Shared Success: ETSU has 26 assists in win at VMI

LEXINGTON, Va. — East Tennessee State basketball players were able to share in each other's success on Saturday afternoon at Virginia Military Institute. The Bucs had a season-high 26 assists on 32 made field goals in an 87-70 victory over the Keydets at Cameron Hall. Guards Jaylen Smith and Allen Strothers had six and five assists, respectively, in the Bucs' third straight win. Blake Barkley was one who benefitted from the giving attitude with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, along with 12 rebounds. Cam Morris III went 7-for-10 from the field with 16 points, and Maki Johnson knocked down 5-of-6 shots from 3-point range with 15 points. Jordan McCullum was the third Bucs post player in double digits with 12 points, going 6-for-7 from the field. With the good shot selection, which included an eight-point effort from Milton Matthews III, the Bucs made 32-for-57 (56.1 percent) field goals. "We shot the ball extremely well and got great shots," ETSU coach Brooks Savage said. "When you play right, have too many weapons, I thought it was great the way we shared the ball." ETSU improved to 18-7 overall and continued to lead the Southern Conference at 10-2. VMI fell to 6-18, 1-11. The Bucs trailed 17-16 in the first half before going on a 12-0 run and leading the rest of the way. They held a 40-33 lead at the break before a 10-0 run in the second half put them firmly in control. ETSU's largest lead was 21 points with 2:27 left in the game. "They're a tough cover because it's a collection of micro runs they make," Savage said. "All these runs like 4-0, 5-0 keep you from getting comfortable. It will cut the lead from 13 back to nine, so you've just got to respond and answer those runs. We threw our haymaker around the eight-minute mark and finally got a comfortable lead." Savage credited the Bucs' conditioning for coming into play. It was the Bucs' second sweep of the week after beating The Citadel at home on Wednesday. Beyond the offensive stats, Savage lauded the play of Strothers, who helped limit the Keydets' T.J. Johnson to seven points on 3-for-11 shooting. Strothers' efforts led to the ETSU coach campaigning for him. "If we're not talking about Allen Strothers as defensive player of the year in this league, then we're not paying attention as a league," Savage said. "He has been absolutely terrific. He takes the other team's best player on a nightly basis, and impacts the game on that end of the floor. He was in Johnson's shirt all night." Linus Holmstrom led VMI with 20 points. Kaden Stuckey was next with 13 points, and Tan Yildizoglu was the only other Keydet in double figures with a dozen. NEXT UP ETSU returns to Freedom Hall Civic Center on Wednesday 7 p.m. to take on rival Chattanooga. That same time, VMI goes on the road to face UNC Greensboro.