TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Nebraska 59,
Jacksonville State 55
Lipscomb 87,
@Austin Peay 84
@Auburn 81,
Tennessee Tech 62
@Middle Tennessee 77,
Tennessee State 48
NEBRASKA 59, JACKSONVILLE STATE 55
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team made an impressive comeback attempt at Nebraska on Tuesday night, but the Gamecocks attempt to tie in the final seconds rimmed out and allowed the Huskers to escape the Devaney Center with a 59-55 win.
After the Huskers (7-3) pulled out to a 15-point lead with just seven minutes to play, the Gamecocks (8-3) went to work. They went on a 20-6 run over the next 6:37 and cut their deficit to one, setting up a look to tie the game in the final seconds.
After Nebraska's Ray Gallegos made just one of his two free throw attempts with 18 seconds left, junior Brian Williams drove the lane and saw his short-range attempt bounce out. It allowed the Huskers to pull off a hard-fought win in the final seconds of the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
The Gamecocks had to overcome a tough shooting night early and used double figures from four players to come close to pulling off their first win over a Big Ten foe. Sophomore Darion Rackley led all players with 17 points, with the St. Louis native scoring 15 of his team's final 29 points in the second half.
Senior Tarvin Gaines scored nine of the Gamecocks' first 11 points but ended the night with just 13 after foul trouble limited his minutes. Senior Ronnie Boggs added 11 points and a team-high six boards, including a big 3-pointer that made it a one-point game with 22 ticks on the clock. Williams scored 10 in the loss.
Nebraska turned to its size to build an advantage early in the game and it paid off. The Huskers' two big men controlled the post, with 6-foot-10 Brandon Ubel leading the way with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Andre Almeida, a 6-foot-11, 314-pound senior, added eight points and six rebounds.
The Gamecocks answered a couple of early Nebraska buckets with a 14-2 run that saw them hold the Huskers without a point for 6:15 and build a 20-13 lead. The Huskers answered to close the half on a 16-2 run and held the Gamecocks without a field goal for the final 5:51. That spurt pushed the home team into the locker room with a 29-22 lead.
Gaines led the Gamecocks with nine points in the half, despite playing just 11 minutes because of foul trouble.His nine points were the key in JSU's first 11. Boggs led all players with six rebounds, while Ubel's nine points paced the Husker offense.
JSU snapped that field goal drought on its first possession of the half but Nebraska answered again. The Huskers started to feed their big man again and Almeida gave them a 39-26 lead with just under 13 minutes to play.
Rackley cut it back to a 10-point game with 12:26 on the clock, when his second trey of the night made it a 39-29 game, but Nebraska would answer with a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession. The Huskers would stretch it to their largest lead of the night at 50-35 with 7:00 to play, but the Gamecocks went on an 11-2 run that pulled them to within eight with just under four minutes to play.
Rackley cut it to six twice in the final minutes and a Boggs lay in with 54 seconds left pulled JSU within four at 56-52.
After a missed free throw by Nebraska's Mike Peltz, Boggs drained a 3-pointer from the left corner that pulled JSU within a point with just 22 seconds on the clock. Rackley fouled to send Ray Gallegos to the free throw line, where he made just one of his two attempts, setting up Williams' attempt to tie.
After it rimmed out from in the lane, Talley grabbed the rebound and made both of his free throws to ice the game and allow the Huskers to escape with the win.
LIPSCOMB 87, AUSTIN PEAY 84
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Lipscomb finished the game with a 15-0 run, Tuesday night, and stunned Austin Peay State University, 87-84, in a non-conference basketball game played in Dave Aaron Arena.
The loss was the Govs’ third straight as APSU slips to 4-7 on the season. Lipscomb, meanwhile scrambled back to the .500 mark at 5-5.
When Anthony Campbell hit a pair of free throws with 3:09 left, APSU owned an 84-72 lead and seemingly had victory within its reach. But from there the Govs came unraveled as Lipscomb refused to back down.
First it was a traditional three-point play by the Bisons’ Martin Smith. Then the Govs began to be beset by their season-long Achilles heel--turnovers. Starting recent walk-on Jeremy Purvis at point guard, the Govs had only nine turnovers in the game’s first 37 minutes. They had four turnovers in the final three.
The first turnover, when APSU was unable to get the ball inbounds against the press, led to two Lipscomb free throws.
The second turnover came after the Govs had to call timeout after again having trouble inbounding the ball. This time Purvis had his only turnover when he could not control the inbounds pass. Stephen Hurt, the 6-10, 285-pound center, dunked it to cut APSU’s lead to five, 84-79.
Then it was two missed APSU free throws, and then after a Lipscomb miss, the Govs missed on a layup. Lipscomb then scored on a fast-break layup to cut the deficit to three, 84-81.
Another Govs’ turnover led to a Martin Smith layup and now the game was 84-83 with still 1:15 left. Purvis missed a running one-hander in the lane. Freshman center Chris Horton, who had been sitting much of the game with foul trouble, attempted to jam it home. He came up short and fell to the floor with the basketball—another turnover.
Lipscomb responded with a Malcom Smith layup with 1:02 remaining for a 85-84 lead.
The Govs then missed on another layup and Will Triggs was fouled on the rebound. He proceeded to miss both free throws. APSU again grabbed the rebound by Anthony Campbell was unable to convert.
