TUESDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 74, @Northern Kentucky 61
@Eastern Kentucky 82, Alabama A&M 68
@Austin Peay 72, Southern Illinois 70
@Auburn 78,
Jacksonville State 54
@Murray State 91, Bethel 64
MOREHEAD STATE 74, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 61
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Junior Angelo Warner posted a game-high 25 points and senior Chad Posthumus yanked down a game-best 16 rebounds to help the Morehead State men's basketball team earn a 74-61 win over Northern Kentucky on Tuesday night at The Bank of Kentucky Center.
The Eagles, who play basketball in the Ohio Valley Conference, improve to 4-1 on the season with their second consecutive victory and second road win in 2013-14. The Norse, which plays in the Atlantic Sun Conference, slips to 0-4 overall. MSU also moves to 6-0 in the all-time series vs. NKU.
Morehead State began the contest with a 16-3 run, but Northern Kentucky responded with a 16-6 spurt to keep the game tight. The Eagles then used a 14-0 run early in the second half and never trailed the rest of the way. MSU's largest lead of 15 points came with 3:20 remaining in the game.
Warner, who made 7-of-13 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, matched his career high in the scoring column for the second time in eight days. He has now reached double figures 37 times and the 20-point plateau on four occasions in 69 career contests at Morehead State.
Posthumus notched his third consecutive 10-rebound performance and the ninth in his 38 career tilts at MSU. Posthumus entered the day third in the OVC with 10.8 boards per contest, while Warner began the game tied for seventh in the conference with a team-best scoring average of 15.0.
Morehead State turned 21 Northern Kentucky turnovers in 29 points. The Eagles also registered upper hands of 41-31 in rebounds, 30-20 in paint points, 18-11 in second-chance points, 13-7 in assists and 7-5 in steals. MSU also limited NKU to 38 percent from the floor (18-of-47).
Senior Bakari Turner added 14 points off the bench for the Eagles. Junior Kareem Storey handed out a game-high six assists with just one turnover. Warner added nine rebounds, while senior Drew Kelly added seven boards in just 23 minutes.
Freshman Dean Danos paced Northern Kentucky with 13 points on 8-of-8 from the charity stripe, while sophomore Jalen Billups tallied 11. With the help of both players, the Norse reserves managed a 43-28 scoring advantage off the bench.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 82, ALABAMA A&M 68
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team built a 26-point halftime cushion, but had to hold on for an 82-68 victory over Alabama A&M Tuesday night in McBrayer Arena. The Colonels have now won 19 straight home non-conference games.
Eastern (5-1) shot 48.4 percent (15-of-31) from the floor and 50 percent from three-point land (6-of-12) in the first 20 minutes to take a 54-28 lead into intermission. However, Alabama A&M (1-3) rallied to within six points on two occasions late in the contest before the Colonels finally fought off the Bulldogs.
EKU was able to keep Alabama A&M at bay partly due to its free throw shooting. The Colonels netted 36-of-39 (92.3 percent) from the charity stripe, including 18-of-19 (94.7 percent) in the second half.
Senior Glenn Cosey led four EKU players in double figures with a game-high 23 points, which also marked his third straight game scoring at last 20 points. Junior Corey Walden added 16 points and senior Tarius Johnson chipped in with 14 tallies. Meanwhile, junior Eric Stutz recorded his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 boards.
Jeremy Crutcher and Brandon Ellis each reached 14 points for Alabama A&M as the duo combined to go 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) from behind the arc.
After Alabama A&M opened the scoring with an Ellis three-pointer, the Colonels responded with 11 straight points and never trailed the rest of the way. Another 11-0 run later in the first half, highlighted by a Stutz dunk, extended Eastern’s cushion to 31-13. Senior Jeff Johnson converted two free throws right before intermission to push the advantage to 26 points.
Eastern Kentucky struggled at the start of the second half, missing its first four shots and turning the ball over six times allowing the Bulldogs to rattle off 12 consecutive points and close the gap to 54-40.
An Ellis jumper with 5:35 left cut the deficit to single digits at 62-54. Alabama A&M then got to within six points at 66-60 and 68-62, only to see Eastern make all 10 free throw attempts in the final two minutes of action.
The Colonels only shot 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from the field in the second half and missed all eight three-point shots.
AUSTIN PEAY 72, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 70
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Sophomore center Chris Horton blocked Anthony Beane’s potential game-tying lane jumper with one second left to preserve Austin Peay State University’s 72-70 victory, Tuesday night, in non- conference basketball action played at Dave Aaron Arena.
The blocked was Horton’s seventh, tying both his and John Fraley’s records. Fraley originally set the mark in 2011 Horton tied the mark four times a year ago. His most-recent block party could not have come at a better time.
It allowed the Govs to push their overall mark to 2-1 on the young season and take momentum into this weekend’s Central Michigan Tournament. SIU, meanwhile, fell to 0-3 on the season.
The Governors, who led by just three points, 35-32, at halftime, used tenacious defense early in the second half to go on a 20-6 run to open the period. Horton’s three blocks keyed the defense during that seven-minute stretch while eight Damarius Smith points, including two three pointers, and six Will Triggs points spurred the offense.
