JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The ETSU men’s basketball team trailed by double-digits in the middle of the second half, but the Buccaneers fought through adversity. They went ahead with 11 seconds left as junior forward Ty Brewer knocked down a triple to give his squad a one-point lead.
That joy was short-lived as Chattanooga’s redshirt junior guard A.J. Caldwell connected on a three-pointer with two defenders draped all over him as that sealed 67-65 victory Saturday afternoon at Freedom Hall.
Redshirt freshman guard Damari Monsanto led the Buccaneers with 22 points and seven rebounds as senior guard David Sloan came off the bench to chip in 14 points and eight assists. These were the only Bucs to score in double figures.
Three Chattanooga starters dropped at least 10 points as redshirt sophomore guard Malachi Smith and senior guard David Jean-Baptiste tied for a team-high 18 points. Senior forward Darius Banks tallied 14 points and six rebounds.
The victory marks the Mocs’ first win over the Buccaneers in 10 tries with the 2016 SoCon championship game being the last contest ETSU dropped to Chattanooga.
The Johnson City squad tries to bounce back when they travel to the Citadel on Wednesday.