This time Lipscomb grabbed the rebound with 36 seconds left but in the ensuing offensive possession it was the Bisons committing the turnover. Purvis was fouled again and again was unable to convert either free throw.
Lipscomb was unable to convert the miss into a Martin Smith dunk with six seconds left. APSU was unable to get off a potential tying shot.
Hurt was dominated for Lipscomb, scoring 23 points and grabbing 18 rebounds—allowing the visitors to own a 43-34 board domination. Martin Smith added 13 points as the Bisons put five players in double figures.
Campbell led APSU with a career-high 25 points while Freeman added 15—also a career high. Travis Betran added 14 points. Horton had 12 points, six rebounds and six blocked shots in only 14 foul-plagued minutes.
Purvis, playing his first Division I college game, finished with five assists. The 5-10 local product (Northeast High School) played his previous two seasons at Jackson State.
The Govs finished the game 22 of 35 (62.9 percent) from the free-throw line, missing their final six. Lipscomb, only a 62 percent free-throw shooting team entering the game, made 21 of 28 (75 percent)..
AUBURN 81, TENNESSEE TECH 62
AUBURN, Ala. - There are two telling numbers on the final stat sheet that write nearly the entire story Tuesday night in Auburn Arena.
Number No. 1, Tennessee Tech was 1-for-18 from 3-point range. Number No. 2, host Auburn attempted 40 free throws. Tech tried 17.
Combined with all of the other stats – which were pretty even – those factors helped add up to a frustrating, 81-62 non-conference loss for the Golden Eagles (6-5) in their first meeting with the Tigers in 23 years.
Senior Jud Dillard overcame two early fouls whistled on him in the first two minutes, leading all scorers with 22 points, going 6-for-6 at the free throw line. He also had seven rebounds and two steals. Dennis Ogbe was the only other Golden Eagle to reach double figures, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Anthony Morse added eight points and seven rebounds, along with three blocked shots and two steals.
Guard Chris Denson topped Auburn with 20 points, going 9-for-10 at the free throw line. Jordan Price added 12 and Josh Wallace 11 for Auburn (5-5).
The Golden Eagles shot 37.3 percent from the floor, hindered by the 1-for-18 outside the arc, a season-low 5.6 percent. Tech was 11-for-17 at the free throw line. Auburn was 30-for-40 at the line to support its 7-for-18 from 3-point range and 43.1 percent overall shooting.
Auburn held a slim, 42-38 edge in rebounds while turnovers finished even at 17-17.
Three consecutive 3-pointers by Price midway in the first half helped Auburn pry open a close game and build a double-figure lead. Down 9-4, the 3-pointers made it an 18-8 difference and the Golden Eagles began working from behind to slice the deficit.
Price himself helped Tech's cause, as his antics and facial expressions following the third trey caught the attention of the officials and drew a technical foul.
But Tech couldn't take advantage, missing shots when it had the chance. And, missing shots when it had second chances. Auburn pulled on top by 17 by halftime, 38-21.
That difference was enough, despite Tech playing even with the home team in the second half. Auburn had a 43-41 scoring edge after the break.
Dillard scored the first six points in the second half as Tech pulled to within 11 points, 38-27. A layup by Lanerryl Johnson with 15:25 to play brought Tech within 12 one final time, 45-33.
A 10-2 Auburn run spread the difference to 20 points, 55-35, and the margin grew to as many as 28 points.
Freshman DeOndre Haynes saw his first action of the season, playing 14 minutes off the bench. He had four points and two steals.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 77, TENNESSEE STATE 48
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Tennessee State men’s basketball team fell to rival Middle Tennessee State, 48-77, on Tuesday night.
The Tigers had two players with double-figure point totals in Robert Covington (17) and Patrick Miller (12). Covington was 4-of-17 from the field while Miller was 4-of-12.
TSU did draw 23 fouls in the game, and did a good job at the charity stripe, draining 19 of the team’s 29 attempts.
Tennessee State (5-7) won the tip, but MTSU scored the first basket with a jumper at the 19:17 mark. The bucket set the tone for the first period, as TSU would never lead during the first 20 minutes.
Miller added to his OVC leading 2.3 steals per game with a swipe near half court at the 16:23 mark. The junior promptly found a streaking Michael Green who slammed the ball down with a dunk, making the score 7-4 in favor of the home team.
Green finished the half tied for the team lead with Covington and Kellen Thornton with six points. Miller (two points) was the only other Tiger to score in the half.
From there, the Blue Raiders went on an 11-3 run that put TSU behind 7-18. The Tigers were unable to recover during the opening frame, as they committed 13 first half turnovers while making six of 19 shots (36.8 percent).
MTSU went on a 13-5 run that spanned 6:49 to end the half and it was the Blue Raider bench that was leading the charge which outscored TSU’s reserves 14-0.
Down 20-43 to start the second stanza, Tennessee State couldn’t mount a comeback. The team went without a field goal from 17:20 to 10:02 and shot 29.8 percent (14-of-47) for the game.
Tuesday’s game was the third time this season that TSU has shot under 30 percent as a team.
Covington had a strong break-away dunk with 2:16 left, but it did little to change the final outcome. TSU lost the game 48-77 and made just one of its 14 three-pointers (7.1 percent).
As a team, the Tigers forced 13 turnovers, but had 20 of their own while racking up just three assists.
MTSU finished with 30 points in the paint and outrebounded TSU 37-34.