SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 73, @Jacksonville State 62
Morehead State 88, @UT Martin 74
@Southeast Missouri 74, Tennessee Tech 62
@Belmont 78, Tennessee State 66
Eastern Illinois 77, @Austin Peay 67
@Murray State 70, SIUE 61
EASTERN KENTUCKY 73, JACKSONVILLE STATE 62
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team held Jacksonville State University to scoring droughts of 5:02 and 4:32, 31 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent shooting from three-point range in a 73-62 road win on Saturday.
Corey Walden scored a career-high 28 for the Colonels (15-4, 5-1 OVC). The newcomer’s previous best was 23 points as a freshman at Stetson. He made 8-of-11 attempts from the field and 10-of-10 from the free throw line. The Daytona Beach native also had four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Senior Mike DiNunno tied his season-best, which was set on Thursday at Belmont, with 24 points.
Eastern used a 20-5 run in the first half to take control of the game. During the run, Jacksonville State (12-7, 4-4 OVC) went scoreless for 5:02 and 4:32. EKU broke a 12-12 tie by scoring 10 unanswered. A lay-up by Marcus Lewis put the visitors in front 22-12. After the Gamecocks scored five straight, the Colonels rolled off 10 more. A jumper by Timmy Knipp capped the run and put his team ahead by 15, 32-17, with 2:27 remaining in the first half.
EKU maintained a double-digit lead for much of the rest of the game. Walden scored six straight for the Colonels in the second half to stretch the margin to 17 for the second time. His lay-up made it 46-29 with 13:35 left to play.
Jacksonville State made a late run. After DiNunno’s lay-up had the Colonels on top by 16, 56-40, with 6:15 showing on the clock, the Gamecocks went on a 17-7 run to draw within six. Brian Williams hit three 3-pointers and two free throws to account for 11 points during the spurt. His triple with 2:51 to go made it 63-57.
Eastern Kentucky hit 8-of-10 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the victory.
Tarvin Gaines led the Gamecocks with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Williams finished with 14, but was 4-for-17 from the field and 4-for-12 from behind the arc.
Eastern shot 51 percent from the field and 84 percent (21-of-25) at the free throw line. JSU missed eight at the charity stripe.
MOREHEAD STATE 88, UT MARTIN 74
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Morehead State men’s basketball team held UT Martin to 22 percent shooting in the first half and cruised to an 88-74 win on Saturday evening at the Elam Center.
The Eagles improve to 10-10 overall, 4-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 3-8 on the road. The Skyhawks fall to 4-15 on the season, 1-6 in league action and 4-5 in home affairs.
Morehead State improves to 30-13 in the all-time series with its seventh consecutive win over UT Martin. The Skyhawks have also dropped 10 of their last 11 contests this year.
Senior Kahlil Owens led four Morehead State players in double figures with a career-high 16 points. Junior Bakari Turner added 14, while senior Devon Atkinson had 12 and senior Milton Chavis had 11.
Owens drilled 8-of-9 from the floor for his best effort in 42 Division I games. Junior Chad Posthumus, who entered the night averaging 10.4 rebounds in OVC play, pulled down a team-high eight.
Atkinson also dished out a career-high 12 assists -- the most by an OVC player this year -- en route to his first double-double in 46 Division I contests. The Eagles tallied 26 helpers on 33 baskets.
Morehead State tied its season high in scoring vs. D-I opponents this season. The Eagles held a 39-27 halftime lead and added 49 points on 62 percent shooting after the intermission.
Morehead State used a 14-0 run midway through the first half to grab control. The Eagles pushed their advantage to a game-high 24 points less than four minutes into the second stanza.
MSU canned 54 percent (33-of-61) from the floor, 47 percent (9-of-19) from three-point range and 81 percent (13-of-16) from the free-throw line. The Eagles committed just 13 turnovers.
UTM drilled just 34 percent (18-of-53) from the field, but did make 40 percent (10-of-25) from long distance and 76 percent (28-of-37) from the foul line. The Skyhawks committed 17 miscues.
