Smith, Taylor spur ETSU rout of Central Arkansas

East Tennessee State's inside-out game trumped Central Arkansas' outside attack on Saturday inside Freedom Hall Civic Center. The Bucs routed the Bears 80-57 on a day when former coach Alan LeForce was honored and Central Arkansas coach John Shulman returned home to Johnson City. ETSU (6-1) outscored Central Arkansas 34-10 in the paint and held a 37-31 rebounding advantage for its fifth straight win. The Bucs hit 12-of-31 from 3-point range as a team, as the Bears (3-5) hit 13 treys on 41 attempts. Overall, ETSU was 30-for-58 (51.7 percent) from the field to 31.7 percent for the Bears. "That was a good win for us. Not all threes are the same," ETSU coach Brooks Savage said. "They were the types of threes we wanted them taking. They weren't gashing us and kicking it out for shots. Inside, you're seeing great balance and versatility. Everybody is starting to see how our mobility up front is a problem." Jaylen Smith caught fire in the second half, knocking down five shots from 3-point range. He went 7-for-13 behind the arc in a 28-point, eight-rebound performance. "Coach told me to keep pushing," Smith said. "The team that we have, we're very connected. Everybody's here for each other, and that just motivates all of us." Brian Taylor II became the fourth player in program history to record a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He pointed out that Cam Morris III with 14 points and Blake Barkley with 10 also reached double figures. "Shout out to my teammates, I wouldn't be able to do it without them," Taylor said. "There are two statistics that everybody has to box out, and they have to make shots as for that (assists) number to get to where it was. I'm just happy that I had the opportunity to be the one with it. Hopefully somebody else will get opportunity." Tied at 27-apiece, ETSU scored eight straight points near the end of the first half. The Bucs took a 37-30 lead into halftime and then scored the first nine points of the second half for a 16-point advantage. A 16-2 run midway through the second half put the game firmly in ETSU's hands. Luke Moore led Central Arkansas with 13 points. Camren Hunter was the only other Bears player in double figures with 10 points. Savage talked about the team's defense and Smith in particular, who has embraced a sixth-man role. He and the team got a pep talk from the program's all-time favorite player earlier in the day. "Defense was certainly on key. He's just playing so much more tougher and grittier than when we first got him," Savage said about Smith. "We talked about that quite a bit, just sticking his nose in there. Mister (Jennings) came and talked to the team today and talked about, when you're small like that, you better have big heart and be tough. He's really embraced that." LEFORCE HONORED LeForce, who was recognized before the game, served as an assistant to Les Robinson on the championship teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s before taking over as head coach where he won two Southern Conference titles. LeForce led the Bucs to the 87-80 upset of Arizona in the 1992 NCAA tournament. He was met at mid-court by Savage and Shulman, who was an assistant on LeForce's teams. Multiple ETSU players from the era, including Greg Dennis, Calvin Talford and Marty Story, were in attendance to greet their former coaches. NEXT UP ETSU will travel to Dayton on Tuesday night to take on a Flyers team that lost by four points to No. 9 BYU on Friday. Dayton (6-2) also has wins against Marquette and Georgetown. Central Arkansas returns to action Wednesday against Little Rock in the I-40 Showdown game.