SATURDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 77,
SIUE 68
@Southeast Missouri 77, Eastern Illinois 64
Eastern Kentucky 68, @Morehead State 47
@Murray State 69, Tennessee State 48
@Tennessee Tech 78, Jacksonville State 64
Belmont 78, @Austin Peay 65
UT MARTIN 77, SIUE 68
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team connected on a season-high 57.8 percent of its shot attempts this afternoon in a 77-68 triumph over SIU Edwardsville in a nationally-televised contest at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
The Skyhawks (7-17, 4-8 Ohio Valley Conference) took the lead for good with 8:39 to play in the first half and led by as many as 17 with less than three minutes to play on their way to the victory. UT Martin coasted to the victory thanks to a 14-for-21 shooting (66.7 percent) effort in the second half, which ties the Skyhawks’ best shooting half in head coach Jason James’ four seasons at the helm.
Despite battling sickness just minutes before the contest, sophomore forward Myles Taylor led all scorers with 23 points in only 22 minutes off the bench. The Little Rock, Ark. native converted five of his six shot attempts from the field and added 13 free throws in a career-high 17 attempts.
Terence Smith poured in 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, Mike Liabo registered 15 points, five rebounds and five assists and Jeremy Washington pulled down a team-high seven rebounds for UT Martin, who swept the season series against its fellow OVC West rival Cougars with the victory today.
Jerome Jones scored 18 points to lead SIU Edwardsville (8-13, 4-7 OVC). Kris Davis scored 15 points and handed out seven assists to round out the double-figure scorers for the Cougars.
Washington was responsible for the Skyhawks’ first four points, resulting in a pair of ties through the first four-plus minutes. SIU Edwardsville would take a four-point lead with just under 13 minutes to play in the first half before back-to-back three-pointers by Liabo elevated UT Martin ahead 13-11 two minutes later.
Two more ties took place over the next minute of play before eight unanswered Skyhawk points gave UT Martin the lead for good. That spurt – which included three fast break dunks – began a 12-1 Skyhawk run that occurred over 3:09 to give UT Martin a 27-16 advantage with 5:30 remaining before the halftime break.
Back-to-back jumpers by BJ McLaughlin kept the Skyhawk lead in double-figures (37-27) before SIU Edwardsville hit a three-pointer with one second left to make the halftime score 37-30.
Taylor’s 13 points led all scorers at the break, while Jones scored a dozen to lead SIU Edwardsville.
SIU Edwardsville scored the first four points of the second half to get within one possession (37-34) but Liabo answered with a big trey at the 19 minute mark. The Cougars would hang around – trailing 47-44 five minutes into the second half – before a Smith layup capped off a 6-0 spurt and resulted in a 53-44 UT Martin lead with 12 minutes to go.
Minutes later, a 7-0 Skyhawk run provided a 14-point advantage after Liabo canned his fourth 3-pointer of the day with just under eight minutes remaining. An old-fashioned three-point play by Liabo made the score 63-47 at the 7:10 mark.
The Cougars would cut their deficit to 11 on two occasions but UT Martin did not allow the Cougars to get within single-digits until seven seconds remained in the contest. A jumper by Justin Childs at the 2:48 mark gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the day (71-54) and four free throws by Taylor down the stretch iced UT Martin’s third OVC win in its last four games.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 77, EASTERN ILLINOIS 64
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - – Marland Smith scored a game-high 29 points and tied a single-game school record with nine three-pointers to lead Southeast Missouri (13-13, 5-7) to a commanding 77-64 victory over Eastern Illinois (7-18, 4-8) Saturday night at the Show Me Center.
Two days after breaking Southeast's all-time career record in three-pointers made, Smith buried 9-of-15 three-pointers to tie the school's single-game mark. Two other players have made nine threes in a game, with the last being Mark Johnson vs. Milwaukee on Mar. 2, 1995.
The Redhawks also finished with a season-high 15 three-pointers and shot a scorching 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from behind the arc. Southeast fell just two three-pointers shy of breaking its team single-game record of 16 last done in conference play vs. UT Martin on Feb. 12, 1998.
Southeast, which got back on a winning streak for the first time since the start of league play, moved back into second in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division standings.
The Redhawks, still stinging from their heartbreaking 78-72 overtime loss to EIU on Jan. 26, jumped all over the Panthers early and never let up.
Southeast heated up to shoot 90.9 percent out of the gate, making 10 of its first 11 field goals in the opening nine minutes. The Redhawks stormed out to an 18-2 lead behind a barrage of three-pointers, two of which came from Marland Smith. Corey Wilford drained the other three during that surge that ended when Lucas Nutt converted a three-point play with 15:03 left.
