THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Murray State 92, Tennessee Tech 53
Jacksonville State 71, @Austin Peay 59
@Belmont 80, Morehead State 66
@UT Martin 84, Eastern Illinois 77
@Southeast Missouri 82, SIUE 78
Eastern Kentucky 94, @Tennessee State 78
MURRAY STATE 92, TENNESSEE TECH 53
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers enjoyed their best offensive game of the season and Jeffery Moss of his MSU career as the Racers rolled to their seventh straight win at home Thursday in a 92-53 victory over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
The Racers (11-8) shot an incredible 63 percent in the first half (19-of-30) and led 55-23. Moss ended the day scoring a career-high 31 points to move Murray State to a 6-1 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tech fell to 10-11 and 3-3.
Moss hit his first eight shots from the field including four straight 3-point baskets to help the Racers jump on TTU 29-12 with 7:29 remaining in the opening half. The sophomore ended the day 12-of-18 from the field and 7-of-9 from 3-point range. He also added five rebounds and didn’t commit a turnover in 31 minutes on the floor. Moss’ 31 points blew past his previous best of 21 against Bethel (Nov. 19).
Already with a big lead, the Racers punished TTU with a 26-11 run which included a three-point play from Jarvis Williams who had his eighth double-double of the season with 15 rebounds and 12 points. MSU ended the half with T.J. Sapp hitting three of his 13 points on a 3-point buzzer shot to give the Racers a 55-23 lead, both were season bests for MSU in scoring and defending in a first half.
The Racers kept playing well in the second half winning the final stanza 37-30.
MSU had one of those offensive games that come when everyone hits shots. MSU was 51 percent from the field on 34-of-66 and 56 percent from 3-point range on 15-of-27. MSU was just shy of the school record 17 3-pointers from 1994.
The Racers also defended well in holding Tech to 41 percent on 22-of-53 shots including 33 percent in the first half on 10-of-30.
MSU is 8-0 this season when they win the rebound stat and they won it today 45-30. Jonathan Fairell joined Williams in double-figures with 10 to go with six points. Dexter Fields and Cameron Payne tossed in 11 points each to give MSU five in double-figure scoring.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 71, AUSTIN PEAY 59
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Senior Brian Williams tied his career high with 25 points and set a couple of longevity records on a Thursday night that saw him guide the Jacksonville State men's basketball team to a long overdue 71-59 win at Austin Peay.
Williams, a senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., scored 17 in the second half, including a stretch of 11 in a row for the Gamecocks (10-13, 4-4 Ohio Valley Conference). He was a season-best 7-for-10 from the floor to lead a JSU charge that pulled ahead early and never let the Govs (8-12, 2-4 OVC) get any closer than six in the second half.
His 89th career start in a JSU uniform set a new JSU Division I record, while his 38 minutes gave him 3,444 in his career and broke Nick Murphy's Division I school record. He also pushed his career scoring total to 1,205 to pass Walker Russell for second on the school's Div. I list.
He led all scorers and a group of four Gamecocks in double figures in JSU's first win in APSU's Dunn Center in their 10th trip to the facility. It was also JSU's third-straight win in a series that saw the Govs win 17 of the first 18 meetings and the Gamecocks 15th in their last 16 meetings with teams from the OVC's West Division.
The Gamecocks went 17-for-18 at the free throw line for a .944 percentage, the best by a JSU team since going 23-for-24 at UT Martin on Feb. 2, 2012. More importantly, they were 10-for-10 in the final minute, stopping any comeback chance the Govs might have.
Junior D.J. Felder scored nine of his 11 points in the first seven minutes of the second half and also grabbed seven of his eight boards in the second half. The native of Topeka, Kan., tied senior Nick Cook with a game-high eight rebounds, guiding the Gamecocks to a 38-30 advantage on the glass, one that also saw them get 11 offensive boards and 14 second-chance points. Williams had six boards and four assists.
Junior Darion Rackley scored 11 first-half points and finished the game with 15, while junior Avery Moore added 10 points and four assists in the win.
The Govs got 16 points from Will Triggs and 11 from Chris Horton, who each pulled down six boards.
The Gamecocks took control of the game early on, using a Jamal Hunter putback and Avery Moore's second 3-pointer in the first five minutes to turn Peay's only lead into a four-point JSU lead. The Govs tied it at 10-10 but watched the Gamecocks grab the lead right back.
They would pull away down the stretch of the half, using defense to hold the Govs without a field goal for 6:05 while the Gamecock offense built the team's largest lead of the first 20 minutes at 35-21 on a Rackley triple with 2:47 to play before the half.
