JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 21, 2024) – The ETSU men’s basketball team charged out of the gates as the Blue & Gold netted 52 first-half points en route to defeating VMI 82-59 on Wednesday night inside Freedom Hall.
ETSU got balanced scoring as four Bucs finished in double figures, including Quimari Peterson posting his first double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists. Peterson also grabbed five rebounds. Ebby Asamoah, who notched his 200th career three-pointer, netted a game-high 21 points, while Jaden Seymour finished with 16 and Jadyn Parker added 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Karon Boyd stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, nine rebounds and three steals – finishing a game-high plus-22 on the night.
As a team, the Bucs – who shot 57 percent in the opening 20 minutes – finished the game at 44 percent (27-61) and drained nine triples. The Bucs were 73 percent at the free throw line (19-26). VMI ended the game 45 percent (26-58) from the field and made eight of its 23 attempts from long distance.
With the win, ETSU snapped a three-game skid and improved to 14-14, 6-9, while the Keydets dropped to 4-24, 1-14. The Bucs have won 14 straight games against VMI in Johnson City and now lead the all-time series, 58-15.
The Bucs set the tone early as ETSU jumped out to a 20-9 lead six minutes in and pushed the margin to 16 when Maki Johnson fed Peterson for an open three-pointer, making it 30-14 at the 10:40 mark. The Buccaneer advantage grew over 20 thanks to Peterson dishing out one of his 10 assists to Asamoah as ETSU held a commanding 43-22 lead with 7:08 remaining in the half. The Blue & Gold eventually took a 52-30 lead into halftime.
ETSU’s 52 points marked a season-high for a half as the Bucs netted 20 field goals in the frame. The Bucs outscored VMI in the paint by 10, 26-16, and held a 15-0 advantage in fastbreak scoring.
In the second half, ETSU took its largest lead of the night when Seymour made one of his two triples, resulting in a 62-39 score with 16:17 showing on the clock. The Bucs still led by 20 (72-52) at the midway point of the half, but VMI didn’t back down.
Over the next three minutes, the Keydets used a 12-0 run to pull within eight, 72-64, but ETSU put a quick stop to any comeback threat. On their next trip down the floor, Asamoah was fouled on a three-point shot – and after making all three at the charity stripe – the Bucs pushed things back into double figures, 75-64.
VMI never got back within single digits and the Bucs cruised to the 13-point win.
The Keydets were led by Taeshaud Jackson as he finished 18 points and 11 rebounds.
ETSU now hits the road for back-to-back games starting Saturday when the Bucs take on league-leading Samford at 3 p.m. in Birmingham.
For more information on Buccaneer men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s basketball page
