SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Jacksonville State 65, Murray State 64
@Eastern Illinois 78, Southeast Missouri 72 (OT)
Belmont 85, @Eastern Kentucky 74
@Morehead State 78, Tennessee State 69
UT Martin 65, @SIUE 62
@Tennessee Tech 70, Austin Peay 52
JACKSONVILLE STATE 65, MURRAY STATE 64
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Junior Brian Williams knocked down a pair of free throws with 2.4 seconds left and a last second desperation shot by Murray State came up short to give the Jacksonville State men's basketball team a 65-64 victory and its first win in 17 tries against the Racers.
The Gamecocks (14-7, 6-4 Ohio Valley Conference) had dropped all of the previous 16 matchups with the three-time defending OVC Champion Racers (15-5, 6-2 OVC), and the 17th was in doubt after MSU's Brandon Garrett converted a driving jumper in the lane to give the Racers a 64-63 lead with nine seconds left.
Williams took the ball the length of the court and was fouled while trying to get his shot off. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native, who is shooting 57.7 percent from the line for the season, knocked down both free throws to give the Gamecocks their historic win.
Williams led the Gamecocks with 17 points and five assists, his sixth straight-game with at least five assists. Seniors Tarvin Gaines and Ronnie Boggs each scored 13 points, with Gaines adding eight rebounds and a season-high two blocks. Senior Mason Leggett added 12 points as well, the first time the Zachary, La., native scored in double-figures since scoring 12 against the Racers on January 12 of last season.
Racer senior Isaiah Canaan, the OVC Preseason Player of the Year, was held to just four points in the first half but came back and scored 16 second-half points to lead the Racers with 20. Senior preseason All-OVC selection Ed Daniel finished with a double-double of 10 points and 17 rebounds, while senior Stacy Wilson added 16 points for MSU.
The Racers found themselves leading 17-13 with 8:51 left in the first half before the Gamecocks used a 16-4 run to close the half. A steal by Gaines led to a layup by Leggett that gave JSU its first lead of the game at 18-17 with 7:07 to go in the half.
Senior Rinaldo Mafra would add a free throw to extend the Gamecocks' lead to 18-13 before Williams exploded to score six-straight points and helped JSU close the half with a 30-21 halftime lead. JSU shot .462 (12-of-26) from the floor in the first half and held MSU to a .375 (9-of-24) field goal percentage in the half.
JSU held on to the lead for most of the second half until Canaan led the Racers back, following his miss with a tip in to tie the game at 57-57 with 2:34 left to play. The Racers appeared to have stopped the Gamecocks on the ensuing possession, but Boggs stepped up and drained a 3-point shot from the left wing as the shot clock expired to give JSU a 60-57 lead.
Wilson would add a 3-point shot for the Racers and Canaan added two free throws to pull the Racers within one at 63-62 with 12 seconds left. Gaines would then take the inbounds pass and lose the ball out-of-bounds while fighting through a double-team, giving the ball back to MSU underneath its basket. The Racers would then take their first lead since the 7:07 mark of the first half when Garrett knocked down a jumper in the lane with :09 seconds remaining to give them a 64-63 lead.
The lead would be shorted lived, as Williams took the in-bounds pass and raced down the right side of the court before being fouled while driving to the basket with 2 seconds left in the game. Williams finished the night 6-of-8 from the free throw line, knocking down his final two attempts to grab the win for the Gamecocks.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 78, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 72 (OT)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois hit 12-of-13 free throws in overtime as the Panthers won their third straight game with a 78-72 win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday night in Lantz Arena. EIU outscored SEMO 17-11 in the extra session.
EIU improved to 6-16 overall, 3-6 in the OVC. SEMO dropped to 11-12, 3-6 in the OVC.
SEMO took a 54-53 lead in the ball game with 5:13 remaining as Tyler Stone scored on a lay-up. Following an EIU turnover, Stone pushed the Redhawks lead to three points with another lay-up as Stone finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Morris Woods put EIU up 59-58 with 2:41 left in the second half before Stone converted a three point play to put SEMO up 61-39 with 1:38 left. EIU had three offensive looks to tie the game in the final minute before Sherman Blanford was fouled grabbing an offensive rebound. Blanford sank both free throws with six seconds left to push the game to overtime tied 61-61.
Blanford turned in a career night with 21 points and 16 rebounds. He had nine offensive rebounds as EIU dominated play on the glass with a 50-34 rebounding margin including 18 offensive boards.
