BUIES
CREEK, N.C. - East Tennessee State produced 20 second-chance points
off 18 offensive rebounds and the Bucs defeated Campbell 66-59
Thursday night at Gore Arena.
Adam Sollazzo led ETSU (21-10, 16-4) with a career-high 22 points,
Isiah Brown added 21, plus 8 rebounds, and Justin Tubbs added 14
for the Bucs, who played without their top two scorers. Sollazzo
hit 12-of-13 free throws and dealt 4 assists.
Despite shooting 50 percent from the floor and holding ETSU to just
39 percent shooting, the Camels only had 4 offensive rebounds and
didn't convert any second-chance opportunities. ETSU finished with
a 38-21 edge on the glass and outscored the Camels in the paint
32-18.
ETSU knocked down 25-of-35 free throws (.714), while the Camels
made only 13-of-21 from the line (.619).
Amir Celestin led Campbell (12-17, 6-13) with a season-high 16
points on 7-of-13 shooting. Junard Hartley added 17, plus 7
assists, Preston Dodson 12 on 5-of-7 from the floor and Rico
Ferguson 10 for the Camels, who played their 6th-straight outing
without injured 2nd-leading scorer Lorne Merthie.
In spite of the loss, Campbell clinched a spot in next week's
Atlantic Sun Conference tournament when North Florida defeated
Stetson 80-77. The Camels could finish as high as the 7th seed
following their regular season finale Saturday - a 3:15 p.m.
tip-off at home against USC Upstate.
ETSU played without its top two scorers - Mike Smith (16.9) and
Micah Williams (14.9). Smith injured an ankle in the first half of
last Saturday's double-overtime win at Lipscomb. Williams injured
his collarbone in practice this week.
After a first half when the score was tied 5 times and the lead
changed on 9 occasions, the Bucs never trailed in the second
period. ETSU led by 9 (57-48) when Tubbs knocked down a 3 with
4:50 to go. Celestin's jumper and a 3 from Hartley cut the gap to
57-53 with 2:48 remaining, but the Camels never drew closer.
The Bucs converted a height advantage into a 33-30 lead at the
break. ETSU outscored the Camels 26-4 in the paint and grabbed 11
offensive boards, resulting in a 12-0 edge in 2nd-chance points
before intermission.
Brown had 12 first-half points, while Sollazzo added 10 for ETSU.
Hartley led the Camels with 9 points in the opening period, and
Celestin had 8.
Griffin blocked 4 shots on the night and Marvelle Harris had 3 for
the Camels, who lead the league with better than 5 rejections per
outing. Griffin broke the school record for blocks in a season
Thursday and now has 57 heading into Saturday's contest.
Hartley also moved into 2nd place on the A-Sun all-time assists
list (586) during the first half of Thursday's contest.
ETSU carries the 2nd seed into Wednesday's A-Sun quarterfinal round
contest against either Campbell or Kennesaw State.