Pigram Pushes Bucs to OT Win Over Lipscomb

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – First, there was the remarkable comeback. Then the thrilling last-second push to send the game into overtime. And then the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers fought for, held on to and took what was theirs.

ETSU defeated the Lipscomb Bisons 85-82 in overtime Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic Sun conference matchup at the Memorial Center before a crowd of 3,192.

Down 45-30 at halftime, ETSU pulled off an inspired second-half rally based upon a full-court pressure defense – dubbed the “black press” by Bucs coach Murry Bartow – that collected 27 Bisons turnovers.

“It tells you about the guys we’ve got,” Bartow said. “I just think our guys know that when we’re down 12 to 15, we’ve still got the firepower to come back.”

The Bucs are 12-5, 6-1 in the Atlantic Sun. Lipscomb is 6-10, 2-5.

ETSU senior guard Courtney Pigram pushed the game into overtime, hitting a driving layup off the right side of the glass with 0.7 seconds left in regulation, tying the contest at 73.
Pigram’s desperation shot came after Lipscomb missed a free throw with 7.5 seconds remaining.

“I knew I could get to the rim in seven seconds, cause I do it in two in practice,” said Pigram, who scored 26 points, grabbed four rebounds, had three steals and dished out two assists.

Pigram, Adam Sollazzo and Kevin Tiggs, who scored a team-high 27 points, guided the Bucs in the extra period, when ETSU rallied from a 77-73 deficit to pull out its ninth victory in 11 games.

Sollazzo said the Buccaneers’ win was the most thrilling college game of which he has been a part.

“It has to be,” said Sollazzo, a freshman guard who scored a career-high 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had six assists.

The Bucs attempted 20 more free throws than Lipscomb, and ETSU made 72.2 percent (26 of 36) of its attempts. The Buccaneers also held the Bisons to just one 3-pointer in the second half and overtime combined, following a first half in which Lipscomb hit seven 3s and shot 53.8 percent (7 of 13) from beyond the arc.

The Bisons didn’t just go cold, however – they caved under the pressure ETSU’s black press brought.

Lipscomb’s reaction time slowed. The Bisons’ offense began over-thinking, passing up shots they easily drained in the first half. And as the Bucs’ defense swarmed, Lipscomb fell apart.

“You look at a lot of our games, it’s certainly helped us win a lot of games,” Bartow said, referring to the effect of the Bucs’ black press.

The Bison grabbed a quick 77-73 lead in overtime, following two made free throws by Michael Lusk and a putback 2 by Adnan Hodzic (game-high 30 points on 14-of-16 shooting).

But a 3 from the right wing by Jarvis Jones pulled the Bucs within 77-76 with 3:26 to go. A layup by Pigram then made it 78-77 ETSU.

“It’s always a tough loss, especially when you’re up and you squander the lead like we did,” Lusk said. “But you got to give it to them: they’re quick, they’re a good team. They always seem to have our number come the end of the games.”

Lipscomb opened the game with a 13-2 run, and the Bisons connected on 5 of their first six 3-point attempts.

ETSU did not score its second field goal until the 12:35 mark in the first half. The Bucs were 2 of 12 from the field in the game’s first 8 minutes.

ETSU’s half-court offense clanked and sputtered, while the Bucs’ reliance on five young players – four freshmen, one sophomore – initially led to visible communication problems and missed opportunities.

The Bisons shot 66.7 percent (18 of 27) from the field in the first half and took a 15-point margin into halftime.

ETSU did not take its first lead of the game until 7 minutes, 10 seconds were left in the second half, following two made free throws by Pigram that made it 62-60 Bucs.

“I told my team that it was a long game,” Pigram said. “We playing in the [Mini-]Dome, and we can’t afford to lose here.”

WOMEN
ETSU 70, Lipscomb 51
Four Bucs hit double-figures in scoring, as ETSU picked up its sixth win in its last seven contests. The victory maintained the Buccaneers’ claim on first place in the Atlantic Sun conference.

Siarre Evans led the Bucs with a game-high 17 points, while TaRonda Wiles added 13 points. Gwen Washington and Tara Davis chipped in 11 points apiece for ETSU (9-7, 7-1 Atlantic Sun).

The Buccaneers shot just 36.4 percent (28 of 77) from the floor and were outrebounded 47-44 by Lipscomb. But ETSU held the Bisons to 30 percent (18 of 60) from the field and 15.8 percent (3 of 19) on 3-point attempts.

“I’m pleased,” Bucs coach Karen Kemp said. “We still haven’t played a full 40 minutes. But we have good progression, and this was another good win for us.”

Clair Waggener and Chelsea Burroughs led the Bisons (4-13, 2-6) with 10 points apiece.

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