But Desmar Jackson’s scoring and 15 second-half offensive rebounds helped bring back Southern Illinois. With Jackson’s steal, subsequent dunk and free throw, the Salukis cut the deficit to seven, 61-54, with 6:10 remaining. The Govs’ lead never grew to double figures again.
Another Jackson three-point play and the guard’s dunk after a steal made it a four-point game, 65-61, with 3:48 remaining. Horton and Jalen Pendleton exchanged free throws before a Govs’ turnover allowed a Jackson jumper to cut the deficit to two, 67-65, with 1:58 left. Jackson finished the game with 29 points.
Zavion Williams made one of two free throws before Anthony Beane scored on a layup to slice the lead to one, 68-67. After Williams floater rattled out, Pendleton was fouled with an opportunity to give SIU its first lead with 1:19 left. However, he missed the first but made the second, tying the contest.
But Travis Betran, the Govs’ preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference performer, drove the lane and muscled in a lane shot. He also was fouled, knocking down a free throw with 1:02 left to give APSU a 71-68 lead.
But SIU committed turnover only to force a Govs turnover. Then Fred Garmon stole the ball and drove, missing the shot. However, Jackson was called for a foul on the rebound with 26 seconds left, another Saluki turnover.
Betran then made one of two free throws after being fouled only to see SIU’s Sean O’Brien score on layup with 12.6 second left to trim the margin back to two, 72-70, with 13 seconds left.
This time Garmon was fouled on the inbounds play and the Govs’ newcomer watched both free throws miss, giving SIU an opportunity to either tie or win the game. But that is when the Govs’ defense surged one final time, preventing the Salukis from gaining an open look. That forced Beane to drive the lane, only to find Horton’s flyswatter that sealed the Govs’ first win against the Salukis since 1995.
Jackson tied a career high with his 29 in collecting a double-double (10 rebounds). Pendleton added 11 points.
Triggs led the Govs with 17 points while Betran added 16 and Smith 12—his first double-digit performance as a Gov. Horton also had 10 rebounds—his second double-digit effort this season.
After going just 7-of-19 at the free-throw line against Memphis, the Govs were markedly better against SIU, connecting on 22 of 33 (66.7 percent). The Govs’ 13 blocked shots—sophomore Preston Herring also had three—set a school single-game record while shattering the Dunn Center mark (11).
AUBURN 78, JACKSONVILLE STATE 54
AUBURN, Ala. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team got off to a slow start and never recovered on Tuesday night, when Auburn opened up an early lead and closed with a 78-54 win at Auburn Arena.
The Gamecocks (0-5) shot just 35 percent from the floor, while the Tigers (2-1) overcame a low percentage early to shoot 45 percent and grab the 13th win in as many meetings in the all-time series.
JSU got a double-double from junior D.J. Felder, whose first of his career came in the form of 16 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs. The Topeka, Kan., native was the only Gamecock to score in double figures and had over a third of his team's 33 rebounds in the game.
Freshman Undra Mitchem played 17 quality minutes off of the bench for JSU, scoring six points on a couple of 3-pointers. Juniors Darion Rackley and Grant White each scored seven for the Gamecocks.
Auburn got 15 points from Chris Denson, 14 from KT Harrell and 10 from Malcolm Canada in the win, while Asauhn Dixon-Tatum scored nine and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to lead the Tigers to a 47-33 advantage on the glass.
The Gamecocks struggled to find the basket early in the game, while Auburn found its rhythm to open an early 15-point advantage. Eight JSU turnovers and a .296 shooting percentage helped the Tigers take a 33-19 lead into the locker room.
Felder scored seven and led all players with eight boards in the first 20 minutes.
The Gamecocks pulled to within 10 with a small run to start the second half, but the Tigers had another answer, this time with a Jordan Granger tip in that was followed by a KT Harrell three that stretch the Auburn lead back to 40-25.
They then pulled ahead to start a 12-0 run that put the game out of reach for the Gamecocks.
MURRAY STATE 91, BETHEL 64
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers used a fast start and scored a 91-64 home win Tuesday over the Bethel Wildcats at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
The Racers (2-2) have won both of their games at home this season.
Dexter Fields had a career-high 21 points, while Jarvis Williams turned in his third straight double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Jonathan Fairell and Tyler Rambo each added 12 points. Fairell also had a double-double with 10 rebounds. Cameron Payne had nine points and eight assists for the Racers.
The Racers jumped out quick with six defensive stops to start the game and pushed to a 20-6 lead on the strength of three three-pointers from Jeffery Moss and Fields. After the Wildcats cut the lead to 32-20 at the 7:09 mark, MSU responded with a Williams score and Rambo added a pair of baskets for a 44-26 lead at 1:50. Williams got a put-back off a missed free and made the halftime score 48-29 in favor of the Racers.
MSU pushed the lead to 66-43 with 12:04 left when Payne hit a three and Rambo added a free throw. The Racers led 70-46 when Fields hit his fourth three of the game with 10:32 remaining.
MSU ended the game shooting 50 percent from the field on 31-of-61 and 37 percent from three range on 7-of-19 shots. MSU went to the free throw line 32 times and made 22 for 69 percent.