A.J. Jones later scored five-straight points and buried a three-pointer to help widen Southeast's lead to 27-8 with 11:22 remaining in the first half. The Redhawks closed out the half strong with an 11-4 run in the final 3:40, using three more three-pointers to take a comfortable 48-23 lead at the break.
Southeast shot 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the field in the first half and connected on nine of its 14 three-point attempts (64.3 pct.). The 48 first half-points marked a season-high for the Redhawks.
Smith, Wilford and Jones each scored double figures to key Southeast's red-hot start. Wilford and Smith also knocked down four threes apiece.
Southeast's strong first half was enough to overpower EIU, which won the second stanza by a score of 41-29.
Smith made 10-of-16 field goals. His career-high nine three-pointers surpassed his previous career mark of seven, which previously came on two separate occasions against the Panthers. Smith knocked down a combined 12 threes in two games for the Redhawks this week. Wilford followed with 14 points and five rebounds, while Jones contributed a double-double 11 points and 10 boards. Tyler Stone rounded out Southeast's double-digit scorers with 13 points.
Southeast shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) on the night. The Redhawks outrebounded the Panthers, 37-31, as well.
Alex Austin led EIU with 16 points off the bench.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 68, MOREHEAD STATE 47
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team out-rebounded Morehead State University by eight, held the Eagles to 33 percent shooting and committed six fewer turnovers in a 68-47 road win on Saturday.
MSU (11-14, 5-6 OVC) entered the game having out-rebounded conference opponents by 11.5 boards per game but had only seven boards in the second half. The Eagles also ranked 12th in the nation with 9.6 steals per game, but had only five tonight.
The Colonels (19-6, 8-3 OVC) protected the ball well, turning it over only 11 times. EKU out-scored the home team 24-4 off turnovers.
Glenn Cosey scored a game-best 17 for the visitors. He also had six rebounds and four assists. Eric Stutz added 12 points. Mike DiNunno finished with eight points, five assists and only one turnover.
A 7-0 run early in the second half put Eastern Kentucky in front by double digits for good. DiNunno hit a three, and Cosey and Tarius Johnson both had lay-ups to turn an 8-point advantage into a 15-point lead, 39-24, with 16:45 to go.
A dunk by Corey Walden stretched the lead to 17 with 7:34 remaining. The Eagles had just 36 points at that time. A trey by Cosey made it a 20-point game for the first time with just a little more than four minutes left. The Colonels led by 20 or more the rest of the way.
Angelo Warner led Morehead State with 16 points.
MURRAY STATE 69, TENNESSEE STATE 48
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - Ed Daniel scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the season to boost Murray State to a 69-48 win over Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee State on Saturday night.
Isaiah Canaan added 16 points and four assists as the Racers' (18-5, 9-2) won for the seventh time in their last eight games.
A 25-8 run by the Racers in the second half sealed the win.
Tennessee State (14-11, 8-4) came up with 22 offensive rebounds, but Murray State held the Tigers to 28.8 percent field goal shooting (17 of 59) and forced them into 19 turnovers.
Kellen Thornton, who is second to Daniel in the OVC in rebounding with 9.5 per game, led Tennessee State in scoring with 12 points.
Murray State took a 9-3 lead in the opening 3 1/2 minutes and led by as many as 12 points en route to a 32-23 halftime lead.
Tennessee State opened the second half with a 10-5 run to pull to within 37-33 before Canaan's 3-pointer made it a seven-point Racers lead with 14:40 on the clock.
Robert Covington answered with a 3 for the Tigers, who continued to build momentum as they cut Murray State's lead to 42-40 with 11:40 to go.
A turnover by Michael Green on the Tigers' next possession denied them a chance to tie or take the lead, and baskets by Latreze Mushatt and Canaan gave the Racers a 46-40 lead at the 9:10 mark.
A year ago, Feb. 9, 2012, Tennessee State did what no other team could during last year's regular season -- beat Murray State. That loss ended the Racers' streak of 23 straight wins to start the season. Murray State was the final undefeated team in the nation at the time.
The Racers met the Tigers again in the OVC tournament final, and Jewuan Long hit the go-ahead shot with 4 seconds remaining to send Murray State into the NCAA tournament with 30 wins.
TENNESSEE TECH 78, JACKSONVILLE STATE 64
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Locked in a tight contest throughout the first half and early second, Tennessee Tech rallied midway in the second period to gain a 16-point lead, and the Golden Eagles held on to claim a 78-64 Ohio Valley Conference victory Saturday night in Eblen Center.
