Career-high play leads Bucs to win

Isiah Brown has got moves. But I'm not talking about on the dance floor.

The 6'8" senior forward spun, pump-faked, and slammed his way to a career-high 27 points, leading the ETSU men's basketball team to a 65-50 rout over North Florida Saturday afternoon inside the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center.

"He played tremendous tonight," Bucs' senior guard Adam Sollazzo said.

"That's the Isiah Brown I've known for a long time and I'm glad to have him back. He's a monster out there."

Brown, who prior to the game received a trophy ball for joining the 1,000-point club back in January, added a couple highlight dunks to his résumé against the Osprey's defense.

With around seven minutes remaining in the second half, Sollazzo drove the lane and found Brown for a vicious one-hand alley-oop jam that turned the tempo in the Bucs' favor for the remainder of the contest.

Brown also nailed a trio of turnaround hook shots during the game and continued to dominate in the paint going 11-for-18 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

"I play the piano man; I'm very good with my left hand and my right hand," Brown said, referring to his jump hook. "It's a very difficult shot to block."

The Bucs went into the half only up by one point, and lost the lead in the first few minutes of the second half before going on a 19-0 run led in part by Sheldon Cooley, Brown and Sollazzo.

Sollazzo finished with 16 points while Cooley racked up 11. Marcus Dubose led the Bucs with eight rebounds, and Tommy Hubbard continued to dominate on defense swiping away four steals.

ETSU scored 17 points off 19 turnovers and met its nation-leading 10 steals per game. The blue-and-gold shot 59 percent in the second half and 50 percent for the game; all while holding North Florida to 41 percent.

The Buccaneers (13-11, 7-6) jumped up two spots into fourth place with this victory in the Atlantic Sun Conference and will take on Jacksonville Monday night in another decisive game inside the Mini Dome.

"I think if we press hard and defend hard then there's going to be the question of can we generate enough points," head coach Murry Bartow said. "That's what it's going to come down to."