WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 106, @Morehead State 100 (2OT)
@Eastern Kentucky 91, Austin Peay 53
Belmont 80, @Eastern Illinois 49
Tennessee State 83, @SIUE 73
@Jacksonville State 67, Southeast Missouri 65
MURRAY STATE 106, MOREHEAD STATE 100 (2OT)
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Murray State Racers scored a 106-100 double overtime victory Wednesday at Morehead State in Johnson Arena in Morehead, Ky.
The Racers (19-7, 10-4) also clinched the west division of Ohio Valley Conference and one of the top two seeds in the upcoming OVC Tournament.
Isaiah Canaan led the Racers with his third 30-point game of the season with a season-high 35 with 17 points in the extra time. Ed Daniel added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Brandon Garrett had 16 points and Stacy Wilson 10 to give MSU four in double-figure scoring.
The game looked to be under the Racers’ total control when they took a 63-43 over the Eagles with 10:31 left, but MSU saw Morehead State (13-15, 7-7) chip away to make a game of it.
Even with the lead evaporating, MSU was in good shape when Wilson knocked down a three-pointer for a 79-73 lead with 1:09 left, but an Eagles’ three-point play by Angelo Warner, a Racer turnover and a three by Bakari Turner with 8.2 seconds left tied the game and sent it to overtime. Murray State was a hair from a tip-in buzzer winner by Daniel, but after reviewing video of the play, officials ruled Daniel’s tip came after the buzzer.
In the first overtime, the situation was bleak for the Racers when they trailed 86-79 with 2:26 remaining, but MSU had some magic left.
Canaan cut the Eagles’ lead to three with 1:45 left and as MSU stopped the opponent on three straight turnovers, they got the tying points on Daniel’s putback with 3.5 left and forced the game into a second overtime.
Murray State never had a lead in the first overtime, and never trailed in the second when Garrett scored right from the start for an 89-87 lead with 4:29 left. It became Canaan’s game over the next minute as the Racer All-America scored 10 straight points for a 99-90 lead with 1:43 left. The Racers made 6-of-9 from the line the rest of the way for their second overtime win this season.
The win marked MSU’s first double overtime game since November of 2011 when they won the Great Alaska Shootout championship game over Southern Mississippi. MSU’s only overtime game since was a home win this season over Austin Peay 75-68 (Feb. 2).
The win was also the 50th for MSU Head Coach Steve Prohm who becomes the fastest to 50 in MSU history. Prohm is 50-9 in his second season and surpasses the former mark set by current Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin who was 50-19 from 2003-05.
The win is the 104th in the careers of four-year seniors of Canaan, Daniel and Jordan Burge. They have matched the mark set just last season by Ivan Aska, Jewuan Long and Donte Poole.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 91, AUSTIN PEAY 53
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky tied the program record for most wins in a season with a 91-53 victory over Austin Peay on Wednesday at McBrayer Arena.
With the win in its final regular season home game, EKU (22-6, 11-3 OVC) also tied the school mark for most home wins in a season (15). This year’s Colonels finish with a 15-1 record at home, the second best home court winning percentage (.938) in the history of McBrayer Arena.
The Colonels out-scored Austin Peay 14-4 to start the game and never looked back. Tarius Johnson scored six of the 14 including a 3-pointer to cap the fast start. The Governors closed to within five, 17-12, on a 3-pointer from Travis Betran but the visitors never got any closer.
Eastern answered with a 22-3 run that included six 3-pointers, including three by Glenn Cosey and two by Timmy Knipp. Cosey’s triple capped the run and stretched the margin to 24 points, 39-15, with 5:42 left in the first half. The Colonels took a 19-point lead into the locker room at the break.
EKU shot 58 percent from the field in the first half and made 9-of-16 from behind the arc (56 percent).
The Colonels left no doubt by opening the second half with a 21-8 run. Timmy Knipp’s dunk midway through the second half gave Eastern a lead of 32 points, 68-36. Eastern never let up, taking a 41-point lead, 91-50, in the final minute on a 3-pointer by Ryan Parsons.
Cosey led Eastern Kentucky with 17 points. Corey Walden added 15 and Tarius Johnson finished with 12 points.
Playing in what likely will be his last game ever at McBrayer Arena, senior Mike DiNunno turned in a complete performance. The Chicago native had seven points, a game-high seven rebounds, a game-high nine assists and a game-high six steals.
After shooting 55 percent in the first half, Austin Peay (7-20, 3-11 OVC) was held to 22 percent shooting in the second half. The Governors were led by Betran’s 13 points.
EKU shot 60 percent in the second half and a season-best 59 percent for the game. The Colonels committed 13 fewer turnovers and out-scored APSU 37-10 off turnovers.
BELMONT 80, EASTERN ILLINOIS 49
CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) - Trevor Noack and J.J. Mann scored 21 apiece to lead Belmont in a 80-49 rout over Eastern Illinois on Wednesday night.
Noack was 8 of 10 from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Mann was 7 for 10 including three 3-pointers and pulled five rebounds. Each was 4 for 4 from the free-throw line for Belmont (21-6, 12-2 Ohio Valley), which was 12 of 13 from the line on the game and shot 60 percent from the field in the first half while outscoring the Panthers 42-20.
The Bruins led by as many as 37 points mid-way through the second half.
Sherman Blanford had 14 points and five rebounds to lead Eastern Illinois (8-20, 5-10), which shot only 31.9 percent from the floor. Malcolm Herron scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Alex Austin chipped in with 10 points.