Josh Piper hit one of EIU’s two field goals in overtime opening the scoring with a 3-pointer. Marland Smith drained a 3-pointer with 1:32 left in overtime to give SEMO a 67-66 lead. EIU would then finish off the game with good defense and free throw shooting. Blanford gave EIU the lead back with a jumper at 1:05 and then EIU converted ten straight free throws in the final 55 seconds.
EIU opened the game building a 33-20 lead in the first half as Malcolm Herron had eight of his 11 points in the opening half. SEMO closed that lead to 33-27 at the half with a 3-pointer by Smith, dunk by Stone and jumped by Corey Wilford. Wilford led the Redhawks with 20 points, Smith added 14. Piper added 13 points as five Panthers scored in double figures. Austin Akers and Woods both added 12 points. EIU finished the game 23-of-27 from the free throw line.
BELMONT 85, EASTERN KENTUCKY 74
RICHMOND, Ky. - Belmont University men's basketball rode one of its most efficient offensive performances in recent memory in defeating Eastern Kentucky, 85-74, Saturday night.
In a rematch of a highly-entertaining game at the Curb Event Center Jan. 17, Belmont showcased sharp, unselfish offense right from the opening tip.
Seven early points from senior Brandon Baker (Milford, Ohio) pushed the Bruins to a 14-8 lead six minutes in.
A three-pointer from Mike DiNunno capped an 11-2 EKU run that gave the hosts a 19-16 advantage midway through the first half.
Riding strong guard play and confident shooting, Belmont asserted control. Two three-pointers from junior J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.), layins from senior Trevor Noack (Keller, Texas) and junior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) and a three-pointer from sophomore Reece Chamberlain (Goodlettsville, Tenn.) accounted for a 13-0 Bruin run to make the score 29-19 with 6:01 left in the first half.
After Tarius Johnson got the hosts within seven, Mann and freshman Jeff Laidig (Mishawaka, Ind.) made consecutive three-pointers to increase the Bruin lead to 40-27 with 2:06 left in the half.
Belmont led 42-31 at halftime.
Belmont shot a remarkable 70 percent (16-for-23) from the field in the opening 20 minutes – including 7-for-8 from three-point distance. The Bruins had 14 assists on 16 made field goals and outrebounded EKU by five.
Both teams continued the offensive haymakers into the second half. A Corey Walden basket got the Colonels within 45-37 with 17:00 left before Kerron Johnson highlighted an 8-1 Belmont spurt within a short jumper to make the score 55-40.
But each time Belmont appeared poise to break free, Eastern Kentucky delivered an offensive reply.
With fouls on Jenkins and Johnson mounting, the Colonels worked into the bonus with 11:56 left. Four free throws and a Walden layin cut the margin to 63-55 with 10:36 remaining.
Yet the Bruins remained poised, as Clark sank a silky baseline jumper and Noack scored inside to give Belmont a 69-58 lead with 8:12 left.
Marcus Lewis, who entered the game 4-for-28 from three-point distance on the season, provided a huge lift for the Colonels, making three second half three-pointers, the last of which got EKU within eight.
But another driving layin from Clark and a steal and score from Mann gave the Bruins a seemingly secure 75-63 lead with 5:01 left.
Yet given its ability to score in bunches, EKU orchestrated one final push. Seven straight points from Walden trimmed the margin to 75-70 with 3:26 to go.
Then after a steal and Johnson foul, DiNunno made one free throw with 2:54 left to get the Colonels within four. He would then miss the second free throw attempt, but teammate Eric Stutz grabbed the offensive rebound.
Against scrambling Bruin defense, DiNunno then took a challenged three-pointer on Stutz's kickout pass, but the shot rimmed off.
Chamberlain secured a timely rebound for Belmont to momentarily subdue the spirited McBrayer Arena crowd.
From there, Johnson delivered the shot of the game – a tough, wing three-pointer at the end of the shot clock to put Belmont back up seven, 78-71, with 2:18 to go.
Mann followed it up with a steal and pass to Clark for a driving basket and an 80-71 edge with 1:22 left.
Belmont went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 53 seconds to secure the victory.
All told, Belmont shot a season-high 67.4 percent (31-for-46) from the field – including 11-for-15 from three-point distance. The Bruins handed out 20 assists and forced 17 EKU turnovers.
