CLINTON, S.C. – Behind the scoring of Carl Parrish and Jonah Pierce and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, the Presbyterian Blue Hose (2-1) outlasted the ETSU Buccaneers (1-1), 68-64, at the Templeton Center on Saturday night.
 
Pierce recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Parrish scored 17 points all in the second half. Josh Pickett came off the bench shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc for nine points. Jaylen Peterson, Triston Wilson, and Iverson King each chipped in with seven points.

In the second half, the Blue Hose went 5-for-7 from beyond the three-point line. For the game, Presbyterian's defense held ETSU to 23 percent shooting (6-for-26) from beyond the three-point line.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF – Presbyterian's Erik Taylor scored the game's first basket on a layup 36 seconds into the contest. Presbyterian scored 14 of the game's first 16 points, capped off by a dunk from Peterson, giving the Blue Hose a 14-2 lead five and a half minutes into the game. At the 12:15 mark of the half, King connected on a three from the wing, pushing PC's lead to a game-high 13 points, 19-6. After a dunk from Chidi Chiakwelu, Presbyterian led 21-8 with just 11 minutes left in the half. ETSU outscored the Blue Hose 18-4 the rest of the half, taking a 26-25 halftime lead.
 

SECOND HALF – Just over a minute into the half, ETSU had a five-point lead, 30-25, after scoring the first four points of the half. Back-to-back threes from Parrish put the Blue Hose back in front 31-30 three minutes into the half. The lead exchanged hands a few times over the next few minutes. With the score knotted at 36, ETSU scored six of the next eight points, taking a 42-38 lead with 12:41 on the clock. Consecutive threes from the wing by Pickett gave the Blue Hose a two-point lead, 44-42. ETSU scored five straight points, regaining the lead. ETSU's lead increased to 55-49 with seven minutes on the clock. ETSU maintained the lead until Pickett knocked down another three, tying the score at 60 with 2:12 remaining. Free throws by Pierce and King gave the Blue Hose the lead for good. Peterson converted on an acrobatic three-point play, giving the Blue Hose a 65-60 lead with 40 seconds on the clock. Free throws from Parrish and Taylor closed out Presbyterian's 68-64 home win.
 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Parrish's 17 points was his second double-figure scoring game of the season and the 18th of his career.
• Pierce's 15 points and 13 boards performance marked his fourth double-double of his Presbyterian career. Pierce has now grabbed double-figure rebounds in two of Presbyterian's first three games.

 
NEXT GAME
Presbyterian begins a five-game road swing at Georgia State this Monday, November 10, at 7 p.m.