The Bruins have won eight of their last 10 contests.
TENNESSEE STATE 83, SIUE 73
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Making his return to his home state, Kellen Thornton led the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to an 83-73 victory on Wednesday night in Edwardsville, Ill.
Thornton finished the game with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He also led the team with seven boards.
Fellow Illinois products Robert Covington and Patrick Miller also cashed in 18 and 17 points, respectively, while Jordan Cyphers added 18 of his own from the shooting guard position.
Cyphers was the Tigers’ main option during the game’s early going, scoring 10 of his team’s first 12 points on 3-of-3 shooting that included a pair of triples.
Even with Cypher’s offensive outburst, TSU (16-11, 10-4 OVC) still trailed 13-12 until Covington nailed a three of his own at the 13:32 mark.
Covington’s triple was part of a 4-for-5 start for TSU from outside the arc.
The sides traded blows for the next six minutes until SIUE’s Kris Davis canned a wide-open three to make the score 27-24 in favor of the Cougars. The lapse in defense caused TSU head coach Travis Williams to call time.
After the stoppage, Thornton went to work and converted on consecutive fade-away jumpers. The senior forward’s strong play couldn’t stop the Cougars, as the home side eventually went up by seven after an 8-2 run.
Four straight triples from Cyphers, Thornton, Miller and then Cyphers again gave TSU a 44-41 advantage heading into halftime. The strong outside shooting allowed the Tigers to end the half on a 12-2 scoring stretch.
TSU was 8-of-11 from deep during the first half which is the most threes the team has had in a half this year and its 66.7 conversion rate was the best for any half as well. TSU has made more than eight threes in just 4-of-26 full games before Wednesday.
Cyphers and Thornton combined for 27 of TSU’s 44 first half points and the duo picked up right where it left off, pouring in TSU’s first two baskets of the second stanza.
However, the Tigers were outrebounded (5-0) and outshot (71.4 - 60.0 percent) during the second half’s first five minutes, allowing the Cougars to tie the score at 51.
From that point, TSU went on a 13-2 run that included Covington nailing a three at the 10:34 mark. The string of baskets caused SIUE to call timeout to re-group.
The pep-talk did little, as TSU stole the ensuing inbound pass, allowing an easy lay-in for Covington.
SIUE used the next three minutes to pull within three, 66-63, but seven straight points by Thornton later in the half stopped the Tigers’ slide and put his team in the driver’s seat, 73-65.
TSU never relinquished its lead and Miller buried a pair of freebies with 49 seconds left, allowing the Tigers to walk away with an 83-73 road win.
Tennessee State shot 30-of-52 from the field (57.7 percent) and 10-of-15 from beyond the arc (66.7 percent).
SIUE (9-15, 5-9 OVC) was led by Davis who scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. His play allowed the Cougars to make 29-of-60 shots for the contest (48.3 percent).
JACKSONVILLE STATE 67, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 65
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - A Brian Williams runner with nine seconds to play was put on the board, giving the Jacksonville State men's basketball team a 67-65 win over Southeast Missouri on a Senior Night that saw the duo of Ronnie Boggs and Tarvin Gaines record double-doubles.
Williams' floater hit the glass before being knocked away by SEMO's Nino Johnson, resulting in a game-winning goaltending call. The winner capped a furious second-half rally that saw the Gamecocks (16-10, 8-7 Ohio Valley Conference) overcome a nine-point Redhawks (14-14, 6-8 OVC) lead with 13 minutes remaining.
Gaines finished with a game-high 23 points to go with 10 rebounds while Boggs added 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to help the Gamecocks finish with a perfect 6-0 record over the OVC's Western Division. The double-double by the senior duo marks the first time two JSU players have recorded a double-double in the same game since Boggs and junior Nick Cook finished with double-doubles on Feb. 14, 2012 against Tennessee State. The win also locks up JSU's first back-to-back .500 records in conference play since joining the league in 2003-04.
On a night that saw Boggs, Gaines and fellow seniors Rinaldo Mafra and Mason Leggett play their final game in Pete Mathews Coliseum, sophomore Darion Rackley also had a memorable game. Playing in his first game since injuring his hand in a Jan. 11 practice, he finished with 11 points, all of which came in the second half. The St. Louis Mo., native scored in double-figures for the 12th-straight game on a day in which he didn't learn he would be able to return until the team's shootraround.
Williams also finished in double figures with 10 points, while dishing five assists. It was the ninth time in his last 11 games in which he has tossed at least five assists.
The Redhawks were led by four players in double-figures. Marland Smith finished with a team-high 16 points while Corey Wilford added 15 points. Tyler Stone finished with 12 points while Nino Johnson recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
SEMO took a 36-28 lead into the half in large part to a 48.3 percent (14-of-29) field goal percentage, including knocking down 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from behind the 3-point line. The Gamecocks were led by Gaines with 12 first half points, but shot just 33.3 percent (11-of-33) in the half.
Trailing 53-48 with 9:37 to go in the game, Rackley knocked down his first points of the game with a 3-point shot that sparked a 12-2 run that gave the Gamecocks a 60-55 lead. He combined with Williams to score the final 19 points of the game for Jax State.
The Redhawks responded with an 8-0 run to tie the game with 41 seconds left at 65-65 following a 3-point shot from Nick Niemczyk, his only basket of the game. Williams then held the ball at midcourt before driving as the shot clock expired and drew the game-winning points.