SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Wright State 66,
Morehead State 57
@Stony BrooK 66,
Eastern Illinois 52
@SIUE 71, Chicago State 57
Jacksonville State 56, @Alcorn State 52
Southeast Missouri 61, @Southeastern Louisiana 58
@UT Martin 65, Kennesaw State 63
@VCU 75,
Belmont 65
@Eastern Kentucky 72, Western Carolina 70
Tennessee State 83, @Alabama A&M 72
Fairfield 74,
@Austin Peay 55
WRIGHT STATE 66, MOREHEAD STATE 57
DAYTON, Ohio - Junior Cole Darling unloaded for a career-best 22 points in the first half alone en route to 29 for the game and the Wright State men’s basketball team recorded a 66-57 victory over Morehead State on Saturday afternoon at the Nutter Center.
The Horizon League Raiders improve to 5-2 on the campaign with the win in their only game of the week. The Ohio Valley Conference Eagles slip to 4-4 overall with a setback in their third tilt over the past six days. MSU still owns a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series.
Darling, in his first game back from an injury, entered the day averaging 7.3 points on 38 percent field-goal shooting in just three contests. He knocked down 10-of-13 from the field, 3-of-3 from three-point range and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Darling canned 8-of-9 before intermission. He also chipped in with a team-best three steals and three rebounds on the afternoon. Classmate Matt Vest, who tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, was Wright State’s only other double-figure scorer.
Junior Jarrett Stokes led Morehead State with 12 points, all in the first half, on 3-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Senior Devon Atkinson added 11 points on 5-of-8 from the floor and distributed a club-high four assists, while sophomore Angelo Warner tossed in 11 on 4-of-4 at the foul line.
The Eagles posted a 27-17 rebounding advantage, including 11-3 on the offensive end, but Morehead State committed a season-high 25 turnovers while forcing just 20. Senior Kahlil Owens collected a game-high seven boards for MSU.
Wright State knocked down 60 percent for the game, including 6-of-12 from long distance. Morehead State drilled 50 percent overall, including 5-of-13 from beyond the arc. The Eagles were whistled for 25 fouls, while the Raiders committed just 14 infractions.
Wright State used a 12-0 run early in the first half to snatch a 14-4 advantage with 14:27 before the break. The Raiders pushed out to a big lead of 14 points with 3:34 prior to intermission and owned a 37-27 upper hand when the teams headed to the locker room.
Wright State led by double figures for most of the second period. Morehead State trimmed the deficit to six points on a pair of free throws with 1:29 left, but the Raiders answered with five free tosses the rest of the way to earn their second home victory of the year.
STONY BROOK 66, EASTERN ILLINOIS 52
STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Eastern Illinois closed to within one point late in the second half but Stony Brook closed with a 16-3 run as the Seawolves won 66-52 over the Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Pritchard Gym.
EIU fell to 3-6 the season and will host Western Illinois on Wednesday night with a 7 p.m. tip off in Lantz Arena. SBU improved to 6-2.
The Seawolves led 33-24 at the half as they closed on an 8-0 run. EIU had cut the SBU lead to 25-24 with 2:25 remaining in the half on a Malcolm Herron 3-pointer. Marcus Rouse then scored all eight points for SBU with a driving lay-up and back-to-back 3-pointers. Rouse had 16 points to lead all players.
EIU trailed by 12 points in the second half before the Panthers put together an extended run of their own. Josh Piper had a pair of 3’s while Alex Austin had a driving lay-up to go along with a 3-pointer as EIU cut the SBU lead to 45-44 with 10:30 left in the game.
Piper was the Panthers leading scorer on the day finishing with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
Following a quick run by SBU, EIU again cut the lead to one point with 5:57 left as Sherman Blanford had a lay-up. EIU had a chance to take the lead on the next two possessions but both times a shot was blocked down low as Stony Brook had eight blocks.
Tommy Brenton knocked down a pair of free throws to start the Seawolves end of the game run and SBU’s defense again had another blocked shot on the ensuing possession to give them a lift. Stony Brook ran off 11 straight points before EIU’s next bucket with 1:02 left in the game.
EIU was even with SBU on the glass at 32 rebounds each with the Panthers pulling down 12 offensive rebounds. Herron had a team high eight.