Junior Mike Liabo and sophomore Terence Smith led UTM with 19 points apiece. The duo combined for 9-of-15 from beyond the arc and Liabo scored 16 of his points in the second half.
Morehead State posted advantages of 36-16 in paint points, 22-12 in points off turnovers and 46-31 in bench points. The Eagle reserves have now outscored the opposition in 17 of 20 games this year.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 74, TENNESSEE TECH 62
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Tyler Stone notched a double-double 20 points and 15 rebounds, as Southeast Missouri (11-10, 3-4) snapped a season-long four-game losing streak with a 74-62 victory over Tennessee Tech (7-11, 1-5) Saturday night at the Show Me Center.
Stone was one of three starters with double figures in the scoring column to key a balanced effort which sent TTU to its fifth Ohio Valley Conference loss. Southeast also put a stop to the Golden Eagles three-game winning streak in Cape Girardeau.
Southeast wasted no time jumping on the OVC East Division's last place team.
Despite falling behind, 8-5, with 17:46 left in the first half, the Redhawks soared to a 20-4 run to widen their lead to double figures and never looked back.
Six different players scored to key the balanced surge. Stone pitched in six points, while Michael Porter came off the bench to add a layup, Lucas Nutt buried a jumper, Corey Wilford and Nick Niemczyk each knocked down a three and Marland Smith hit a pair of free throws. Stone's layup gave Southeast a 25-12 advantage with 8:46 left.
Southeast's defense was equally impressive during that early run, going nearly six minutes (5:50) without allowing a field goal.
The Redhawks then stretched their lead to 16 on two occasions before heading into the locker room with a comfortable 36-23 lead.
Southeast shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field in the first half. Stone had his double-double in the opening stanza with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Golden Eagles 23 points matched the second-fewest scored in a first half against the Redhawks this season.
TTU made it a two-possession game twice in the second half, but that was as close as it would get.
Niemczyk stole the ball and dished off to Porter who threw down a dunk to give Southeast a 50-35 lead at the 12:30 mark.
Immediately after that play, the Golden Eagles rattled off nine-straight points to cut the Redhawks lead to 50-44. Jud Dillard drained a three-pointer and later made a layup to cap the run with 9:55 remaining.
Southeast, however, answered with a 10-3 run to build a 13-point cushion. Johnson's two-handed jam off an alley-oop from Niemczyk brought the crowd to its feet, giving the Redhawks a 60-47 lead with 6:06 left.
Stone turned in his fifth double-double of the season and 11th of his career. He shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 10-of-12 at the free throw line. Stone also scored 20 points in a game for a team-high sixth time this year.
Johnson followed with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Wilford chipped in 14 points and seven boards.
Porter, who returned after missing Southeast's first 20 games this season with a broken foot, scored six points and had three rebounds in 16 minutes. Porter practiced on a limited basis all week leading up to his return.
Dillard led all TTU scorers with 16 points.
Southeast shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field and outrebounded TTU, 47-33. The Golden Eagles shot 32.9 percent (23-of-70) from the floor.
BELMONT 78, TENNESSEE STATE 66
NASHVILLE - In front of a boisterous home crowd, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Tennessee State, 78-66, Saturday night.
In a contest that featured the remaining two undefeated teams in OVC play, Belmont and Tennessee State gave Nashville basketball fans a spirited and entertaining game.
Belmont held TSU to one made field goal the first 11:12 of the game in racing out to a 22-3 lead.
The lead grew to 30-7 on a three-pointer from Brandon Baker, before Jordan Cyphers shot the Tigers within 35-22 at halftime.
Both teams were extremely efficient offensively to start the second half, with TSU closing within 44-40 on a short jumper from Michael Green.
From there, Belmont hit four straight three-point field goals in a 2:11 span to lead 57-42 with 8:55 left.
TSU got as close as 72-64 with 2:01 left on a Kellen Thornton banked three-pointer, but Belmont went 6-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:01 to secure the victory.
