JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 3, 2024) – The first of 18 is in the books as ETSU men's basketball secured a Southern Conference opening win by downing Mercer, 80-69, on Wednesday night inside Freedom Hall. 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Free throw shooting and rebounding were key as ETSU snapped a three-game losing skid to the Bears. The Bucs shot 88 percent at the free throw line (28-32) and outrebounded Mercer by 12, 48-36. The Blue & Gold turned 16 offensive rebounds in 24 second-chance points. 
• Both teams made 23 field goals and six three-pointers, along with posting 30 points in the paint. Overall, ETSU was plus-11 in made free throws and plus-eight in fast-break scoring, 10-2. 
• The Bucs swatted seven shots and only turned the ball over 10 times. 
• ETSU led for over 35 minutes and held a 21-point lead with 13:51 remaining in the contest. 
• With the win, ETSU improved to 9-5 overall and 1-0 in SoCon play. The Bucs moved to 6-0 at home. Mercer had its five-game win streak snapped as the Bears dipped to 7-7, 0-1. 

TOP PERFORMERS 

• Quimari Peterson notched his sixth 20-point scoring game of the season as he finished with a game-high 22 points, while adding five rebounds and three assists.
• Jadyn Parker posted his second double-double of the year as he totaled 10 points and tied a career-high with 12 rebounds. Parker, who was 6-of-6 at the free throw line, also blocked three shots. 
• Gabe Sisk accounted for 10 of the Bucs' 15 bench points and dished out four of their 12 assists. 
• Ebby Asamoah scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds. 
• Karon Boyd recorded his fourth straight game with double-digit rebounds as he tallied 11 and netted eight points. 
• Mercer, who was without its leading scorer Jalyn McCreary, saw Jake Davis score a team-high 15 points. 

GAME SUMMARY
Following a tight opening six minutes of the contest, ETSU took over and led by 12-point at halftime, 42-30. 
 
With Mercer leading 7-5, the Bucs scored nine straight points to open a seven-point lead when a lay-up by Boyd made it 14-7 at the 11:29 mark of the first half. The lead hovered around that threshold until a driving lay-up by Peterson extended the advantage to 11, 32-21, with 5:12 remaining in the stanza. Mercer never threatened and the Blue & Gold held their largest halftime lead against a Division I foe this season. 
 
ETSU continued to dominate the early stages of the second half as its lead grew to 21 when a pair of free throws by Peterson made it 58-37 with just under 14 minutes left in the contest. 
 
With the Buccaneers controlling the game a rout seemed to be in store. 
 
However, the Bears didn't back down as they mounted a 20-5 run over a five-minute stretch to pull within six, 63-57, with 8:33 remaining. 
 
Mercer hung around but never inched any closer.  
 
The Bucs pushed their lead back to 11 (73-62) with 3:18 to go and captured their 20th SoCon opening win in 36 tries. 
 
UP NEXT 
ETSU hits the road for the first time in 2024 as the Bucs travel to North Carolina to take on UNCG Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. 
  
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's basketball tab.