EIU shot 86 percent from the free throw line but only on 6-of-7 shots. EIU shot 34 percent from the floor. SBU was held to 41 percent from the floor but made 10-of-25 from 3-point range and was 16-of-17 from the free throw line.
Anthony Jackson added 13 points for SBU while Brenton had 11 rebounds.
Austin and Blanford each scored eight points for EIU.
SIUE 71, CHICAGO STATE 57
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE men's basketball used a strong second half Saturday to score a come-from-behind 71-57 win over Chicago State at Vadalabene Center.
The win snapped a two-game losing skid for the SIUE Cougars which improved to 2-3. Chicago State fell to 2-7.
SIUE never led in the first half thanks in large part to Chicago State hitting three three pointers in the game's first six minutes. SIUE trailed 34-26 at the break. The Chicago State Cougars made 6 of their 15 three-point attempts in the first 20 minutes.
The SIUE Cougars trailed 41-32 in the second half when they began a 16-0 run that spanned nearly five minutes. Chicago State's Clarke Rosenberg connected on a three-pointer to tie the game 48-48 with 10:45 to play but was issued a technical foul for something he said following the shot. Rosenberg led CSU with 19 points.
SIUE's Jerome Jones sank both free throws to put SIUE back on top 50-48, and it never trailed again. Rosenberg pulled Chicago State within one point at 53-52 with a pair of free throws before SIUE embarked a 10-0 run capped off by a three-pointer from Maurice Wiltz with 3:03 left that put SIUE on top 63-52.
Chicago State connected on just 1 of 13 three-point attempts after halftime.
Jones led SIUE with 17 points. He was 3 of 9 from three point range. Michael Messer added 12 points and Wiltz scored 11. Kris Davis and Tim Johnson each scored eight points.
Chicago State won the rebounding battle 48-29, while SIUE forced 20 turnovers from Chicago State. SIUE turned the ball over just nine times as a team. Both of SIUE's wins this year have come when it has committed fewer than 10 turnovers.
The win marked the 11th time in 89 games under Forrester that SIUE has trailed at half but has come back to win. The last such win came Feb. 18 when SIUE defeated Northern Illinois at Vadalabene Center despite trailing by 10 at half.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 56, ALCORN STATE 52
LORMAN, Miss. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team had four players score in double figures on a day where it escaped with a 56-52 road win at Alcorn State in non-conference play.
All but nine of JSU's 56 points came from a quartet that was led by senior Ronnie Boggs' 14 points. The Kansas City, Kan., native scored 10 in the second half for the Gamecocks (6-2). He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. JSU's hot start to the 2012-13 season ties the 2008-09 and 2002-03 teams for the best start in the program's 18-year Division I history. The Braves fall to 2-6 on the year.
Senior Tarvin Gaines scored the Gamecocks' first eight points and didn't score again until early in the second half but ended the game with 12 points. Junior Brian Williams added 11 points, seven in the first half, while sophomore Darion Rackley's two clutch free throws with 2.5 seconds left put the game on ice and gave him 10 points in the game.
The win helps JSU improve to 4-1 all-time against the Braves and 2-1 in Lorman. The series had been on hold since four meetings in two years between 2002 and 2003.
JSU overcame a cold shooting night that saw the Gamecocks make just 19-of-60 attempts, a .317 shooting percentage. The Braves shot it a little better, connecting on 38 percent of their 55 attempts. JSU won the game from the free throw line, where the Gamecocks were 14-for-20, while the homestanding Braves shot just 11 times and made only six.
ASU got 14 points from Anthony Evans, 13 of which came in the second half, and 10 from Tyrel Hunt. Josh Nicholas matched Boggs game-high eight boards to lead the Braves to a 32-30 advantage on the glass.
A back-and-forth battle took most of the first half, but the Gamecocks used a couple spurts to take a lead they could maintain into the half. Gaines scored the Gamecocks' first eight points and let his teammates handle the rest in the first half. Brian Williams closed the half with seven.
The half closed when the Braves' 10th turnover gave JSU the ball with 2.2 seconds on the clock. Mason Leggett inbounded the ball to Williams, who banked in a buzzer beater from way beyond the top of the key. The Gamecocks' third 3-pointer of the half gave them a 29-23 lead at the intermission.
The Braves controlled the early minutes of the second half, limiting the Gamecocks without a field goal until a Williams jumper fell with 13:05 on the clock and stopped a 12-2 run that allowed ASU to grab a 35-32 lead.
