JOHNSON CITY, TENN. - The Citadel (9-11, 2-5) battled on the road, but fell in overtime 101-92 to Southern Conference leader East Tennessee State (13-7, 6-1). Freshman Quayson Williams poured in 29 points to lead all scorers and shot 10-of-15 from the field. The Bulldogs shot 56.3 percent in the second half and had a chance to win late, but ETSU forced overtime and finished the game on a 17-6 run to stave off The Citadel.
 
Junior Warren Sledge narrowly missed his first career double-double, recording 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds in 33 minutes. Quinton Marshall added eight points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
Saturday's contest was a wild back-and-forth affair that saw 20 lead changes. After ETSU took a 45-41 lead into halftime, the Bucs methodically built a 10-point edge with 13:37 left. That's when Williams, who notched 13 first-half points, and his fellow underclassmen willed the Bulldogs back in it.
 
Freshman Connor Schroeder drilled a much-needed trey and Williams followed with a three of his own and a breakaway layup to cut the deficit to four in less than two minutes. The Bulldogs used a 54-33 edge in bench points to counter ETSU's runs. Williams buried one of his seven three-pointers with 8:05 left to knot the score at 71-71 and Sledge's floater on the next possession put The Citadel in front.
 
The two teams traded baskets down the stretch. ETSU answered a Schroeder three with back-to-back layups and took an 84-83 lead at the 2:26 mark. Once again, Williams delivered. The freshman swished a trey from the wing with 1:10 to go to surge The Citadel ahead 86-84. It was his first 20-point performance since a 30-point outburst on Nov. 19.
 
The Bucs tied it up on a tough drive to the rim, but Sledge was fouled on the other end to set up a 1-and-1 situation at the free throw line with 1.8 seconds remaining. The free throw attempt fell off the mark to send the frantic game into overtime and ETSU clamped down defensively to hold off The Citadel.
 
The Bulldogs return to McAlister Field House next week for a pair of crucial home games. After Thursday's 6 p.m. matchup against UNC-Greensboro, The Citadel hosts VMI next Saturday for a game that features the second Pack the Mac event of the season. Tickets are available at PackTheMac.com. For more information on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops.