SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Georgia 123,
Tennessee Tech 81
@IU Indy 85,
Morehead State 80
Tennessee State 98, Tennessee Wesleyan 77 (Chattanooga, TN)
Lipscomb 88,
@Southeast Missouri 77
@Southern Indiana 93, Kentucky State 56
@Southern Illinois 74,
Little Rock 65
GEORGIA 123, TENNESSEE TECH 81
ATHENS, Ga. - Tennessee Tech (3-5, 0-0) men's basketball falls 123-81 to the Georgia Bulldogs (7-1, 0-0) on the road Saturday.
The Golden Eagles slip to 3-5 overall with the loss to the Bulldogs in the second end of a double-dip in SEC country. Mekhi Turner posted his second double-digit scoring game of the season, dropping 16 points on 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the field in the loss. Turner was one of four Golden Eagles, all off the bench, in double figures.
Ty Owens scored a season-high 15 points off the bench on 6-of-6 shooting, marking his first perfect game from the field this season. Owens made 1-of-1 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the line while dishing out two assists. He notches his first double-digit game of the season.
JaJuan Nicholls made 6-of-10 from the field for 13 points, and C.J. McPherson matched his season-high with 12 points on 2-of-7 from the field, 2-of-5 from three, and 6-of-6 from the line.
Georgia outrebounded Tennessee Tech 45-to-33 and shot a blistering 54.7 percent from the field to 43.1 percent. Six players scored in double figures, led by Marcus Millender's 22 points off the bench for UGA.
The struggles from three continued for Tech, shooting just 3-of-17 (17.6%) from distance in the game.
IU INDY 85, MOREHEAD STATE 80
INDIANAPOLIS - Morehead State ran into IU Indy's trademark frenetic pace and pressure defense and fell to the Jaguars 85-80 Saturday in Indianapolis.
Trailing 33-30 at the half, Morehead State worked up to a 41-40 lead early in the second half. IU Indy blitzed MSU with an 11-0 run to grab a 51-41 lead. IU Indy hit six of their first 10 three-point tries and forced nine turnovers in the first ten minutes in the second half.
Morehead State finally got going, cutting the IU Indy lead to 65-61 after a 12-0 run capped by a Legree layup with 6:20 to go. Morehead State closed to within four points late in the game but could get
no closer.
After going just 5-23 (22%) from three-point range in the first half, the Jaguars lit up in the second hitting nine of their 19 triples (47%). The IU Indy pressure also added up to a 25-10 edge in fast break points.
Morehead State (3-5) dominated on the glass, out-rebounding IU Indy (3-6) 47-31. The Eagles were also excellent at the free throw line, shooting 25-32 (78%). The Eagles were forced into 22 turnovers by the IUI pressure, resulting in a 25-11 advantage in points off turnovers for the Jaguars.
Jon Carroll led the Eagles with his fourth double-double of the season, posting 19 points and 11 rebounds. Davion Cunningham also posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. George Marshall finished with 16 points, hitting nine of 10 from the free throw line. Josiah Legree added 11 for the Eagles.
The Jaguars were led by Kyler D'Augustino with 25 points. Micah Davis added 24. Kameron Tinsley tossed in 13 and Matt Compas added 10.
The first half began closely contested. IU Indy started cold, hitting only one of their first nine three-point tries. The Eagles went on a 6-2 run to take a 23-17 lead, capped by an Anouar Mellouk offensive rebound a put-back with 7:49 left in half.
IU Indy outscored the Eagles 14-2 to go ahead 31-25, capped by D'Augustino's layup with 43 second left. D'Augustino led all scorers at the half with 15; Compas added 10. MSU was led by Legree and Carroll with seven points apiece. The Eagles shot 30% from the floor in the half, compared to 38% for the Jaguars. The Eagles went 8-12 from the free throw line in the first 20 minutes, while IU Indy failed to get to the charity stripe.
TENNESSEE STATE 98, TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 77
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Five Tigers scored at least 10 points and Tennessee State men's basketball took down the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs 98-77 on the opening day of the Coke Zero Sugar Classic at McKenzie Arena on Saturday.
The Tigers (4-3) had five players score in double figures, led by Travis Harper II, who had 19 points. Aaron Nkrumah tacked on 16 points, six rebounds and five steals and Dante Harris chipped in as well with 12 points and six rebounds.
TSU also got strong contributions from its bench and maintained control for the majority of the afternoon with efficient interior scoring and relentless defensive pressure.
Led by Jalen Pitre's four offensive rebounds, Tennessee State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 11 boards that resulted in 15 second chance points. Pitre, who finished with seven total rebounds, helped TSU establish a decisive presence inside against the Bulldogs.
Tennessee State forced 20 Tennessee Wesleyan turnovers while committing 16 themselves in Saturday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 26 points on the offensive end of the floor. Nkrumah's five steals led the way for Tennessee State, while Jabrion Spikes matched him with five of his own as TSU turned defense into offense throughout the contest.
After falling behind 32-29, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 5:54 left in the first half to take a 34-32 lead. The Tigers then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 42-38 advantage. Tennessee State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 28 of its 42 points close to the basket. TSU also saw momentum-shifting energy from its reserves during the stretch, helping stabilize the offense after an early back-and-forth start.
