GREENVILLE, S.C. (Feb. 18, 2026) – For the first time in a long time, Milton Matthews III will not hit 100 three pointers in a season.
The good news is that this team doesn’t need him to. Six in the right spot will do just fine.
The veteran guard known for his outside game tied his NCAA career-high with six three pointers, and the Bucs shot 50% from beyond the arc to take down Furman 78-69 on Wednesday at Timmons Arena.
Tied at 34 after a first half where neither team led by more than six points, the Buccaneers (20-8, 12-3), playing without starting forward Blake Barkley, took the lead for good with 12:35 remaining when Matthews hit his third three of the night. Matthews struck again with 11:16 to play and again with 10:11 left, the latter of which was followed 45 seconds later by an Isaiah Sutherland three that gave ETSU its first double-digit lead over the Paladins (17-11, 8-7). Matthews threw the knockout punch with a three with 2:04 to go to put the Bucs up 74-61 with their final field goal of the night.
Matthews’ 18 points were a season-high, and his six made threes were the third-most this season by a Buccaneer and the most since Maki Johnson’s nine triples against South Alabama on December 5. ETSU shot 12-for-25 as a team from beyond the arc, their most made threes in SoCon play and the most since the South Alabama game.
Brian Taylor II scored 17 points and led the team with eight rebounds. Morris scored 12 points after being limited early by foul trouble, and Smith notched a season-high eight assists to go with eight points and five rebounds off the bench. ETSU’s bench outscored Furman’s 34-10.
The win reduces ETSU’s magic number for a SoCon title to two. They can clinch at least a share of the regular season title with a win on Saturday at UNCG at 4 p.m.
For more information on ETSU men’s basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com.
