McCloud with 15, ETSU wins showdown of SoCon unbeaten, 68-58

Jan 12, 2018, 02:39 am

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Jalan McCloud scored 15 points, Desonta Bradford added 12 with nine rebounds and two blocked shots as East Tennessee State defeated North Carolina Greensboro 68-58 in a clash of Southern Conference unbeatens Thursday night that was also a rematch of last season's tournament championship.

ETSU (13-4, 4-0) broke away midway through the second half with a 13-1 run to open up a game that saw 12 lead changes and five ties. The Buccaneers made 24 of 46 shots (52 percent) while UNC Greensboro was 21 of 63 (33 percent).

ETSU dominated inside, pulling down 28 defensive rebounds -- out of 37 total -- and outscoring the Spartans (11-5, 2-1) 42-24 in the paint. ETSU had 14 assists on 24 baskets, while UNC Greensboro had nine assists on 21 field goals.

ETSU was ranked fifth and UNC Greensboro 18th in the mid-major polls.