Bucs rally for thrilling OT win in SoCon semifinals over Chattanooga
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WJHL) – The ETSU Bucs dug out of an 11-point deficit at halftime – and another 20-point hole in the second half – to overcome the Chattanooga Mocs and make their way to the Southern Conference championship.
The Bucs (19-15) rallied to top Chattanooga in overtime, 85-84.
“You get down 20 and with 14 [minutes] to go and be able to crawl your way back against a team of that caliber,” ETSU head coach Brooks Savage said. “I mean, it takes a lot of heart – it takes a lot of heart. And I’m just proud – just proud.”
The Bucs turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, employing the full-court press to perfection. With Chattanooga threatening to put the final nail in the coffin, Allen Strothers swiped one of his five steals on the day and converted at the free throw line with 2:03 to play.
The sequence helped slice the Mocs’ lead to just five points.
“I’m really still processing,” Strothers said. “That steal right there was just for the team. I’m going to do whatever I gotta do for the team. That’s what I had to do – make a play.”
Quimari Peterson finished with 27 points to lead scorers on the night, including a late-game steal and layup with one second remaining to send the contest into overtime.
The Bucs trailed twice in the extra period, but Strothers lobbed a pass into the paint for Karon Boyd, who scored his only field goal of the game with 15 seconds remaining to push ETSU in front, 85-84.
“The play wasn’t for me initially, but Al [Strothers] seen the mismatch,” Boyd recalled. “I saw he kept looking me in the eye, so I tried to set him up and just seal him, really.”
The Mocs got two chances on the game’s final possession, but shots from Trey Bonham and Jan Zidek both missed the mark.
“Coach [Steve] Forbes was here tonight and before we’ve called it the land of misfit toys a little bit,” Savage smirked. “That’s just because of our path and where we started and what it took to get here.”
“I told you yesterday I wouldn’t want to be with any other group,” Savage added, his voice breaking, “regardless of what happens tomorrow. You guys know I’m a crier.”
Chattanooga made 45 percent (24-53) of its shots, while ETSU managed to hit at just a 33 percent (26-79) clip. However, the Bucs dominated the glass, grabbing 24 offensive rebounds to UTC’s eight.
The Blue and Gold also swiped 13 steals and scored 17 points off of 16 Mocs turnovers.
Ebby Asamoah Scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half, before fouling out late in the contest. Jaden Seymour also notched 15 points and seven rebounds.
Jan Zidek led Chattanooga with 26 points off the bench in the loss.
The Johnson City squad will now head to the SoCon championship, where they’ll face top-seeded Samford for the title. The Bucs are seeking to be the first SoCon champion to win four games in a single tournament since Clemson in 1939.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Monday, marking head coach Brooks Savage’s first appearance in the SoCon championship as a head coach – in his inaugural season with the Bucs.
The game will be televised on ESPN.
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