Following intermission, Tennessee State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 78-71 before going on a 10-0 run, finished off by Nkrumah's jumper, to grow the lead to 88-71 with 4:24 to go in the contest. Sharper ball movement and improved shot selection fueled TSU's second-half surge, which eventually put the game out of reach.
The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 98-77 win. Tennessee State took care of business in the paint, recording 42 of its 56 points in the lane and shooting over 50 percent in the second half.
LIPSCOMB 88, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 77
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (2-6) fell to Lipscomb (4-4) with a final score of 88-77 at the Show Me Center. Despite a strong performance at the free-throw line, converting 23 of 30 attempts, SEMO was unable to overcome Lipscomb's 11 three-pointers.
The Redhawks and Lipscomb began with a tightly contested first half. The Bison's Charlie Williams initiated scoring with a jumper at 19:06, while Southeast Missouri's Braxton Stacker responded with a three-pointer and a free throw at 18:10 to briefly lead. Lipscomb then surged ahead with a 3-pointer from Williams at 16:31, assisted by Grant Asman, giving them a 7-4 advantage. A steady offensive effort from the Bison, including a late layup by Ethan Duncan with three seconds remaining, helped them secure a 38-30 lead by the end of the half.
Mateo Esmeraldo led Lipscomb with strong performances, contributing consistently in the second half. At 19:47, he opened the scoring with a layup assisted by Williams, giving the Bison a 40-30 lead. Southeast Missouri's BJ Ward responded with a series of jumpers, quickly narrowing the margin to 42-36 by 18:37. The game remained tense, trading leads until the final minutes when Lipscomb pulled away. Notably, Lipscomb finished the game on a 14-2 run, which was crucial in securing their victory. A series of free throws by Esmeraldo and a late three-pointer by Titas Sargiunas secured the 88-77 victory for the Bison.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 93, KENTUCKY STATE 56
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball raced by Kentucky State University, 93-56, Saturday at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles go to 3-5 in the non-conference schedule, while Kentucky State is 2-3.
USI raced out in front to start the game as senior guard Ismail Habib scored the first Eagles' first eight points of the game and propelled the squad to a 12-2 lead before the first media timeout.
After Kentucky State cut the margin to one point, 14-13, the Eagles exploded on another run to push the advantage back to double-digits and beyond. USI, behind the seven points of junior guard Kaden Brown during the run, took the margin to 12 points, 30-18. The USI lead would go to as many as 22 points before the halftime score of 44-27.
Habib and Brown led the USI scorers during the first 20 minutes with 14 points and 12 points, respectively. Junior forward Tolu Samuels reached double-digits in rebounds for the third-straight game with 10 first half boards.
The second half saw USI rapidly expand the first half margin to as many as 40 points during the second half, 87-47, with 4:21 left in the game. The Eagles on the second half, 49-29, led by the 11-point effort off the bench by senior guard Cardell Bailey.
For the game, USI controlled the glass by outrebounding Kentucky State, 58-38, and held the Thorobreds to 31.4 percent from the field (22-70).
Brown led USI for the game with a season-high 20 points. He was seven-of-12 from the field, a blistering five-of-10 from beyond the arc, and one-of-two from the line.
Habib and Bailey followed with 17 points and 16 points, respectively, while senior forward Ola Ajiboye and junior guard Sheridan Sharp posted 10 points each to round out the double-digit scorers. Five players in double-digits was the second time for USI this season and the second time in three games.
Samuels, who is averaging 14.0 rebounds per game in the last three contests, posted a team-best 13 boards in the win. Bailey recorded his first double-double as an Eagle and the first of the year for the team by grabbing 10 rebounds off the bench.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 74, LITTLE ROCK 65
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Little Rock showcased stretches of strong defense and backcourt play but couldn't hold a halftime lead, falling 74-65 to Southern Illinois on Saturday night at the Banterra Center. The Trojans forced 16 turnovers and grabbed 12 steals - controlling the game early.
Little Rock (2-5) built its advantage with active hands and efficient offense in the first half. Johnathan Lawson sparked the Trojans with 16 points and 10 assists, including two first-half 3-pointers that helped send Little Rock into the locker room up 33-29.
Kachi Nzeh added a team-high 17 points, converting all four of his free-throw attempts, while Caleb Pennyfeather fueled the defense with a game-high five steals and eight points. Tuongthach Gatkek added seven points, two blocks and two steals as the Trojans controlled tempo early.
The Trojans opened the game with confidence, striking first on a Gatkek layup and pushing ahead moments later behind Lawson's transition 3-pointer. Little Rock maintained control throughout the half, highlighted by Pennyfeather's steal leading to a dunk and Lawson's deep 3-pointer in the final minute. A late slam from Pennyfeather cemented the Trojans' 33-29 halftime edge.
Southern Illinois (4-4) found momentum after the break, using a series of perimeter shots—three 3-pointers from Drew Steffe—to flip the lead. Despite Little Rock answering with a Lawson 3-pointer and a Gatkek dunk, the Salukis held on with key free throws and timely defensive stops in the closing minutes.