THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Austin Peay 81, UT Martin 68
Morehead State 70, @SIUE 63
@Murray State 82, Southeast Missouri 75
Eastern Kentucky 100, @Eastern Illinois 81
Tennessee Tech 57, @Tennessee State 53
@Belmont 78, Jacksonville State 67
AUSTIN PEAY 81, UT MARTIN 68
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Chris Horton blocked an Austin Peay State University school record eight shots to go with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Governors to an 81-68 victory, Thursday night, against UT Martin in their Ohio Valley Conference opener.
It was the Govs second straight victory, improving them to 7-8 on the season. UT Martin lost its fourth straight game, falling to 5-12 overall and 0-2 in the OVC.
Horton paced five Governors scoring in double figures but it was his defense that set the tone. He blocked four shots in each half, helping to initiate APSU’s transition offense that led to 51 percent shooting.
Coming two blocks short of his first career triple-double, the 16 points (7-of-12 field goals) and 12 rebounds represented Horton’s seventh double-double this season.
UT Martin jumped out to early 5-2 and but Cory Arentsen’s three pointer tied the game with 18:11 left. A free throw by Will Triggs put the Govs up 6-5 with 17:11 left. APSU would never trail again in the contest. They would build as much as a 13-point first-half lead before settling for 39-30 halftime advantage.
The Govs immediately pushed their lead to double digits in the second half as Travis Betran opened with a three pointer and Triggs knocked down a pair of free throws. The Govs eventually would extend the lead to 21, 63-42.
However, with 13:09 left in the game, Betran, APSU’s preseason All-OVC selection, was involved in a collision underneath the UT Martin basket, suffering an injured lower back. He would not return. The Skyhawks were able to take advantage of his absence by trimming the lead to 12 on two occasions but could never slice it into single digits.
In addition to Horton’s 16, Williams also added 16 off the bench along with seven assists for the Govs. Betran had 15 before he left as did senior forward Triggs. Demarius Smith chipped in 11 along with six assists while limiting Skyhawks perimeter player Mike Liabo to just eight points.
APSU, which came in averaging more than 17 turnovers per game, committed a season-low nine while collecting nine steals.
UT Martin, which shot just 38 percent (25 of 66) from the floor, was led by Myles Taylor’s 19 points and 14 rebounds. Justin Childs added 14.
MOREHEAD STATE 70, SIUE 63
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Morehead State men's basketball team held SIU Edwardsville to 32 percent from the floor en route to a 70-63 victory on Thursday evening at the Vadalabene Center.
The Eagles improve to 10-6 overall and 4-4 on the road, while the Cougars slip to 3-11 on the season and 3-3 at home. MSU also moves to 5-1 in the all-time series with its third straight win over SIUE.
Thursday was the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams. MSU has now won its first league tilt in five of the past six years. The Eagles have also already matched last year's road wins total.
SIU Edwardsville pulled to within four on a three-pointer with 19:40 left in the second half, but Morehead State forced the hosts into misses on eight of their next nine field-goal attempts.
The Cougars didn't connect on another basket until a three with 10:34 remaining. SIUE eventually cut the deficit to two on a pair of occasions, but MSU finished the contest on a 5-0 run.
The Eagles were whistled for 30 fouls, including 17 in the second half. Four Morehead State starters were sidelined with four infractions by the 12:08 mark of the second half.
SIU Edwardsville attempted 37 free throws, but made just 68 percent. Morehead State tried 25 free tosses and drilled 76 percent. MSU made its first 11 attempts from the foul line.
Junior Angelo Warner led Morehead State with 17 points, while senior Drew Kelly added 12. Senior Chad Posthumus, who began the day second in the nation with 12.4 rebounds per contest, pulled down a game-high 10.
Morehead State used three players off its bench for at least 20 minutes each due to the foul trouble.
Sophomore Donivine Stewart paced SIU Edwardsville with 17 points, while junior Keaton Jackson chipped in with 10 points and four blocked shots.
