Sheldon Cooley had seven steals and East Tennesee State forced 29 turnovers in an 81-68 victory over Appalachian State on Tuesday night.
Tommy Hubbard scored 23 points for the Buccaneers (1-1), who also got 16 points from Adam Sollazzo, 12 from Isiah Brown and 11 from Cooley.
The Mountaineers (1-1) got off to a rough start, getting assessed a technical for dunking during pregame warm-ups. Marcus DuBose hit both free throws and ETSU had a 2-0 lead before the game even tipped off.
The Buccaneers' defensive pressure repeatedly forced the Mountaineers into turnovers throughout the first half. By halftime, ETSU had forced 20 turnovers and led 39-23.
Appalachian State got within seven, 67-60, in the second half before ETSU put the game away with a 7-0 run that included five points by Cooley.
Jamaal Trice scored 18 points for the Mountaineers and Isaac Butts had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