A pair of turnovers led to a Boggs dunk and then an old fashioned 3-point play by the senior that gave JSU a 39-35 lead with just under 11 minutes to play. The Braves battled to tie it at 41-41 as the clock hit 6:00 but, after a pair of exchanged baskets, Boggs knocked down a trey that gave JSU a 46-43 lead.
The Gamecocks forced another Brave turnover and turned it into a Boggs breakaway dunk that gave JSU a 48-43 lead in the final four minutes. After ASU's Josh Nicholas made just one of his two free throw attempts, an old fashioned 3-point play from Gaines gave JSU its largest lead of the night at 51-44.
Evans connected from 3-point range to cut it to four and then a jump ball, the second of the half but the first recorded in the official book in the half, incorrectly gave the Braves the ball and set up a Nieves jumper that JSU's lead to one at 51-50.
Nick Cook sank a jumper in the lane that gave the Gamecocks a four-point lead, but another Evans 3-pointer cut it back to one in the final minute. Cook grabbed a big offensive rebound and went to the line and made one free throw with 16 seconds left.
Evans tried a runner in the paint that would have tied, but it was too strong and Rackley corralled the rebounds. He went to the line and made both of his charity shots with 2.5 seconds left, giving the Gamecocks the win.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 61, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 58
HAMMOND, La. - Southeast Missouri wrecked Southeastern Louisiana's 31-game non-conference home winning streak when it escaped with a 61-58 victory Saturday afternoon at the University Center.
Corey Wilford scored a game-high 18 points, made a perfect 5-of-5 three-pointers and secured Southeast's victory when he split a pair of free throws with 3.1 seconds on the clock.
Southeast (6-4) became the first non-league team to beat Southeastern on its homecourt since Jackson State won , 81-73, on Nov. 28, 2006. The Lions, now 1-5, on the season are 50-3 in non-conference home games dating back to 2003-04.
The Redhawks led, 58-48, with 2:07 left to play when Southeastern went on a 10-3 run.
Southeast turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions and the Lions capitalized with a Dre Evans three-pointer and two free throws by Brandon Fortenberry to pull to within three (59-56) with 32 seconds left.
Jeremy Campbell's tip-in later cut the lead to two (60-58) with five seconds remaining before Wilford's free throw held up after Fortenberry's desperation heave bounced off the backboard at the buzzer.
Wilford scored 11 of his points in the first half, as the Redhawks led by as many as 18.
Southeast trailed 10-7 with 14:37 in the opening stanza, but used a 20-0 run to pull away.
Roosevelt Johnson gave Southeastern its tree-point edge before the Lions missed their next 12 shots and committed four turnovers against a smothering Redhawk defense. Smith's free throws capped the stretch, giving Southeast a 29-11 lead with 4:54 left to play.
Southeastern did not score again until the 5:24 mark of the first half when Todd Nelson hit the second of two free throws, and the Redhawks took a 31-20 halftime advantage.
Wilford scored double figures for the sixth time in seven games. He also added four rebounds, four assists and a steal in a game-high 39 minutes.
Tyler Stone followed with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Nino Johnson chipped in a double-double 10 points and career-high 16 boards.
Smith was the fourth Southeast player in double figures with 10 points.
Southeast shot an Ohio Valley Conference single-game high 81.8 percent from three-point range, burying 9-of-11 attempts.
The Redhawks shot 46.7 percent (21-of-45) from the field, heating up to sink 52.2 percent (12-of-23) of their shots in the first half.
Meanwhile, free throws were different story. Although the Redhawks made just enough down the stretch to win the game, they struggled to a 52.6 percent (10-of-19) clip. Southeast was 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) at the free throw line in the second half alone.
Defensivley, Southeast held its opponent under 40 percent from the field for the 10th-straight game. Southeastern shot 32.3 percent (20-of-62).
Fortenberry led Southeastern with 12 points.
UT MARTIN 65, KENNESAW STATE 63
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team overcame a 10-point second half deficit this evening to post a thrilling 65-63 win over Kennesaw State at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
The Skyhawks (3-5) trailed by 10 with eight minutes left and nine with five minutes to go in the game tonight before ending the contest on a 15-4 run. The comeback was completed when a Justin Childs layup off a set play coming out of a timeout broke a 63-63 tie with two seconds remaining.
