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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team fell on the road to a hot-shooting East Tennessee State Buccaneer team Saturday, 76-56. While ETSU shot 58 percent from the field, the Colonels struggled to penetrate the stingy Buccaneer defense, and were forced to launch a Jeff Neubauer-era record 38 three pointers, making only 10 of them. Overall, the Colonels shot 32.7 percent from the field. With the loss, the Colonels fall to 2-1, while the Buccaneers, last year's Atlantic Sun regular season champions, improve to 1-1.

Things started well for the Colonels, as junior guard Mike Rose, who scored a career high 27 points on 84.6 percent shooting from the field last year against ETSU, drilled two three pointers within the first three minutes of tip-off. Junior guard Harrison Brown knocked down another three pointer to give the Colonels their first and final lead of the game at 9-8 with 17:07 remaining in the first half.

A basket by ETSU senior Kenyona Swader with 10:48 left in the first stanza put the Buccaneers up by 14; however, only five minutes later, a thunderous dunk by senior forward Darnell Dialls cut the Buccaneer lead to 32-27.

A three pointer by returning Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Courtney Pigram and another field goal by Jocolby Davis sent the Buccaneers into the locker room at half up 38-27.

In the second half, The Buccaneers continued to pull away as Pigram and senior Andrew Reed piled on the points, and the Colonels continued to launch three pointers to no avail. Brown scored EKU's first five points of the second stanza, and sophomore guard Josh Daniel came off the bench to spark the Colonels with 10 second half points, but it wasn't enough as the Buccaneers shot 65 percent from the field after the break to finish off the visitors.

Four Colonels scored in double figures in the losing effort, as Rose led the team with 13 points, Daniel and fellow sophomore Josh Taylor each contributed with 12 points, and Brown chipped in with 10. Sophomore guard Adam Leonard shot poorly from the field (1-of-7), however, he did contribute with five assists.

Reed led the balanced Buccaneer scoring attack with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Pigram posted 16 points and five assists.

Things do not get easier for EKU, as the Colonels return to action Wednesday at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, only to follow that game up with a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke on Sunday. Game time for the UAB game is set for 8:00 pm EST.