COLLEGE

Ex-UT assistant Steve Forbes taking ETSU to NCAA tournament

Associated Press, Knoxville News Sentinel

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — T.J. Cromer looked down at the white basketball net hanging around his neck.

"It's my new favorite necklace," the senior guard said with a wide smile.

Cromer scored 23 points, and East Tennessee State beat top-seeded UNC Greensboro 79-74 to win the Southern Conference Tournament championship on Monday night.

The Buccaneers (27-7) rallied in the second half to secure their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2010.

Francis Alonso made five 3-pointers and scored 28 points for UNC Greensboro (25-9), which beat East Tennessee State twice during the regular season and led by seven at halftime. R.J. White had 23 points before fouling out in the final minute.

DI Men's Basketball: ETSU wins the Southern Championship

UNC Greensboro had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds after an unlikely 3-pointer by big man Jordy Kuiper and a steal in the backcourt. But Alonso's 3-point attempt from the left wing rattled out and A.J. Merriweather knocked down two clinching free throws.

"I thought it was going in," ETSU coach Steve Forbes said of Alonso's 3-point attempt. "I was like, 'Well at least we're going to overtime.' "

Forbes, who is in his second season at ETSU, was an assistant coach at Tennessee on Bruce Pearl's staff from 2006-11. Jason Shay, another former Pearl assistant, and Brooks Savage, a student assistant at UT from 2009-11, are on Forbes' staff at ETSU.

Former Tennessee assistant basketball coach Steve Forbes, center, and then-coach Bruce Pearl watch practice in 2006 at Thompson Boling Arena.
East Tennessee State coach Steve Forbes holds a piece of the net he cut in the air to celebrate his team's 79-74 win over UNC Greensboro on Monday in the Southern Conference Tournament championship game in Asheville, N.C., Monday, March 6, 2017.

The Spartans were unable to stop the Buccaneers down the stretch. ETSU shot 59 percent from the field in the second half. Merriweather had 11 of his 13 points after halftime, including seven straight during a crucial 17-4 run.

"Coach preached before the game we have to be gritty and tough and grind it out," Cromer said. "We knew we had to pick up the intensity and we knew we had 20 minutes to lay our guts out if we wanted to come out victorious."

Cromer was 6 for 13 from the field and 11 for 11 at the free-throw line. The tournament's most outstanding player also had 41 points in ETSU's semifinal win over Samford.

Tevin Glass finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, helping the Buccaneers to their first Southern Conference title since 2004. They avenged a loss to Chattanooga in the SoCon championship game last season.

"We lost by six last year and we didn't want to have that sour taste in our mouths," Cromer said.