You’re reading a story from Sidelines 100, a project showcasing a century of student storytelling at Middle Tennessee State University. Sidelines 100 plans to highlight 100 stories from the newspaper archives this fall and spring.
This story originally ran in the Feb 14, 1978, edition of Sidelines. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all things Sidelines 100.
JOHNSON CITY—Many a confident team has entered this mountain rim community only to find that beating East Tennessee State in the mini-dome is like slaying a dragon with a butter knife.
If that’s the case, Middle Tennessee State’s basketball Raiders killed the biggest dragon of the season here last night, before a crowd of 8,800.
In posting a defensive-minded 62-53 victory, Middle Tennessee drove into undisputed possession of the conference lead and completed a two-game sweep on the road. Blue Raider Coach Jimmy Earle had said last Thursday that if MTSU could win these two games, the Raiders should win the OVC regular season championship.
But in an interview after the ETSU game, Earle said the Raiders still had the toughest schedule left in the OVC.
Middle Tennessee’s swarming defenses continually forced poor passes, turnovers and shots that missed the rim by three feet.
“Middle Tennessee dictated the game. They took away everything we wanted to do and forced us into, numerous mistakes,” said East Tennessee Coach Sonny Smith after the game.
Julius Brown and Sleepy Taylor broke open a 6-6 tie six minutes into the first half and MTSU rolled to a 17-10 lead on Brown’s 15-foot jumper from the wing—a lead it never lost.
With 8:22 to play in the first half, East Tennessee, which Smith said before the game could win the title with a victory over the Raiders, narrowed the score to 19-16. Then Middle Tennessee, using mainly a 1-3-1 defense, denied the Bucs a single point for the next five minutes and led 32-22 at the half.
The second half was much like the first, with the Bucs unable to pull within more than six points of the Raiders.
The Raiders ability to break the ETSU press and the masterful use of the four-corner offense, kept them in command throughout the final minutes of the contest.
Once again; the Raiders nationally ranked defense held its opponents to less than 60 points. East Tennessee had been averaging 77 points a game, with then lowest point total before tonight being 57.
While forcing the Bucs into 21 turnovers, the Raiders allowed ETSU only 48 shots from the field, well below their 75 to 80 shot average.
The Blue Raiders hit only 45 percent of their shots from the field, but made good on 16 of 20 foul shots, including a string of 14 straight.
Despite its strong defensive effort, the Raiders were out-rebounded 34-26 by the Bucs. Sleepy Taylor led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Julius Brown and Bob Martin with 11 each and Greg Joyner with 10. Joyner and Martin led the team in rebounds with six apiece.
East Tennessee was led by Scott Place with 12 points and nine rebounds, followed by B.J. Johnson and Joe Perry, who both scored 10 points.
After the game, Earle said he was highly pleased with the team’s 1-3-1 defense, calling it “an old friend of the Raiders.”
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