Myles Taylor led UT Martin with 20 points (8-for-12 shooting) and nine rebounds tonight, while Mike Liabo cracked double-digits scoring with 14 points off the bench. Justin Childs added 12 points and Khristian Taylor handed out a career-high 10 assists (against only three turnovers) in 28 minutes off the bench.
For Kennesaw State, Markeith Cummings scored 19 points, while Aaron Anderson compiled 15 points and 10 rebounds. Delbert Love’s 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals also led the Owls, who were limited to 37.7 percent shooting (23-for-61) for the contest.
While the usual characters provided the Skyhawks with the majority of their offense this evening, UT Martin head coach Jason James was impressed with the play of Khristian Taylor and Pierre Mopo, who entered the game averaging just 15.8 minutes per game combined.
Kennesaw State jumped out to an early 8-0 lead before Bobby Jones heated up for UT Martin. The junior guard poured in eight of his nine points in a stretch of 3:03 to help the Skyhawks get back in the game.
After four ties through the first 11 minutes, UT Martin took its first lead of the game at the 8:30 mark with a pair of Liabo free throws. The lead then switched hands five times in the final six minutes of the half before Childs accounted for five straight points to close out the half strong for the Skyhawks, who held a 33-29 halftime lead.
Childs’ 10 points led all scorers at the break, while Jones and Myles Taylor chipped in eight and seven points, respectively, in the first half.
The Owls crept within one point with 17:35 left to go in the game before a quick 5-0 run – capped off by a Khristian Taylor layup – gave UT Martin its biggest lead of the game (40-34) at the 15:48 mark.
However, Kennesaw State then used a 9-1 run to reclaim the lead with 13 minutes to play. A Liabo layup at the 11:40 mark evened the score at 47-all but the Owls then went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:25.
A pair of Cummings free throws with 5:34 left to play gave Kennesaw State a 59-50 lead, but Liabo sank a pair of three-pointers in a span of 2:21 to help the Skyhawks gain ground on the Owls. An old-fashioned three-point play by Myles Taylor tied the score (61-61) with 1:14 to play, but Cummings answered with a layup with 55 seconds left to tilt the score back in Kennesaw State’s favor.
On UT Martin’s next possession, Myles Taylor swished a runner in the lane for the 13th tie of the game. The Skyhawks then forced a turnover with six seconds left to play and used a timeout to set up the final play. Khristian Taylor received the inbounds pass and dribbled three-quarters length of the court to hit a streaking Childs, who converted a contested reverse layup with two seconds left. UT Martin’s defense then wrapped up the victory by not allowing Kennesaw State a chance to get off another shot.
VCU 75, BELMONT 65
RICHMOND, Va. - Despite a spirited second half push, Belmont University men's basketball dropped a 75-65 decision at Virginia Commonwealth Saturday night.
In a matchup of two of the most decorated non-BCS programs of the last decade, Belmont and VCU were meeting for the first time.
The Bruins (Stanford) and Rams (Memphis) each had impressive early season victories and boasted two of the nation's top pressure defenses.
VCU once again packed the Stuart Siegel Center for the regionally-televised broadcast, making for an electric atmosphere for college basketball.
As expected, Belmont leaned on its senior backcourt of Ian Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) and Kerron Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) to establish an early presence. With Johnson capably breaking the Ram 'Havoc' pressure defense and Clark pouring home four early baskets, Belmont led 11-9 six minutes in.
But after a steal and coast to coast layin from junior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) gave the Bruins a 15-13 lead, senior Trevor Noack (Keller, Texas) picked up a costly second personal foul with 11:15 left in the first half.
With Belmont's most dependable interior presence on both ends of the floor forced to the sideline to nurse fouls, the Bruins were dealt a tough blow.
Melvin Johnson capped an 8-0 VCU run with one free throw to give the hosts a 21-15 lead with 8:08 left in the half. Clark replied in kind, with a sensational drive and conventional three-point play to cut the margin from six to three.
But just as Belmont seemed to settle back after the Clark drive, VCU elevated its pressure defense, taking advantage of Bruin turnovers and missteps. During the stretch, Belmont appeared so unrecognizable – hurried decisions and missed opportunities.