Triggs' layup with just over a minute on the clock sent the game into the half with JSU holding a 35-23 lead.
Rackley went 4-for-6 from the floor in the first half to lead all scorers with 11 points, while Williams scored eight. The Gamecocks dished an assist on nine of their 12 first-half field goals and used six offensive boards to get 10 second-chance points.
From Rackley's 3-pointer to the Gamecocks' next basket, almost six minutes ran off of the clock and Austin Peay pulled to within 35-29 early in the second half. The Gamecocks turned it over on their first three second-half possessions and fired an airball on the fourth to let the Govs get back in it.
The Gamecocks turned to Felder at that point and he delivered. He scored the team's next nine points, sparking a run that saw Williams then score 10 straight for the Gamecocks and push JSU's lead to 16 at 55-39 with 8:10 on the clock.
Peay started clawing back, using a few whistles to pull to within 10 with less than three minutes to play.
JSU's drought continued and the Govs cut their deficit to eight at 57-49 with just over 90 seconds to play, but a Hunter steal led to a Williams layup to stop the run. Moore knocked down a pair of free throws to push it back to a double-digit game in JSU's favor.
The Govs were forced to put the Gamecocks on the line, where they converted, going 10-for-10 in the final 60 seconds to put the game away.
BELMONT 80, MOREHEAD STATE 66
NASHVILLE - Behind clutch performances from J.J. Mann, Reece Chamberlain, and Craig Bradshaw, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Morehead State, 80-66, Thursday night.
The Eagles would score the game's first five points, before two baskets from Mann and a thunderous slam from freshman Evan Bradds capped an 11-0 Belmont reply.
Both teams would showcase strong defensive effort and efficient offense early, with Mann and Morehead State's Brent Arrington answering shot for shot.
A layin from Chamberlain and a pullup jumper from freshman Caleb Chowbay pushed the Bruin lead to 27-20 with 5:52 left in the half. Belmont would lead 28-34 at halftime, despite 19 first-half points from Morehead State guard Brent Arrington.
Bradshaw who entered averaging nearly 20 ppg in OVC play, went scoreless in the first half, before exploding for 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the second half.
With Arrington and Drew Kelly in foul trouble and point guard Kareem Story ailing due to a leg injury sustained late in the first half, Morehead State turned to Angelo Warner to stay within distance. Warner scored 14 after halftime, but A Bradshaw dunk and four free throws gave Belmont a 66-54 lead with 7:43 left and the hosts would lead by double figures from there on.
J.J. Mann was ultra-efficient, with 19 points on eight field goals attempts, while Chamberlain filled the box score with a career-high tying 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Belmont (15-7, 6-1 OVC) forced 16 Eagle turnovers, while only committing seven.
UT MARTIN 84, EASTERN ILLINOIS 77
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team was boosted by stellar bench play this evening in an 84-77 triumph over Ohio Valley Conference West rival Eastern Illinois at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
Trailing by nine points with 17:49 left in the contest, UT Martin head coach Jason James inserted five new subs – Khristian Taylor, DeMarc Richardson, Mike Liabo, Chandler Rowe and Bobby Jones. Those five – along with Tobias Dowdell, who checked in a little over three minutes later – provided 32 of the team’s 50 points in the second half to help the Skyhawks overcome an 11-point deficit.
Liabo led UT Martin (7-15, 2-5 OVC) with 20 points in 22 minutes for his 17th career 20-plus point performance. However, the unsung hero of the night was Taylor, who registered season-highs of 11 points and five assists (against zero turnovers) in 20 minutes of play.
James praised the aggression shown by Taylor, a junior out of Akron, Ohio who entered tonight’s game with 12 points in 15 games this season.
Terence Smith poured in 19 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting performance, including a 4-for-6 effort from three-point range. Dee Oldham added 12 points and Myles Taylor pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go with a game-high three steals for the Skyhawks, who shot an even 60 percent (15-for-25) in the second half.
Eastern Illinois (6-13, 3-5 OVC) was led by 20 points by Chris Olivier while Sherman Blanford tallied a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Keenen Anderson added 11 points for the Panthers.
The Skyhawks found themselves in an early 4-0 hole but quickly recovered to take an 11-6 lead thanks to back-to-back trifectas from Smith. A three-pointer by Marshun Newell at the 10:27 mark of the first half pushed UT Martin’s advantage out to 18-11.
Yet another triple off the hands of Smith gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the night at 25-17 with 7:37 remaining in the first half.
The Panthers would soon go on a 10-2 run that resulted in a 32-31 lead. UT Martin would tie the score two more times before trailing 37-34 at the halftime break.