Ian Clark led Belmont with 22 points, six rebound and six assists. Kerron Johnson had 17 points and five assists, while Trevor Noack added 16.
The Bruins have won seven consecutive games against Tennessee State.
Belmont (15-4, 6-0 OVC) has won 15 consecutive games at home, and 36 of its last 37 at the Curb Event Center.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 77, AUSTIN PEAY 67
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Three Eastern Illinois players scored in double figures as the Panthers picked up their first win in Clarksville, Tenn., in 15 years as they beat Austin Peay, 77-67, on Saturday night at the Dunn Center.
EIU's last win over APSU in Clarksville was on Jan. 27, 1998. EIU improved to 4-16 overall, 1-6 in the OVC. APSU fell to 5-15, 1-5 in the OVC.
EIU won the game with its play on the glass with a 33-21 rebound advantage. The Panthers pulled down 16 offensive rebounds led by Sherman Blanford's seven offensive rebounds. Blanford had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 19 points to go along with six assists and four steals.
Chris Horton put APSU up 2-0 on the first possession of the game. Josh Piper answered with a 3-pointer to set up a big night for the sophomore as he finished with a game high 20 points.
Anthony Campbell gave the Governors their last lead with a 3-pointer at 17:45 of the first. Austin Akers responded with a 3-pointer at 17:15 which started a 9-1 EIU run.
A 3-pointer by Taylor Jones at 9:50 of the first half put EIU up double figures at 21-11. Jones matched his career high with 14 points as he was 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the last 46 seconds.
EIU held a double digit lead for the remainder of the half. Malcolm Herron sank a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left in the half to give EIU the 37-25 lead.
Blanford extended the Panthers lead to 21 points in the second half as Blanford sank a pair of free throws following an intentional foul. Blanford was 9-of-10 from the free throw line as EIU led 55-34 with 12:23 left in the game.
A 3-pointer by Preston Arentsen triggered an Austin Peay run as they cut into the EIU lead over the next five minutes. Campbell added a 3-pointer during the run and Will Triggs cut the EIU lead to 61-52 with a lay-up following a steal on the inbounds pass at 6:10. Triggs had 14 points for APSU.
Triggs again cut the EIU lead to nine at 4:56 with a bucket. Morris Woods answered for the Panthers as EIU was able to respond to each Governors run down the stretch.
EIU was 23-of-29 from the free throw line and held a 36-22 points in the paint advantage.
Travis Betran had 14 points for APSU as they shot 50 percent from the floor but 8-of-21 from 3-point range.
MURRAY STATE 70, SIUE 61
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers used a 23-7 run over a 6:59 stretch to come back in the second half and win 70-61 over the SIUE Cougars in front of 5,101 at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
The win pushed MSU to 14-4 and 5-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while SIUE fell to 6-10 and 2-4.
Trailing 40-28 with 18:18 remaining, the Racers had a lightning-quick 12-2 run in only 1:09. Isaiah Canaan scored seven of the points in the run to cut the SIUE lead to 42-38 at 15:35.
MSU took its first lead of the night at the 11:20 mark when Canaan hit a pair of free throws for a 49-47 lead. Moments later Mark Yelovich hit a three pointer and SIUE was back in front 50-49 with 10:14 remaining. The Racers reeled off another run and took their largest lead of the game of six when MSU forced a turnover and Stacy Wilson had an easy slam. MSU led 58-52 with 5:22 left.
Canaan led the Racers with 20 points, while also notching career-bests with nine assists and seven steals. Stacy Wilson tossed in 13 and Ed Daniel had 15. Daniel pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season.
It was a tail of two halves indeed as MSU fell behind by 14 at 24-10 with 9:01 in the first half. MSU ended the half down 34-23 and shot 27 percent (8-of-30) from the field while SIUE was 57 percent (12-of-21). In the second half MSU shot 68 percent (17-25) and held SIUE to 37 percent (11-30).