Bucs set for Samford challenge
Steve Forbes doesn?t have to think hard to remember the last time his East Tennessee State University basketball team faced Samford.
ETSU needed two overtimes to beat the Bulldogs, 96-86, in Birmingham, Alabama less than a month ago, and it was a game that left an impression on Forbes.
?We had an unbelievable game with them,? Forbes, ETSU?s second-year head coach, said. ?I?ve been doing this a long time, but I don?t know if I?ve been more proud of a team.?
The two teams square off in the rematch Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Freedom Hall as the Southern Conference race heads into the home stretch.
The Bucs are still battling for the top spot in the league standings. They come in 20-6 overall, 10-3 in the SoCon. That?s a game and a half behind Furman, which has won nine in a row.
Samford comes in 15-11 overall, 6-7 in the conference, good for sixth place. The Bulldogs extended Wofford to the limit last week, falling 131-127 in four overtimes in one of the SoCon?s all-time classic games.
The Bulldogs, coached by Scott Padgett, have lost three games in a row, including a 90-73 setback to Furman in their last outing.
?I think Scott has his team ahead of schedule a little bit,? Forbes said. ?I think they?re going to be be a factor next year. I think they?re a factor now.?
Samford?s Demetrius Denzel-Dyson is seventh in the SoCon in scoring at 15.6 points per game. He had 26 in the double-overtime loss to ETSU.
Wyatt Walker introduced himself to ETSU fans last year with a 30-point, eight-rebound effort at Freedom Hall. The sophomore center has continued his success, averaging 12.7 points and a conference-leading 9.7 rebounds a game.
?We?ll have to do everything we can to guard him,? Forbes said.
Walker fouled out in overtime in the two teams? previous meeting.
ETSU?s T.J. Cromer had 27 points against Samford last time. He comes in averaging 18.3, second in the SoCon.
?Samford likes to play zone and they like to play a little slower,? said Cromer, who along with teammate A.J. Merriweather, surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career last week. ?We just want to break their zone down and and score points.?
Back on Jan. 25, the Bucs withstood a potential game-winning last-second shot in regulation and then watched as Christen Cunningham connected from 3-point range at the buzzer to force a second overtime.
Once in the second extra period, ETSU took control as Desonta Bradford scored 11 of his career-high 21 points in the final five minutes.
The Bucs are coming off a surprisingly easy 88-71 victory over Mercer. They led by double figures almost the entire day.
The Bears made a charge in the second half, cutting ETSU?s lead to 10 midway through the second half. But Devontavius Payne made back-to-back 3-pointers to put an end to the comeback.
?Those were huge,? Forbes said. ?He can really heat it up. Those were big because it gets to 10, then you miss and it gets to seven. All of a sudden, you have a game. He didn?t let them get that momentum. I was real proud of him to make those shots.?
Payne finished with 18 points in 16 minutes.
With two home dates remaining, ETSU continues to lead the SoCon in attendance. No other team in the league has had more than 50,000 fans come through its turnstiles.
The Bucs are averaging 3,926 at their home games, almost 500 more than next-best Chattanooga. The final home game is set for Wednesday, Feb. 22 against Furman in what could be a big-time showdown.
Steve Forbes doesn?t have to think hard to remember the last time his East Tennessee State University basketball team faced Samford.
ETSU needed two overtimes to beat the Bulldogs, 96-86, in Birmingham, Alabama less than a month ago, and it was a game that left an impression on Forbes.
?We had an unbelievable game with them,? Forbes, ETSU?s second-year head coach, said. ?I?ve been doing this a long time, but I don?t know if I?ve been more proud of a team.?
The two teams square off in the rematch Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Freedom Hall as the Southern Conference race heads into the home stretch.
The Bucs are still battling for the top spot in the league standings. They come in 20-6 overall, 10-3 in the SoCon. That?s a game and a half behind Furman, which has won nine in a row.
Samford comes in 15-11 overall, 6-7 in the conference, good for sixth place. The Bulldogs extended Wofford to the limit last week, falling 131-127 in four overtimes in one of the SoCon?s all-time classic games.
The Bulldogs, coached by Scott Padgett, have lost three games in a row, including a 90-73 setback to Furman in their last outing.
?I think Scott has his team ahead of schedule a little bit,? Forbes said. ?I think they?re going to be be a factor next year. I think they?re a factor now.?
Samford?s Demetrius Denzel-Dyson is seventh in the SoCon in scoring at 15.6 points per game. He had 26 in the double-overtime loss to ETSU.
Wyatt Walker introduced himself to ETSU fans last year with a 30-point, eight-rebound effort at Freedom Hall. The sophomore center has continued his success, averaging 12.7 points and a conference-leading 9.7 rebounds a game.
?We?ll have to do everything we can to guard him,? Forbes said.
Walker fouled out in overtime in the two teams? previous meeting.
ETSU?s T.J. Cromer had 27 points against Samford last time. He comes in averaging 18.3, second in the SoCon.
?Samford likes to play zone and they like to play a little slower,? said Cromer, who along with teammate A.J. Merriweather, surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career last week. ?We just want to break their zone down and and score points.?
Back on Jan. 25, the Bucs withstood a potential game-winning last-second shot in regulation and then watched as Christen Cunningham connected from 3-point range at the buzzer to force a second overtime.
Once in the second extra period, ETSU took control as Desonta Bradford scored 11 of his career-high 21 points in the final five minutes.
The Bucs are coming off a surprisingly easy 88-71 victory over Mercer. They led by double figures almost the entire day.
The Bears made a charge in the second half, cutting ETSU?s lead to 10 midway through the second half. But Devontavius Payne made back-to-back 3-pointers to put an end to the comeback.
?Those were huge,? Forbes said. ?He can really heat it up. Those were big because it gets to 10, then you miss and it gets to seven. All of a sudden, you have a game. He didn?t let them get that momentum. I was real proud of him to make those shots.?
Payne finished with 18 points in 16 minutes.
With two home dates remaining, ETSU continues to lead the SoCon in attendance. No other team in the league has had more than 50,000 fans come through its turnstiles.
The Bucs are averaging 3,926 at their home games, almost 500 more than next-best Chattanooga. The final home game is set for Wednesday, Feb. 22 against Furman in what could be a big-time showdown.
