Sports Blog

12

Strong is strong for ETSU in easy win over Tennessee Wesleyan

 Dec 01, 2007

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Johnson City, Tenn. – The best solution to an early-season lull? Shoot the lights out. And set a few career-highs while you’re at it.
That’s exactly what East Tennessee State University did on Saturday afternoon inside the Memorial Center.
Senior guard Buccaneers guard Travis Strong scored a game-high 21 points and tied a career-high with five made 3-pointers, junior guard Courtney Pigram added 14 points and 11 assists, and the Buccaneers easily shot down shot down Tennessee-Wesleyan 98-60 in front of a crowd of 3,298.
The Bucs’ performance was a stark contrast to their last outing – an 80-76 road loss to Chattanooga on Wednesday, when ETSU committed 30 fouls, gave up 31 points at the free throw line, and was outrebounded 56-33.
“We just kept it loose,” said Pigram, whose ultra-clean game from the point-guard position keyed a 32-8 Bucs run early in the first half. “It was fun to play loose again. It relaxed us. And I just did what I could to keep everything moving.”
Former Elizabethton High School star B.J. Miller scored eight points for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Bulldogs (2-6), while Willie Maclin scored a team-high 14 points and recorded five rebounds.
“It was great for me to get out here in front of a lot of my friends and family and play in this place,” Miller said. “The score doesn’t really matter for us in a game like this. It’s more about what we take from it for our season.”
Senior Bucs forward Kenyona Swader (season-high 17 points) tied the mark for the second-highest 3-point percentage in ETSU history, hitting 83.3 percent (5 of 6) of his attempts behind the arc.
Sophomore ETSU forward Blake Mishler also set a career-high with eight rebounds, while freshman forward Micah Williams established a career-high with eight points.
Yet for all of ETSU’s hot shooting and eventual big numbers, the Bucs came out of the gate looking sluggish and out of synch.
ETSU’s net result after its first three offensive possessions was one airball and two turnovers.
Then Strong lit a fire.
Setting up on the right wing, his feet planted just behind the arc, Strong knocked down four 3-pointers in six minutes, pushing the Bucs to an early 23-9 lead.
“I just picked my spot, hit a few, and it kind of got us going,” Strong said.
Strong’s hot hand set a precedent for the Bucs.
ETSU shot 76.9 percent (20 of 26) from the field in the first half and knocked down 80 percent (8 of 10) of its 3-point attempts.
ETSU then stretched its lead to 49-17 before taking a 53-27 advantage into halftime.
The second half was little more than a glorified scrimmage.
Strong, Pigram and Swader continued to make the net sway, and the Bucs’ lead never fell under 24 points.
Yet ETSU’s walk in the park also served to illustrate major issues the Bucs continue to struggle with.
ETSU was often slow to rotate on defense – leading to numerous wide-open shots by the Bulldogs – and the Bucs slogged through stretches filled with defensive breakdowns, poor passing and turnovers.
The sloppy play did not go unnoticed by ETSU coach Murry Bartow.
“Number one, you don’t like it,” Bartow said. “Whenever you’re sloppy you don’t like it. And I critiqued that after the game. But when you’re not in your normal rotation … you know going in it’s going to get a little sloppy.”
ETSU faces Marshall on Tuesday at home before heading on the road for a grueling five-game road trip that will go a long way in defining what type of team the Bucs really are this season.
“Overall, it’s a win,” Bartow said. “A win is a win is a win, and we needed a win.”
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Posted by Brian T. Smith

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