Senior Jud Dillard went 14-for-14 at the free throw line and scored 18 points while nabbing 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Junior Dennis Ogbe also notched 18 points along with grabbing six boards as the Golden Eagles owned a 36-19 advantage on the glass.
Junior point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas added 15 points and four steals, and Javon McKay also reached double figures with 10 points, his highest output since the season opener.
Junior Brian Williams led the Gamecocks with 22 points and four assists, while senior Tarvin Gaines added 15, senior Ronnie Boggs scored nine and grabbed six rebounds, and senior Rinaldo Mafra added eight.
Tech’s homecourt win avenged a 21-point loss at Jacksonville in December. The Golden Eagles improved to 9-14 overall and 3-8 within the OVC as they fight for a playoff spot in the March 6-9 Tournament field.
Jacksonville State’s record slipped to 15-8 overall and 7-5 in the league.
The largest lead of the first half was a five-point Golden Eagle advantage, 7-2 very early on the contest. Tech was able to go up by four on two other occasions, but for much of the period the two teams were within a single basket. At the break, Tech was up by one, 25-24.
In the second half, Tech’s 16-point margin was trimmed to 10 points with six minutes to play when JSU head coach James Green was charged with two technical fouls and ejected while arguing a call on an aggressive foul under the Tech basket. JSU players were charged with a personal and a technical on the play that led to Green’s ejection.
The Golden Eagles made seven of eight free throws from the incident and rebuilt their lead to 17.
A dunk by McKay made it a 19-point bulge, Tech’s largest lead of the contest, with 5:36 to play before the Gamecocks tried to mount a comeback. They pulled within eight, 66-58, with 1:44 to play on a 3-pointer by Williams but Tech was able to answer down the stretch by hitting 12-for-14 at the charity line.
The real difference in the game came midway in the second half when Tech went from a 33-30 lead to a 45-30 advantage with a 12-0 run. Six different players contributed points in the run, capped by a layup from Jud Dillard with 11:04 to play.
BELMONT 78, AUSTIN PEAY 65
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Behind exemplary guard play, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Austin Peay, 78-65, Saturday night.
The Bruins, who saw their 24-game conference winning streak snapped at Murray State, 79-74, Thursday night, looked to get back on track against a talented albeit snakebit Austin Peay team.
The Governors entered play having lost seven games by one possession or in overtime.
A layin by junior Blake Jenkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) and two free throws from senior Kerron Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) got Belmont off to a promising start.
A steal and layin from junior J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) and two free throws from senior Ian Clark (Memphis, Tenn.) soon followed as the Bruin held Austin Peay to one made field goal over the first 5:30 of the game.
But Belmont was unable to take full advantage, as the Bruins committed an uncharacteristic six turnovers in the first eight minutes.
After consecutive three-pointers from Johnson and freshman Craig Bradshaw (Franklin, Tenn.), a Chris Horton layin gave Austin Peay a 15-14 lead with 8:30 left in the first half.
From there, the Bruins strung together defensive stops which sparked an offensive flurry.
Mann and Clark each buried three-pointers during an 8-0 run that gave Belmont a 22-15 lead.
Despite foul trouble for Jenkins, the Bruins continued the strong end-of-half play.
Mann would scored 10 more points in the final 4:02 of the half, as Belmont closed the first half on a 22-6 run in taking a 36-21 halftime lead.
Belmont shot 42 percent (11-for-26) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including 6-for-16 from three-point distance. The Bruins outrebounded the Governors by three, while forcing 11 turnovers.
Travis Betran opened the second half scoring, before Mann, Clark, and Jenkins each scored to push the Bruin lead to 43-23 with 17:37 left.
Fouls did accumulate, but Belmont turned defensive stops and turnovers into high percentage scoring opportunities in transition.
Clark and senior Trevor Noack (Keller, Texas) combined on 13 points as Belmont led 60-39 with 11:27 left.
Though Betran would heat up late, getting Austin Peay as close as 67-53 with 6:50 left, Clark and Mann would team on three three-pointers in a 1:32 span to secure the victory.
Belmont led 78-55 late before Austin Peay closed the game on a 10-0 run.
All told, Belmont shot 47 percent (28-for-60) from the field - including 14-for-24 from three-point distance. The Bruins scored 23 points off 16 Austin Peay turnovers.
Belmont claimed 12 steals.
Mann led Belmont with a career-high 26 points. Clark added 25 points, five assists, and four steals. Johnson delivered a fine all-around game, with nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Betran led Austin Peay (5-20, 1-10 OVC) with 22 points.