II, who was named SoCon’s Basketball Player of the Week. This was announced on Monday, Dec. 1 for his outstanding performance during the game on Saturday. He scored 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists and is the only Buccaneer this season to score double digits in all seven games. 

The ETSU men’s basketball team will play at home against South Alabama on Friday, Dec. 5. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will also be available on ESPN+.

For information on ETSU men’s basketball, you can go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the basketball tab.

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