THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 74, Belmont 63
@Morehead State 80, Southeast Missouri 67
@SIUE 71, Austin Peay 67
Murray State 70, @Eastern Illinois 66
@Jacksonville State 70, Tennessee State 64
EASTERN KENTUCKY 74, BELMONT 63
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky used a 13-0 run midway through the second half to pull away from Belmont, and then held on late to hand the visiting Bruins their first conference loss of the season, 74-63, on Thursday at McBrayer Arena.
Behind a raucous, season-best crowd of 5,200, EKU broke a 48-48 tie on a three-pointer by junior Corey Walden with 9:39 to play in the game. The Colonels then scored the game’s next 10 points as a pair of free throws by Walden gave EKU a 61-48 advantage with 7:04 on the clock.
Belmont battled back and got to within seven, 66-59, when Craig Bradshaw converted a layup with 1:43 remaining; however, senior Marcus Lewis quieted any chance of a comeback with a thunderous baseline dunk on EKU’s next possession that brought the Colonel crowd back to life.
Senior Glenn Cosey knocked down five free throws in the final minute to seal the win for EKU.
Walden led four Colonels in double figures with 18 points. He also added four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Cosey finished with 13 points, while senior Tarius Johnson had 12 points and junior Eric Stutz contributed 10 points and matched a career-high with five assists.
EKU overcame a 37-24 rebounding deficit in the game by shooting 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the field and 73 percent (19-of-26) from inside the three-point line.
The Colonels stifled Belmont to its worst shooting game of the season: 37.5 percent (18-of-48) from the field.
Bradshaw paced the Bruins with 22 points, while Drew Windler had 12 points and JJ Mann finished with 10 points.
The hotly-contested first half featured eight ties and four lead changes. Belmont took its largest lead of the half, 18-14, when Windler knocked down a three-pointer with 10:59 on the clock; however, Lewis rallied the Colonels with a backdoor dunk on the Colonels’ next possession. Stutz followed that up with a bucket to tie the game, 18-18, with 6:39 remaining in the half.
The remainder of the first half was a back-and-forth affair. Belmont led by three with just over a minute to play, but another Stutz basket cut the Colonel deficit to one with 17 ticks on the clock. Walden’s desperation heave at the buzzer just missed as EKU went into the locker room at halftime down by one, 32-31.
With the game tied, 48-48, with 10:03 remaining, EKU exploded on a 13-0 run. Walden started the run with a three-pointer and finished it with a pair of free throws that gave the Colonels a 61-48 advantage with 7:04 on the clock. Eastern would never trail again.
MOREHEAD STATE 80, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 67
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State men's basketball team knocked down 90 percent of its free-throw attempts on Thursday night at Johnson Arena en route to an 80-67 victory over Ohio Valley Conference opponent Southeast Missouri.
Morehead State, which entered the evening fourth in the nation with 537 free-throw attempts, has now connected on 76 of its last 82 from the charity stripe (93 percent). MSU improved its season average at the foul line from .665 to .677.
The Eagles, who have won four of their last five games, improve to 12-7 overall, 3-1 in league play and 6-2 at home. The Redhawks, who have dropped seven of their past nine tilts, slip to 9-9 overall, 1-4 in conference action and 2-7 on the road.
MSU has now won 10 of its last 11 affairs against SEMO and improves to 25-17 in the all-time series. The Redhawks and Murray State were picked to win the OVC's West Division by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Sophomore Brent Arrington led Morehead State with 20 points on 8-of-8 from the free-throw line, while senior Drew Kelly added 16 on 5-of-5 from the same spot. Junior Angelo Warner contributed 14 points and senior Chad Posthumus tallied nine.
Posthumus, who began the night second in the nation with 12.2 rebounds per game, yanked down a game-best 16 in just 23 minutes. It was his 15th double-figure rebounding performance this season and his 21st at the Division I level.
