Jan. 25, 2005

Charleston, SC - The last time The Citadel won a basketball game at East Tennessee State, Warren McLendon was in the sixth grade.

McLendon is all grown up now, and the precocious freshman scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Bulldogs to an 80-76 victory over the two-time defending Southern Conference champion Buccaneers on Monday.

The victory was The Citadel's first at ETSU since 1997, and kept the Bulldogs in the thick of the race for a top-two finish in the SoCon's South Division.

The Citadel is 12-5 overall and 4-3 in the SoCon, one game behind second-place Georgia Southern in the loss column.

Just as importantly for coach Pat Dennis, the Bulldogs came back strong from Saturday's 78-68 loss to UNC Greensboro. The Citadel, which endured a 13-game losing streak last year, is 5-0 after losses this season. "I give our guys credit," Dennis said. "I mean, we come back. We learn from our losses and come back with unbelievable energy. We've bounced back well all season, and this is a really, really good win."

East Tennessee State, to be sure, is a mere shadow of the team that went 27-6 last year while winning its second straight SoCon crown. The Bucs are 6-12 overall and 2-6 in the SoCon and have lost three straight.

McLendon, a 6-5, 254-pounder, was the focus of the Bulldogs' game plan and came through by hitting 9 of 13 shots from the field and grabbing six rebounds. Junior guard Kevin Hammack also had a career high with 23 points, along with four assists and three steals.

"Warren played great, and Kevin was phenomenal," Dennis said. "We wanted to go inside to Warren and just pound it in there. We knew East Tennessee State is a little depleted in the middle, and we were able to take advantage of that."

A 3-pointer by Donny McLendon and a dunk from Warren gave the Bulldogs a 76-66 lead in the final minutes, but the Bulldogs had to withstand a Bucs assault in the last minute of play.

James Anthony hit a 3-pointer and guard Tim Smith scored from the baseline to cut the lead to 77-74, then Citadel freshman Travis Smith walked to turn the ball over with 28 seconds left. But Anthony missed his next trey, and Hammack made one free throw for a 78-74 lead with 22 seconds left.

ETSU's Ben Rhoda scored for 78-76, and Hammack iced the game with two free throws with 13 seconds left, good for the 80-76 final margin.

Rhoda, a 6-4 junior, led ETSU with 22 points, while All-SoCon guard Tim Smith had 20 points and seven assists.

For The Citadel, junior J'mel Everhart scored eight points with five rebounds, and Donny McLendon made two 3-pointers and scored eight points. The Bulldogs shot a season-high 58 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Bucs, 34-27.

Just as they did in Saturday's loss to UNC Greensboro, the Bulldogs jumped out to a quick lead. Travis Smith, getting his first start after playing only four minutes against UNCG, scored five early points as The Citadel took an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes.

The lead reached 19-8 on a 3-pointer by Matt Davis with 12:05 left in the half. But ETSU's Tim Smith nailed a trey, drove for a basket and hit a short jumper to spark a 13-4 run that tied the game at 23-23.

The Bulldogs did not fold. Warren McLendon, who had 15 points in the first half, hit a bank shot and Hammack scored four points as the Bulldogs closed the half with a 12-5 run for a 41-36 lead at the break.

The Citadel is at Davidson on Saturday before a Jan. 31 home game with Wofford.