INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Nov. 13, 2023) – The Buccaneers were greeted rudely in their first-ever trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Butler finished the first half on a 33-9 run and never looked back as the Bulldogs handed ETSU an 81-47 loss on Monday night in non-conference play.
ETSU pulled within one near the midway point of the first half at 12-11, but then shooting woes and turnovers crept in and Butler made the Buccaneers pay. The Bulldogs scored 36 points off 19 ETSU turnovers, while the Blue & Gold shot 31 percent from the field (18-58) and 17 percent from beyond the arc (4-24).
Butler, who had five players score in double figures, shot 45 percent (31-69) and netted 11 three-pointers. The Bulldogs were plus-16 in fast-break scoring (20-4) and turned 11 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
The Bulldogs improved to 3-0 on the season with their average margin of victory being by 36 points, while ETSU dipped to 1-2.
Ebby Asamoah scored a team-high nine points and
Karon Boyd finished with seven points, five rebounds and three assists. Foul trouble cost the Bucs in the first half as three players –
Justice Smith, Jaden Seymour and Asamoah – each had three fouls in the opening 20 minutes.
Butler was led by DJ Davis' 15 points. The UC Irvine transfer also added five rebounds and four assists, while St. John's transfer Posh Alexander added 13 points, four assists and two steals.
ETSU scored the first points of the night on a jumper by Indiana native
Quimari Peterson before Butler rattled off nine straight points. The Bucs weathered the first storm as they made it a one-point game when
Braden Ilic connected on one of two free throws at the 11:59 mark; however, the Bulldogs mounted their run to take a 25-point lead into halftime, 45-20.
The Bulldogs outscored ETSU 36-27 in the second half and led by as many as 41 points.
UP NEXT
ETSU returns home to Freedom Hall when the Bucs host Davidson on Friday night at 7 p.m.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Fans can a Rivalry Pack by calling the ETSU Ticket Office at 423-439-3878 or visiting ETSUTickets.com. The Rivalry Pack guarantees tickets to the Davidson (Nov. 17), Chattanooga (Jan. 21) and Furman (Feb. 10) games.
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's basketball tab.