The Eagles tallied a 41-36 advantage on the boards and 34-20 upper hand in paint points. MSU has only been outrebounded once in 16 affairs this season.
Morehead State's largest lead of 13 points came with 14:49 to play. The Eagles manufactured a 16-4 second-half run to take control and never trailed again.
MURRAY STATE 82, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 75
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers opened the Ohio Valley Conference season with an 82-75 win over Southeast Missouri State Thursday night at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
Jarvis Williams tied a CFSB Center record with a career-high 18 rebounds, with Cameron Payne and T.J. Sapp scoring 23 and 16 points respectively. Williams tossed in 16 points and Payne’s 23 set a career-high.
The Racers (6-7, 1-0 OVC) pushed their home win streak to four straight, while the Redhawks fell to 8-6 and 0-1.
A late 7-0 run got the Racers over the hump as the OVC West Division favorites battled in their first of two meetings this season. Trailing 67-66 with 4:27 left, Payne hit a corner three to give the Racers the lead for good. After a defensive stop, Williams made a free throw and rebounded the miss of his second attempt. The ball was moved around the horn and eventually Sapp nailed 3-pointer completing a rare 4-point play for the Racers and a 73-67 lead with 3:36 left.
SEMO made another push and cut the MSU lead to 75-73 with 2:33 left, but Sapp answered with another 3-pointer and MSU led by five with 2:03 remaining.
Jeffery Moss and Sapp each made a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
After losing the rebound battle in the last two games at Western Kentucky and Dayton, the Racers claimed a win tonight 42-34. MSU’s +8 margin over the Redhawks was second this season in D-I games only to the +11 margin they had (Dec. 17) against Southern Illinois. MSU is 5-0 this season when winning the rebound statistic.
After leading 38-34 at the half, MSU got going at the outset of the second half. MSU pushed in front by 10 points twice including at the 13:05 mark when Tyler Rambo hit a reverse layup for a 55-45 lead.
SEMO took their first lead of the game at the 7:52 mark when Jarekious Bradley scored, but T.J. Sapp answered with a fast break score for an old fashioned 3-point play and a 62-60 MSU lead.
The Racers had a splendid start to the game when they jumped out to a 14-2 lead only 4:39 into the contest. Payne hit three straight 3-pointers to put MSU in front 9-0. MSU led 19-7 at the 12:23 mark when Sapp hit a corner three. The Racers hit 4-of-7 from long range to start the game.
MSU’s final field goal of the half came when Moss scored on the baseline for a 30-19 lead with 3:41 left. MSU’s final eight points of the half came from the line where they were 8-of-10.
Lucas Nutt scored at the buzzer and MSU held a 38-34 lead at the break.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 100, EASTERN ILLINOIS 81
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Senior guard Glenn Cosey broke the school record, and tied the Ohio Valley Conference mark, with 10 three-pointers as the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team rolled to a 100-81 victory at Eastern Illinois University on Thursday.
Cosey broke the school record of seven three-pointers with 12:26 left in the game. He tied the Ohio Valley Conference record with his 10th at the 9:04 mark. Ironically, the OVC record was set by Marc Polite of Eastern Illinois.
Cosey finished with 34 points, going 11-of-14 from the field, including 10-for-12 from behind the arc. He also had six assists and no turnovers. Corey Walden added 17 points and Marcus Lewis contributed 14 points.
A pair of first half runs allowed EKU to put the game away early. The Colonels led by only three before using a 16-5 run to build a 14-point cushion. Cosey scored eight of the 16 on two three-pointers and two free throws. Timmy Knipp’s bucket at the 10:32 mark capped the run and made it 30-16 in favor of the road team.
Eastern Kentucky was in front by 10, 36-26, when a 10-0 run stretched the margin to 20 for the first time. Walden scored the first five points of the run. A basket by Orlando Williams with 3:13 left in the first half finished off the spurt.
The Colonels scored 10 of the first 14 points of the second half to build a 26-point margin, 66-40. Cosey’s school record-tying seventh three-pointer and a free throw by Deverin Muff stretched the lead to 30, 72-42, with 14:41 remaining in the game.