Morehead State posted a 38-31 advantage on the glass, including 8-5 on the offensive end. The Eagles, who continue to pace the conference in rebounds per contest, have only been outrebounded once in 19 contests this season.
Morehead State registered 19 assists and eight steals while only committing 12 turnovers. The Eagles drilled 23-of-55 from the field (42 percent), 8-of-24 from three-point range (33 percent) and 26-of-29 from the free-throw stripe.
Junior Kareem Storey dished out a game-high seven assists for MSU, while Arrington handed out five helpers and Warner was credited with four.
SEMO junior Jarekious Bradley and senior Tyler Stone combined for 43 points on 16-of-32 from the floor. Bradley finished with a game-best 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Stone chipped in with 15 points, seven boards and four helpers.
Southeast Missouri jumped out to an 11-0 advantage just three minutes in. The Redhawks also drilled 18-of-29 (62 percent) from the field after intermission.
Morehead State manufactured a 31-11 run to end the first half. The Eagles allowed just three points over the final 9:44 of the opening stanza.
SIUE 71, AUSTIN PEAY 67
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Keaton Jackson's defensive rebound and subsequent pair of free throws with five seconds left completed a 13-1 run by SIUE men's basketball and sealed a 71-67 Ohio Valley Conference victory over visiting Austin Peay Thursday at Vadalabene Center.
The win moves the Cougars to 2-3 in OVC play and 5-13 overall. Austin Peay dropped to 8-10 and 2-2 in the OVC.
Edwardsville native Will Triggs gave the Governors their largest lead of the night at eight points with a layup that made it 66-58 with 2:27 to play. Maurice Wiltz connected on a three-pointer for SIUE with 2:11 left to bring the Cougars within five points at 66-61.
Following an APSU turnover, Jackson was able to layup a shot from under the basket to make it 66-63. The Governors turned the ball over a second time, and Donivine Stewart found Wiltz on the left wing. Wiltz splashed in his third three-pointer of the game to even the score at 66-66. Austin Peay's Damarius Smith was fouled with 29 seconds left and made the second of two free throws, giving the ball back to SIUE with the Cougars trailing 67-66.
Stewart attempted a three from the left corner, but the shot spun around the rim before falling out. Rozell Nunn fought for the rebound and tossed the ball back to the basket despite being knocked to the floor. Nunn's shot fell as did his free throw to put the Cougars ahead for good 69-67.
It was the Cougars' first lead in the half since a Nunn layup made it 36-34 SIUE just 17 seconds into the period.
Nunn led the Cougars with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The junior also finished with a team-high seven rebounds. Kris Davis and Donivine Stewart each added 10 points. Stewart added five assists, while Davis dished out three helpers. Wiltz and Tim Johnson each finished the night with nine points.
The eight-point lead by Austin Peay was the largest lead either team enjoyed. Indicative of a tight conference game, the score was tied eight times while the lead changed just twice.
Save for three instances where the game was tied, the Cougars led the entire first half. Triggs tied the game for the Governors with 27 seconds left in the first and the two teams went into the locker room even at 34-34.
Both teams enjoyed successful shooting nights, and both teams did it with inside play. Austin Peay was 25-48 (52.1 percent) from the field for the game, while the Cougars connected on 28-57 (49.1 percent) attempts from the floor. Each team finished with 40 points in the paint.
The Cougars' edge came in the turnover department. The Cougars forced 22 turnovers by the Governors, a season high for Austin Peay, and was the most turnovers forced by the Cougars this season. The Cougars finished with 12 steals, also a season high.
SIUE entered the game 0-5 in games decided by five points or less. The Cougars also had suffered three one-point losses.
Austin Peay's Chris Horton led all players with his 20 points and 11 rebounds, his ninth double-double of the year. Triggs added 17 points and nine rebounds. Smith scored 11 for the Governors.
MURRAY STATE 70, EASTERN ILLINOIS 66
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Murray State Racers ran their winning streak to five straight with a 70-66 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Lantz Arena in Charleston, Ill.