Consecutive steal and scores from Johnson and Juvonte Reddic and two Rob Brandenburg free throws capped a seemingly unfathomable 18-0 VCU run and made the score 39-18 with six seconds left in the half. Senior Brandon Baker (Milford, Ohio) banked home a 40-footer at the first half buzzer to make the score 39-21 at the break.
Belmont shot 47 percent (9-for-19) from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including 1-for-9 from three-point distance. The Bruins, who averaged 13 turnovers per game going in, committed 17 first half turnovers.
Belmont exhibited tremendous poise and resiliency in the second half, methodically working back into the game with spirited play. The Bruins broke VCU pressure for layins from Jenkins, Johnson and Noack in the first two minutes of the half to get within 12. Then following another Melvin Johnson floater, Noack sank consecutive shots and junior J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) added a baseline three-pointer to close the margin to 43-34 with 14:59 to go. Two more three-pointers from Clark and a determined interior basket from Jenkins got Belmont within 50-44 with 13:27 left.
The Bruins had regrouped with championship form, and sent the home VCU crowd into puzzling glances. But the relentless power and agility of Reddic and a putback basket from Brandeburg stretched the margin back to 58-46 with 11:59 remaining. Noack would pick up his fourth personal foul with 6:17 left, and moments later Troy Daniels sank a three-pointer in transition to give the Rams a 66-53 lead with 5:56 left.
But once again, Belmont fought onward. More inspired, united defense – laden with deflections and bodies sprawled on the floor – got the Bruins energized. Three-pointers from Johnson and sophomore Reece Chamberlain (Goodlettsville, Tenn.) sandwiched around a Clark layin, all in a matter of 50 seconds, got Belmont within 66-61 with 4:46 left.
After an exchange of jumpers, Brandenburg would made a difficult three-pointer late in the shot clock to give VCU a 71-63 lead with 3:16 to go. Johnson appeared to answer back for Belmont on a potential conventional three-point play, but his driving basket was wiped off the boards on an offensive foul call. Brandenburg would tack on one free throw to increase the margin to nine, before Mann rimmed out a promising three-point look for the Bruins.
With 90 seconds left and scrambling for a turnover, Johnson lunged to deflect the ball downcourt as the shot clock wound down. But Treveon Graham raced back, picked up the ball, sped into the frontcourt, and sank a deep three-pointer as the shot clock expired to put VCU up 75-63 with 1:17 left. Johnson would make a driving layin with 56 seconds left to provide the final margin.
All told, Belmont shot 54 percent (27-for-50) from the field – including 18-for-31 in the second half. The Bruins regrouped from the late portion of the first half to commit only seven second half turnovers.
Clark led Belmont with 24 points on a remarkable 10-for-10 shooting night. Johnson had 11 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Graham led VCU (5-3) with 19 points.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 72, WESTERN CAROLINA 70
RICHMOND, Ky. - Mike DiNunno’s lay-up with 2.3 seconds left completed a comeback from 10 points down with 6:38 left in the game as Eastern Kentucky beat Western Carolina 72-70 on Saturday at McBrayer Arena.
The last-second win keeps the Colonels undefeated at 7-0. EKU is off to its best start in 66 years. The 1946-47 squad began the season with 11 straight wins.
A tip-in by James Sinclair put the Catamounts (3-5) in front 62-52 with only six and a half minutes left in the game. Eastern closed the gap to four on four occasions but couldn’t get any closer until Corey Walden’s lay-up made it 68-66 with 2:06 left to play. Over the next minute, Western Carolina took advantage of three offensive rebounds to put up three shots, including two three-pointers, in an attempt to build on its lead.
After the final offensive board, Walden knocked the ball loose, Jeff Johnson picked it up near the free throw line and launched a pass down court to a streaking Glenn Cosey for the game tying lay-up with 1:15 showing on the clock. The Catamounts had held the lead since the 11:49 mark of the first half.
Cosey’s jumper with 27 ticks remaining put the home squad in front by two. Trey Sumler answered on the other end with a jumper to tie with 16 seconds to go. DiNunno drove the length of the court and laid in the game winner. Western did not get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.
Cosey led EKU with 15 points. DiNunno finished with 14 points and seven assists. Walden had 11 points and six rebounds.
Tawaski King led all players with 18 points for Western Carolina. Sinclair finished with 10 points and eight boards.
