CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Jan. 21, 2026) - The Bucs' close finishes may not be good for the heart, but the wins are good for the soul.
Especially this one.
The ETSU men's basketball team defeated SoCon rival Chattanooga 67-66 on Wednesday to remain atop the SoCon outright. Cam Morris III led ETSU with 21 points and 11 rebounds in his second double-double this season and the eighth of his career.
Up one with 4.2 seconds left after a pair of Blake Barkley free throws, the Buccaneers (14-6, 6-1) sat tight on defense and Jordan Frison dribbled out the clock without a look at the rim for the Mocs (9-11, 3-4).
After the Mocs jumped ahead on a pair of quick Tate Darner layups, the Bucs took the lead for the first time on a Morris layup with 16:19 to go. Gabe Sisk stretched the lead to five points when he picked off a pass at the top of the key and went the distance for a layup, and Blake Barkley started a 6-0 run that Morris capped with 5:37 to go to make it 22-14, the largest lead for either team in the first half. The Mocs hit four threes in the final 4:35 of the first half, including one from Frison at the buzzer to take the lead into halftime at 30-29.
The lead changed hands three times in the first 90 seconds of the second half, with the Bucs going ahead on a Morris layup backed up by a Brian Taylor II three. The Mocs pulled back in front as Brennan Watkins pulled up for three with 16:48 left, but Maki Johnson got the lead back for ETSU just over two minutes later to start an 8-0 run to give ETSU a 48-42 lead with 12:14 left.
Threes continued to fall in big spots for Chattanooga, with Watkins hitting from distance with 7:42 left to cut ETSU's lead to one and Darner hitting from the left corner a minute later to give UTC the lead again, and they held a 56-55 edge with five minutes to go. The Bucs retook the lead with three minutes left when Morris hit a fadeaway from the right baseline and drew a foul in the process, converting the free throw to put the Bucs ahead 60-57. He added to the lead with 1:40 to go when he stole a lackadaisical pass at the top of the key and flushed it with a two-handed dunk at the other end.
Taylor II fouled Watkins with 19 seconds left, and Watkins hit both free throws. Allen Strothers missed two on the other end, and Jordan Frison hit two to give Chattanooga the lead with 9.6 seconds left. Barkley was fouled as he raced up the floor and hit the free throws that proved to be the game-winning points in ETSU's first victory over Chattanooga since the 2024 SoCon tournament and their fourth in the last 13 meetings. The victory in Chattanooga is their first since 2023.
Morris was backed up by 15 points from Taylor and 10 points and five rebounds from Barkley. Sisk contributed nine points, six rebounds, and three steals off the bench in 18 minutes, all tying or surpassing season-highs. Taylor and Strothers led the team with three assists each. Watkins led Chattanooga with 19 points.
The Bucs shot 42% from the field and just 16% from three but scored 18 second chance points on 13 offensive rebounds and turned 14 Chattanooga turnovers into 18 points. They won rebounding 38-31 and outscored the Mocs 46-24 in the paint.
ETSU returns home to face The Citadel on a short turnaround Friday at 7 p.m. The game was rescheduled from its previous Saturday 4 p.m. start time due to impending inclement weather in the region. Tickets are available at ETSUTickets.com.
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com.