The Racers (10-7) stayed perfect at the start of the Ohio Valley Conference Season at 5-0.
Cameron Payne scored 21 points, while T.J. Sapp added 20 and Jonathan Fairell grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds as MSU won a second straight road game.
But it wasn’t easy for the Racers battling a determined home standing EIU Panthers’ squad that led from the opening tip until the 9:44 mark of the second half.
Trailing 36-28 at half, EIU led by eight points with 16:16 remaining in the game when the Racers got their game straight with a 16-7 run. The MSU comeback was fueled by back-to-back plays by Payne who scored a three-point play and then added a 3-point basket to cut the Panthers lead to 41-39 with 14:19 left. With Jarvis Williams and Jonathan Fairell battling foul problems (Williams fouled out with 9:47 remaining) Zay Henderson came off the bench and helped the MSU cause with three rebounds, one assist and a blocked shot that led to a Sapp fast break that Tyler Rambo finished for a 51-48 lead at 9:17.
The Racers kept the pressure on when Sapp hit a 3-pointer for a 54-48 lead with 8:35 left.
The Panthers rallied on two baskets from Luke Piotrowski to take a 59-57 lead at 4:03, but MSU took the lead for good when Dexter Fields hit a pair from the free throw line for a one point lead with 3:47 left.
The game was still up for grabs inside 30 seconds on the clock when Payne nailed his third three of the game with 19 seconds left for a 66-62 lead.
Payne and Sapp each made a pair from the line and EIU’s Dylan Chatman hit a jumper at the buzzer to settle the final at 70-66.
The Racers overcame a night when they struggled from the field going 20-of-54 for 37 percent, although MSU did pick up the pace in shooting 43 percent in the second half. EIU shot 31 percent for the game on 21-of-68, but were held to 8-of-32 in the second half for 25 percent.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 70, TENNESSEE STATE 64
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Senior Brian Williams continued his climb up the Jacksonville State record book while helping the Gamecocks hold on for the 70-64 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Tennessee State on Thursday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
With the win, the Gamecocks improve to 9-12 overall and 3-3 in OVC play while the Tigers fall to 2-18 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
The senior guard finished with 14 points to push his career total to 1,164 points scored, which ranks as the third most points scored in the school's Division I history. Junior D.J. Felder was 8-of-13 from the field while leading the Gamecocks with a career-high 17 points. Fellow junior Darion Rackley came off the bench to score 15 points while finishing 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
The Tigers were led by Patrick Miller with 21 points. M.J. Rhett added a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds to help TSU rally from the 17-point half time deficit.
Felder helped the Gamecocks jump out to an early lead by scoring 14 first half points on a perfect 7-for-7 performance from the floor. Leading 10-7, the Gamecocks went on a 13-2 run to build a 23-9 lead with 11:17 to play in the half.
The Gamecocks managed to shoot 58 percent (14-of-24) from the floor in the opening period while building a 39-22 halftime lead. The Tigers meanwhile shot 8-of-21 (38.1 percent) from the floor while giving up five turnovers that led to 11 points for JSU.
TSU opened the second half on an 8-1 run to cut the deficit to 40-30 with 16:46 remaining. The Tigers managed to hold the Gamecocks to a 24 percent (6-of-25) shooting effort in the second half while going 12-for-27 (44.4 percent) from the floor to outscore JSU 42-31 in the final period.
After Felder's tip in with 9:30 remaining gave JSU a 47-36 lead, the Tigers managed to score five straight from the free throw line to cut the lead to 47-41. Rackley then knocked down two free throws before hitting a 3-point shot to again give the Gamecocks an 11 point lead at 52-41.
Jacquan Nobles hit a 3-point shot with 2:12 remaining to cut the lead to 59-53. The Gamecocks then managed to go 11-of-14 from the free throw line while holding off the late push by TSU to preserve the 70-64 victory.