JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 5, 2025) - On a cold, dark, damp December night, Maki Johnson caught fire.
The junior guard hit nine threes, including seven in the second half, as part of a career-high 29-point night as ETSU routed South Alabama 91-65 at Freedom Hall on Friday night. Blake Barkley continued his great run of form with 20 points and a career-high nine rebounds to send ETSU to a 10th straight home win.
The Buccaneers (7-2) got off to an inauspicious start when the Jaguars (8-2) got a four-point play out of Adam Olsen to start a 9-0 run in the early minutes to get South Alabama out in front. Jayden Cooper stretched the lead to 13 with a three-pointer and a layup 25 seconds apart to get the Jaguars to their high-water mark with 12:15 to go in the first half.
Johnson started ETSU's counteroffensive with a three - his first in two weeks - before Cam Morris III and Jordan McCullum broke through South Alabama's zone defense to get to the rim and slash the deficit to four points. Johnson cut the lead to two points with 6:24 left in the half, but the Bucs still had to grind to get over the top. Barkley hit a three to cut the deficit to one, and Morris got a second-chance basket with 89 seconds left in the half to put ETSU in front, and Jaylen Smith hit a three from the right wing to put ETSU ahead for the final time with 49 seconds remaining.
On the final sequence of the half, Johnson got a steal and looked to have a clear path to the basket, but Peyton Law got up and blocked Johnson's layup. Barkley cashed in on a second-chance opportunity, but Law landed awkwardly and exited the game at halftime with an apparent leg injury. ETSU led at the break after outscoring the Jaguars 23-11 over the final 11:51 of the first half.
Barkley scored on a tip-in 26 seconds into the second half to extend what was then a 7-0 run across the intermission and was followed to the rim by McCullum with a dunk 31 seconds later. Barkley scored again on a layup with 17:52 to go to push the lead to double digits for the first time, but the Jaguars fought back and cut it to five with 14:16 left on a pair of Olsen threes.
Then Johnson's barrage began.
His first three of the second half was immediately answered by Olsen, but his next one kick-started a 21-1 run in 4:49 that included five Johnson triples and a layup with three long-range shots in 63 seconds that put the game definitively out of reach at 71-48 before the layup stretched the lead to 25.
Johnson finished with nine made threes in total, the 18th Buccaneer to hit seven or more in a game and just the sixth to hit nine or more in one game, joining Rashawn Rembert, T.J. Cromer, John Buggs III, Courtney Pigram, and record-holder Patrick Good. His 29 points are the most scored in one game by a Buccaneer this season, surpassing Jaylen Smith's 28 against Central Arkansas on November 29. The Bucs as a team shot 49% from the field and hit 14 threes at a 36% clip. They dominated the glass at a 45-29 final rebound total with 15 offensive rebounds and 23 second chance points. They turned the ball over just eight times and generated 11 off the Jaguars including 10 steals.
In addition to Johnson and Barkley's big days, Morris posted the second double-double of the year with 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Jordan McCullum scored 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Allen Strothers led the Bucs with a season-high seven assists as well as zero turnovers.
ETSU returns to action Sunday against Tusculum. Tickets are available at ETSUTickets.com.
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com.
