BOONE, N.C. (Nov. 29, 2023) – The ETSU men's basketball team couldn't overcome a sluggish start as the Buccaneers were down by 20 at halftime and suffered a 72-61 setback at Appalachian State on Wednesday night inside the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C. 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• The Bucs, who shot 21 percent (7-33) in the first half, finished 34 percent from the field (23-67) and 30 percent from beyond the arc (7-23). Meanwhile, Appalachian State hit at 63 percent clip (15-24) in the opening 20 minutes and finished 52 percent for the contest (23-44). The Mountaineers went 6-of-20 from beyond the arc.
• Appalachian State held the edge at the charity stripe as they finished 20-for-26, compared to the Blue & Gold going 8-of-16. 
• The Bucs only turned the ball over six times on the night and held Appalachian State's leading scorer Donovan Gregory to two points on 0-of-2 shooting. 
• ETSU was plus-11 in second-chance scoring, 13-2, as the Bucs had 14 offensive rebounds to Appalachian State's five. 
• With the loss, the Bucs dropped to 3-4, while Appalachian State – who has won its last four games – improved to 5-2. 

TOP PERFORMERS 

• Four Bucs scored in double figures with Jadyn Parker, Ebby Asamoah and Justice Smith each finishing with 12 points. 
• Jaden Seymour added 11 points and seven rebounds. 
• To go with his 12 points, Parker recorded six rebounds and two steals. 
• Appalachian State was led by Tre'Von Spillers as he finished with a game-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.  

GAME SUMMARY
Both teams got off to slow starts as it was 5-5 at the first media timeout. From there, the Mountaineers rattled off the next six to go up 11-5; however, the Bucs finally got into a groove when
Braden Illic and Seymour accounted for three straight triples to pull the Blue & Gold within three, 20-17 with less than eight minutes to go in the half. Unfortunately, ETSU couldn't continue the hot shooting and quickly cooled off as Appalachian State finished the half on a 22-5 run and took a 42-22 lead into the locker room. 
 
The Bucs opened the second half with some momentum as they cut the 20-point deficit in half five minutes in when a lay-up by Parker made it 46-36. Appalachian State scored the next five points to go back up 15, but ETSU rattled off eight of the next 10 to pull within nine, 53-44 with just under 10 minutes remaining. 
 
ETSU was able to close the gap to eight on three separate possessions; however, the Bucs couldn't get any closer and the Mountaineers came away with the 11-point win. 
 
UP NEXT 
ETSU concludes its road swing on Sunday when the Bucs head to Alabama to take on Jacksonville State. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. 
  
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's basketball tab.