Box Score (PDF)

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Citadel men's basketball team dropped a road contest at ETSU on Thursday evening 90-69.
 
The game remained close early on with both teams getting off to a slow start. But six minutes into the game, ETSU (19-6, 9-3 SoCon) found its rhythm from behind the arc and hit back-to-back three-pointers to take a 14-8 lead.
 
The Bulldogs (9-17. 2-11 SoCon) then fell cold, going 4:25 without a point which allowed ETSU to widen the gap to 24-14 with 8:49 remaining. Thanks to clutch three-point shooting, the Bucs extended that lead to 32-17 heading into the under-eight media timeout. They finished the first frame with nine three-pointers, shooting 50 percent from deep.
 
Head coach Duggar Baucom and company found an offensive spark in the last five minutes of the half, closing the frame on a 12-6 run and forcing the Bucs to turn the ball over five times. But despite the run, ETSU took a 45-32 lead into the locker room
 
Tom Koopman scored six of his eight first half points in the last three minutes, sinking two three-pointers from the top of the key. The senior has now made as many three-pointers as he attempted in his first three seasons at The Citadel. Frankie Johnson chipped in six points and two others scored five in a first half that saw the 'Dogs shoot just 33.3 percent from the floor.
 
In the second half, Preston Parks exploded to score 10 points in the first eight minutes to pull the Bulldogs within 14. The freshman finished with 22 points in the game and now has 10 20-point games this season. But it would not be enough as ETSU continued to shoot lights out and earned the 90-69 win over the Bulldogs. The Bucs shot 48.5 percent from the floor and held The Citadel to just 33.8 percent in the victory.
 
Koopman was the only other Bulldog to finish in double figures, chipping in 10 points for his second double-digit game of the season. Senior Warren Sledge tallied eight points and three others finished with six points including freshman Tyler Burgess who hit two threes in four minutes of action.
 
The Bulldogs conclude their road trip with a 1 p.m. contest Saturday at VMI. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with live stats available at CitadelSports.com.
 
For more information on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops or visit CitadelSports.com.