Eastern shot 50 percent or better for the fifth time in seven games this season. The Colonels knocked down 28-of-52 for a season-best 54 percent. After making 6-of-11 attempts from three-point range in the first half, WCU made just 1-of-13 in the second. The Catamounts shot 29 percent from deep.
The Colonels were out-rebounded by 10, but out-scored Western 42-26 in the paint. As it has all season, EKU took advantage of the other team’s turnovers. WCU committed only three more than Eastern, but were out-scored by seven points off turnovers.
TENNESSEE STATE 83, ALABAMA A&M 72
NORMAL, Ala. - The Tennessee State men’s basketball team won its first true road game of the season on Saturday night against Alabama A&M, 83-72.
Tennessee State (3-5) had a season-low 10 turnovers in the game, but forced the Bulldogs into 14 miscues.
The Tigers made the most of their good defense, scoring 21 points off of Alabama A&M (2-4) mistakes.
TSU had four players finish in double-figures in Robert Covington, Kellen Thornton, Patrick Miller and Jordan Cyphers. Covington led all scorers with 27 points while Thornton added 17.
Tennessee State head coach Travis Williams stressed taking good shots in practice during the week, and it showed, as the Tigers shot 51 percent (26-51) from the field and 79.4 percent (27-34) from the charity stripe.
TSU won the tip and Covington got off to a quick start, nailing his first shot of the game- a long three-pointer. Alabama A&M ran down the floor and countered with a jumper, beginning a fast-paced first half in which neither side took a timeout.
Covington continued to lead the Tigers on offense and scored seven of TSU’s first eight points of the game. He finished the half with a team-high 14 points.
Covington may have been leading the charge, but Tennessee State also got strong first half play from Cyphers and Thornton.
Starting from the 15:43 mark, Cyphers canned six straight points for the Tigers during a one-minute span. Cypher’s scoring flurry gave the Tigers a 14-8 lead.
Thornton, meanwhile, had eight points for the Tigers during the opening stanza on 4-7 shooting. TSU finished the first half on a 9-2 run that started with 3:38 to go and led at the break, 39-31.
Both teams shot well from the field during the period, as TSU was 15-27 (55.6 percent) while Alabama A&M shot 14-27 (51.9 percent).
TSU came out of the gates with gusto, and eventually led by 13 when Thornton converted a layup with 17:27 left in the game.
The Tigers kept up the pressure and Miller nailed a jumper at the 8:52 mark to give the squad a 20-point cushion- its largest of the game.
Miller finished the game with 16 points on 4-9 shooting.
Alabama A&M whittled down the lead for the rest of the game, but couldn’t get back within seven of the Tigers, and TSU walked away with an 83-72 victory.
Tennessee State had eight players finish with at least 15 minutes played.
FAIRFIELD 74, AUSTIN PEAY 55
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Fairfield gave Austin Peay State University a strong dose of east-coast basketball and downed the Governors, 74-55, Saturday night in anon-conference basketball game at Dave Aaron Arena.
Fairfield, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, improved to 4-4—all games played away from the Webster Bank Arena. Meanwhile, the Govs slipped to 3-4.
The Stags defensive pressure forced 21 turnovers, leading to 28 Fairfield points. The Stags, meanwhile, committed only 11 turnovers, two coming at game’s end when they emptied their bench.
Despite the Governors first-half and early second-half struggles, they scratched their way to a four-point deficit AJ Lynch scored on a layup after a steal by Chris Freeman with 11:28 remaining. But from there, Fairfield went on a 17-4 run to parlay the lead to an insurmountable 67-48 advantage.
Five Stags scored in double figures, led by All-MAAC guard Derek Needham, who had 12 points to go with nine assists. Freshman center/forward Josip Mikulic came off the bench to add 11 points, including a trip of three pointers. Fairfield’s bench outscored APSU 36-6.
Travis Betran led the Governors with 17 points while Will Triggs added 11 and Anthony Campbell 10. Freshman Chris Horton led to a 29-26 rebound advantage with eight.
Austin Peay shot 43.9 percent from the floor, but the turnover troubles allowed APSU to take only 41 shots compared to Fairfield’s 59 while permitting the Stags also to hold an 18-2 fastbreak-point advantage.
The contest was a rematch of the Govs’ 2010 BracketBuster contest in Bridgeport, Conn.