ETSU Punches Ticket To The Dance

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The East Tennessee State University men’s basketball team gathered at center court. They danced, smiled and laughed. They shouted and jumped. And they cried and hugged each other tight.

The No. 2 seed Bucs dominated and ripped apart the No. 1 seed Jacksonville Dolphins on Saturday evening, claiming an 85-68 victory in the Atlantic Sun conference tournament championship at Allen Arena.

The long wait is over for ETSU. Better days have come. And it’s dancing time once again for the Buccaneers.

“It ain’t unbelievable because we worked hard for it,” said ETSU senior forward Kevin Tiggs, who scored 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. “We worked real, real hard to get here. … It just tells you not to give up.”

ETSU (23-10) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the win. The postseason berth marks the eighth time in the program’s history the Bucs have won a trip to the prestigious tournament.

ETSU last appeared in The Dance on March 19, 2004, when the Bucs fell to Cincinnati, 88-70, in first-round action.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said ETSU senior guard Courtney Pigram, who scored nine points and dished out six assists.

As Pigram made the statement, he pulled his mother, Christine, in close. Then he smiled and looked into her eyes.

“This is historic,” Christine Pigram said. “I’m just so proud of my son.”

The Buccaneers will play an opponent to be determined in the NCAA tournament. The NCAA will announce pairings at 6 p.m. March 15 for the 65-team bracket in a national television broadcast. First-round games are scheduled for March 19 and 20 in multiple cities across the nation.

“I think at East Tennessee State, we’re always going to have good teams,” Buccaneers coach Murry Bartow said. “We’re going to have good players, we’ve got great fans, we’ve got everything in place to be good every year. … It’s great for the 10 guys that were part of this year’s team.”

ETSU junior guard Mike Smith recorded a double-double, pouring in a team-high 22 points and collecting a team-high 12 rebounds. Micah Williams added a career-high 16 points for the Bucs.

Ben Smith scored a game-high 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting to lead the Dolphins (18-13), while Ayron Hardy and Evan Jefferson added 11 points apiece.

“ETSU played a good game,” Jacksonville coach Cliff Warren said. “I’m disappointed in our effort.”

The Buccaneers put forth their most dominating and complete game of the season Saturday night.

ETSU shot 46.8 percent (29 of 62) from the field and 66.7 percent (6 of 9) on 3-point attempts. The Bucs outrebounded the Dolphins 40-34 and committed just 10 turnovers. And East Tennessee State led by as many as 30 points with 9 minutes, 5 seconds left in the second half.

ETSU rattled Jacksonville from the start, as a loud chorus of “Let’s go Bucs!” was shouted from the stands, turning Allen Arena into a de facto home game for the Buccaneers.

A three-point play by Tiggs made it 17-6 ETSU, capping a 13-0 Buccaneers run.

“I thought the first half, we really set the tempo for the game,” Bartow said.

East Tennessee State’s swarming, everywhere-all-the-time defense spurred the stretch. The Bucs alternated a tight man-to-man with a full-court press, sending the Dolphins into chaos. ETSU scored 23 points off 15 Jacksonville turnovers, while the Dolphins shot just 29.2 percent (7 of 24) behind the 3-point line.

“We talked about getting loose balls, rebounds,” Warren said. “From the first couple plays, we didn’t box out and they got offensive rebounds. ETSU set the tone”

ETSU took a 43-28 lead into the break.

The second period was a celebration for the Bucs.

Pigram opened the half with a 3, and ETSU mixed hot shooting from the perimeter with flying dunks and a deadly transition offense.

The Buccaneers then took a 69-39 lead after Smith drained a 3-pointer with 9:05 to go.

“We had the will to win,” Smith said. “We had a couple team meetings, [and] we didn’t want to lose any more. … Coach is always telling us how exciting it is to get to the tournament.”

Notes: The Buccaneers picked up 20 second-chance points, compared to six for Jacksonville. … ETSU has won five straight contests after enduring a slide from Feb. 9 to 23 in which the Bucs went 1-4. … ETSU has scored 447 points in its last five games and is averaging 89.4 points per game during the span.

btsmith@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2569