Sherman Blanford had a team-best 23 points and a game-best six rebounds for the Panthers.
EKU shot 60 percent from the field and 50 percent (16-of-32) from three-point range. EIU connected on 53 percent of its shots from the field.
TENNESSEE TECH 57, TENNESSEE STATE 53
NASHVILLE - A hot start to conference play is always an advantage for a college basketball program, especially when it comes on the road. The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team took advantage right off the bat in its Ohio Valley Conference opener, defeating Tennessee State 57-53 in Nashville.
A dogfight the whole way, the Golden Eagles were able to find fire from the 3-point line in the second half to eke out the four-point victory. Redshirt sophomore Josiah Moore paced the Tech offense, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting while also grabbing four rebounds. Big man Dwan Caldwell joined him in double-figures, collecting 10 points on the night.
The Tech defense proved stout in the affair, holding the OVC's leading scorer, Patrick Miller, to just 13 points, nearly eight below the guard's average. Kennedy Eubanks led all players with 15 points and finished with 10 rebounds for a double-double. M.J. Rhett also added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The first half was a complete slugfest as the two sides bullied their way for position while taking long possessions to try and wear down each respective defense. The score reflected the defensive struggle as TSU took just a three-point advantage into the half, leading 25-22.
The Golden Eagles looked to take control of things in the middle of the first 20, snapping together a 14-2 run while jumping to an 18-13 lead with just over 8:00 to play. But the Tigers responded with a little 10-0 run of their own, retaking the lead and keeping it for the remainder of the half.
Both teams came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, combining for four 3-pointers in the first four minutes. Tech went on to keep that hot streak going, connecting on a total of six treys in the final 20 minutes.
Senior guard Jeremiah Samarrippas finished the game with seven points and six assists, connecting on two 3-pointers while also helping on two more. Javon McKay added eight points to the scoring as well, dropping a career-high two treys.
BELMONT 78, JACKSONVILLE STATE 67
NASHVILLE - Belmont University men's basketball opened the new year in fine form, defeating Jacksonville State, 78-67, in its OVC opener Thursday evening.
Belmont was back at home for the first time since Dec. 1, after a stretch of five consecutive road games against 2013 postseason teams.
The Bruins made their first four shots, including successive three-pointers from senior Drew Windler, senior J.J. Mann and sophomore Craig Bradshaw. Bradshaw provided an electrifying backdoor slam on a feed from Windler to give the Bruins a 21-15 lead midway through the first half. In fact, Belmont led by six points on four occasions in the first half, but foul trouble to Bradshaw and senior Blake Jenkins inhibited Belmont from breaking free.
Jacksonville State entered having won 7 of its last 11, and behind 10 first half points from Darion Rackley and a putback basket from Teraes Clemmons, the Gamecocks grabbed a 37-35 halftime lead.
Belmont shot 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field in the opening 20 minutes - including 3-for-6 from three-point distance. The Bruins also scored 20 points in the paint in the first half.
Jacksonville State extended to a 42-37 lead on a Jamal Hunter layin before Belmont strung together defensive stops and trademark offensive execution. A baseline reverse layin from freshman Evan Bradds pushed the Bruins back in front, 47-46, with 16:00 remaining. After Nick Cook got Jacksonville State within 49-48, a thunderous Jenkins slam and a conventional three-point play from Bradshaw highlighted a 9-0 Bruin run that gave the hosts a 58-48 lead with 10:42 left.
Belmont also picked up its defensive intensity and rebounding, turning stops into scores in transition. The Bruins maintained a double figure lead over the final 10 minutes of the game.
The Bruins threatened to break their NCAA era single-game record for team field goal percentage of 67.4 percent, before settling for 63.8 percent shooting (30-for-47).
Bradshaw paced five Bruins in double figures with 18 points. Mann added 16 points and three steals. Jenkins had 12 points, five rebounds, and a career-high six assists. Bradds and Windler each scored 10.
Rackley led Jacksonville State (7-10, 1-1 OVC) with 15 points.