Clark led four Bruins in double figures with 21 points – his sixth consecutive 20+ point scoring performance. Mann added 18 points, six assists and three steals. Johnson had 16 points and four assists while Noack chipped in 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Walden led EKU (16-5, 6-2 OVC) with 24 points.
MOREHEAD STATE 78, TENNESSEE STATE 69
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sophomore Angelo Warner poured in a career-high 24 points and the Morehead State men’s basketball team knocked down 88 percent of its free-throw attempts en route to a 78-69 victory over Tennessee State on Saturday evening at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles improve to 11-11 overall, 5-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 8-3 at home with their sixth win in the past nine games. The Tigers slip to 12-10 on the season, 6-3 in league play and 3-9 on the road with their third straight loss after winning seven in a row.
Morehead State has now won 84 percent (58-11) of its games at Johnson Arena over the past five seasons, including 90 percent (35-4) in OVC action. The Eagles also improve to 31-28 in the all-time series against the Tigers, which dates back to the 1980-81 season.
Warner, who scored 16 points in the second half, connected on 4-of-10 from the field and 16-of-18 from the free-throw line. He also finished the contest with a team-best six rebounds, plus three assists and two steals. It was his best scoring effort in 53 games at MSU.
Junior Bakari Turner added 16 points for the Eagles on 6-of-9 from the floor, while junior Drew Kelly contributed 10 points on 4-of-4 from the free-throw stripe.
Turner has now recorded double-figure scoring efforts in each of the past six tilts. He is averaging 14.3 points on 48 percent from the field during the stretch.
Morehead State knocked down 57 percent (16-of-28) from the field in the first half, including 75 percent (15-of-20) inside the arc. The Eagles drilled 28-of-32 from the charity stripe for the evening, which matched a season high in terms of percentage.
Morehead State also committed just 11 turnovers, which was three shy of a season low. Senior Devon Atkinson recorded five of MSU’s 13 assists and the Eagles were credited with eight steals.
MSU posted a 29-25 rebounding advantage against TSU and a 20-10 upper hand in second-chance points. The Eagles are now +100 on the glass over the past nine affairs and have outrebounded eight opponents during the stretch.
Saturday’s contest featured 14 ties and 11 lead changes. Neither team led by double figures.
Junior Patrick Miller paced three Tigers in double figures with 19 points on 9-of-10 from the foul line. Senior Kellen Thornton added 18 points for TSU, while classmate Jordan Cyphers tossed in 15.
Tennessee State found the bottom of the net on 64 percent (14-of-22) of its first-half attempts, but was limited to 36 percent (8-of-22) from the floor in the second stanza.
UT MARTIN 65, SIUE 62
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team used one of its best defensive performances of the season to clinch a 65-62 triumph over SIU Edwardsville in Ohio Valley Conference action at the Vadalabene Center.
UT Martin (5-16, 2-7 OVC) built a steady lead from the start and only trailed for 28 seconds late in the contest before digging in on the defensive end in the final two minutes. That staunch defensive mindset resulted in the lowest amount of points conceded by the Skyhawks against a Division-I team this season.
Junior Mike Liabo compiled a co-game-high 16 points tonight, while Myles Taylor racked up his ninth career double-double – tallying 12 points to go along with a career-best 14 rebounds. Jeremy Washington tied a season-high with 15 points while adding five rebounds and a pair of blocks tonight for UT Martin, who also received eight points out of Terence Smith and a career-best six points by DeMarc Richardson to round out the starting five.
James was impressed with his team’s composure down the stretch and throughout the entire evening, particularly by Taylor and Liabo.
Mark Yelovich posted team-highs of 16 points and seven rebounds for SIU Edwardsville (7-11, 3-5 OVC). Jerome Jones added 13 points for the Cougars, the second place team in the OVC West division.
The Skyhawks got off to a blazing start thanks to a strong defensive effort. UT Martin held SIU Edwardsville to two field goals in its first 14 attempts, allowing the Skyhawks to go ahead by a 13-5 margin seven minutes into the contest.
SIU Edwardsville would get within one point twice, but Omari Minor scored three straight points and Justin Childs added a long jumper to give UT Martin a 20-14 advantage at the 8:16 mark.
Liabo helped the Skyhawks extend their lead out to eight points. The sophomore – who attended Brehm Prep School just two hours away in Carbondale – poured in seven straight points for UT Martin over a stretch of 2:42 to give the Skyhawks an eight-point lead (34-26) with 40 seconds left in the first half.
