Thursday, January 12, 2006

Smith, who became the Bucs' No. 2 all-time leading scorer, scored 29 points in all, but was unable to connect on the critical free throw after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with .4 seconds left in the game. Smith now stands at 1,990 points for his career, overtaking former Buc great Keith "Mister" Jennings (1987-91), who scored 1,988 points in his career.

ETSU (6-7, 3-3) jumped out to an early 12-point lead as Smith scored 10 of the Bucs first 16 points, pacing them to a 16-4 advantage.  The Owls (7-8, 5-1) weathered the onslaught however, and slowly chipped away at the lead over the next 13 minutes to pull within two at the half at 33-31.

Kennesaw State carried the momentum into the second half, claiming its first lead at 37-35 on Ronell Wooten's dunk with 17:42 remaining.  The Owls held the lead for the next 16-minutes of action, eventually stretching to as much as an eight-point advantage at 62-54 on Ryan Nelson's three-pointer with 5:22 to play. The Bucs rallied with a 12-2 run, reclaiming the lead on Pigram's dunk with 1:45 remaining.  The Owls answered on their next possession, retaking the lead on Wooten's three-pointer.  The teams traded possessions over the next ninety seconds before Smith tied the contest at the end of regulation.

In the overtime period, the Bucs jumped out to a 72-67 lead with 3:30 remaining, but Golden Ingle scored seven of his team-high 24 points during an 11-0 Owl run to close out the game and lift Kennesaw State to the six-point victory.

Smith finished with a game-high 29 points, and junior Brad Nuckles (Council, Va.) fought his way to double-digit rebounds for the third consecutive contest, grabbing 16 in the losing effort.

The Bucs return home Saturday to face-off with Atlantic Sun foe Jacksonville at 4 pm in the Memorial Center.