The Cougars would score on their final possession of the first half, resulting in a 34-28 Skyhawk lead at the break.
Liabo’s nine points paced UT Martin at halftime, as seven Skyhawks scored at least three points to lead a balanced scoring attack. Yelovich tallied 10 points to lead SIU Edwardsville, who was held to 33 percent shooting (9-for-27) in the first 20 minutes.
A leaner by Washington on UT Martin’s first possession of the second half gave the Skyhawks a 36-28 lead. Two minutes later, the Cougars would get within five points but back-to-back baskets by Taylor (layup) and Smith (three-pointer) resulted in UT Martin’s first double-digit lead of the evening (43-33) with 16:04 left to play.
Washington converted a tough turnaround jumper at the 15:09 mark to keep the Skyhawk lead at 10. The Cougars came back with seven unanswered points to get within three until a Taylor free throw at the 10:43 mark ended UT Martin’s scoring drought.
Less than a minute later, a steal and emphatic fast break dunk by Richardson gave the Skyhawks a six-point edge at 48-42. A pair of Washington free throws 21 seconds later pushed UT Martin’s lead out to seven, but SIU Edwardsville answered with a 9-2 run to tie the score at 52-all at the 6:09 mark.
UT Martin bounced back with a 5-0 run, but a Cougar three-pointer at the 4:00 mark sliced the Skyhawk lead to 57-55. Washington responded with a clutch running jumper in the lane on UT Martin’s next possession to push the Skyhawks ahead by four.
SIU Edwardsville then quickly scored five straight points – taking its first lead of the game off a Jones three-pointer at the 2:06 mark. On UT Martin’s next trip down the floor, Liabo sank a trifecta from the left wing to tilt the score back in the Skyhawks’ favor, 62-60.
The Cougars would tie the game on a long jumper by Jones at the 1:15 mark, but two free throws by Taylor put the Skyhawks back on top 64-62 with 43 seconds left. After a defensive stand in which Liabo skied high for a big defensive rebound, Taylor was once again fouled with 16 seconds remaining. The sophomore missed the first attempt but sank his second shot.
On SIU Edwardsville’s ensuing possession, the Skyhawk defense came up big once again – forcing their 11th turnover of the evening. After a successful inbounds pass, Smith dribbled out the clock to seal the UT Martin victory.
TENNESSEE TECH 70, AUSTIN PEAY 52
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Senior Jud Dillard was the brightest star on a night when Tennessee Tech has several standout performances on the way to claiming a convincing 70-52 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Austin Peay Saturday night in Eblen Center.
Dillard recorded his seventh double-double of the season, posting game-high numbers with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He flirted with a triple-double as he also contributed a team-best eight assists along with two steals.
Tech improved to 8-12 overall and 2-6 in OVC play, and also took a one-game edge in the long-running series with the Governors, 69-68. It was also Tech’s fifth consecutive win over Austin Peay. The Govs slipped to 5-17 overall and 1-7 in the OVC West Division.
Joining Dillard in producing winning numbers, Freshman Anthony Morse scored a career-high 10 points and added six rebounds, and junior Dennis Ogbe added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Travis Betran and Anthony Campbell led the Govs with 14 points each, while Will Triggs added 13 points and five rebounds. Anthony Campbell also netted 11.
The Golden Eagles came out in unison to open the contest, charging to a 13-2 lead in the first three minutes. Freshman Anthony Morse notched the first two baskets, and added a dunk shortly after Jeremiah Samarrippas hit a 3-pointer.
The Govs rallied briefly behind a jumper from Will Triggs and a 3-pointer by Travis Betran, pulling the visitors to within six at 13-7, but that was as close as Tech allowed APSU in the 0pening 20 minutes.
A balanced effort over the next seven minutes saw Tech open the lead to 13 points, where it stood until Cory Arentsen’s 3-pointer made it 33-21 with 4:11 remaining in the half.
The Golden Eagles scored the next seven points, and closed the half on an 11-2 run to head to the break with a 44-23 lead.
Austin Peay challenged one time in the second half, going on a 10-0 run to cut Tech’s lead from 24 points down to 14. Triggs scored six of the 10 in the run.
Tech answered with an 11-2 run of its own, including eight from Dillard, to build the difference back to 23 points at 62-39, with 7:46 to play.
After shooting 58 percent in the first half, Tech finished the night hitting 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the field and claiming a 36-27 edge in rebounds. The Govs hit 40.4 percent (19-for-47).