Smith’s 14 points led all scorers at the half while Anderson and Olivier accumulated eight points apiece for Eastern Illinois.
The Panthers would convert all three of their first three field goal attempts in the second half – all of which took place in the paint. That prompted the call to the bench from James.
Immediately after Eastern Illinois opened up its biggest lead of the night (47-36) with 16:01 to go, the Skyhawks poured in a trio of three-pointers in a span of 2:12 to quickly slice their deficit to four points at the 13:30 mark.
Khristian Taylor then accounted for four straight points and after a pair of Dowdell free throws with 9:18 left to play, the Skyhawks owned their first lead (55-54) since the waning moments of the second half.
Eastern Illinois would reclaim the lead but Oldham knocked down a pair of three-pointers over a stretch of four possessions to tilt the advantage back in UT Martin’s favor.
However, Eastern Illinois led by four points with 4:13 left to play before the Skyhawks took off once again. Four different UT Martin players accounted for buckets during a crucial 10-2 run, capped off with a Smith three-pointer from the right side that made the score 75-71 with 2:01 remaining.
The Panthers would sink a pair of free throws on their next possession to get back within two points but the Skyhawks would close out the win behind a fast break layup by Liabo and a 7-for-8 effort from the charity stripe in the game’s final 49 seconds.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 82, SIUE 78
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Jarekious Bradley scored 18 points and Southeast Missouri (11-9, 3-4) made four free throws in the last four seconds to secure an 82-78 win over SIU Edwardsville (6-14, 3-4) Thursday night at the Show Me Center.
Bradley led four Southeast players in double figures, helping lift the Redhawks to their second-straight victory.
Southeast heated up to shoot 60 percent from the field and used a 22-1 run to grab a double-digit halftime lead.
The Redhawks led, 28-24, with 8:45 left to play in the first half before launching their hefty run. Southeast scored 15 unanswered points in a span of 3:47 and buried four threes to take a 50-25 advantage with 1:58 remaining. Bradley knocked down two three-pointers, while Darrian Gray and Jamaal Calvin also dialed up from long distance. Nino Johnson, Josh Langford and Antonius Cleveland contributed, as well.
SIUE went without a field goal for a period of 8:34, but closed out the half on a 10-0 run to narrow Southeast's lead to 50-35 at the intermission.
Things suddenly got interesting when the Cougars strung together an 18-3 run and pulled to within four (57-53) on Rozell Nunn's conventional three-point play at the 11:56 mark. Kris Davis then hit a three to cut Southeast's lead to 70-67 with 3:21 on the clock before Bradley quickly responded with a trey of his own to regain a six-point cushion for the Redhawks. Maurice Wiltz, Bradley and Nunn exchanged threes after that.
Following Nunn's basket, the Cougars diced the Redhawks lead to 78-77 when Donivine Stewart made a pair of free throws with nine ticks on the clock. Lucas Nutt, who missed a jumper before Stewart was fouled, headed to the free throw line on Southeast's next possession. After missing the front end of a 1-and-1, Nutt intercepted Christian Salecich's pass for a huge steal. Nutt and Bradley each made two free throws in the final seconds after that turnover to preserve the win.
Bradley shot 6-of-13 from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range. He also had six rebounds and made Southeast's only two threes in the second half. Tyler Stone followed with 15 points and six rebounds, despite being in foul trouble. Nino Johnson followed with 13 points, nine rebounds and a game-high two blocks.
Meanwhile, Langford chipped in 10 points and nine boards, and Nutt dished out five assists. Nutt needs just 14 more assists to break the school's all-time career record.
Southeast outrebounded SIUE, 42-32, and dominated the Cougars, 46-18, inside the paint.
Nunn led SIUE with 15 points, while Wiltz, Stewart and Tim Johnson contributed 14 apiece. The Cougars outscored the Redhawks, 43-32, in the second stanza.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 94, TENNESSEE STATE 78
NASHVILLE - Eastern Kentucky University’s men’s basketball team put Tennessee State University away early in a 94-78 victory on Thursday in Nashville.
The Tigers scored the first basket, but EKU (14-6, 5-2 OVC) went on a 15-2 run to take a 9-point lead. Eric Stutz capped the early run with a pair of baskets, including a steal at midcourt that he took the distance for a lay-up.
A hot streak from behind the arc later in the half allowed the Colonels to stretch a 10-point lead to a 21-point margin. Five straight Eastern field goals came from behind the three-point line. Jeff Johnson hit two, Glenn Cosey followed with two and Isaac McGlone finished it off for a 35-14 lead with 7:50 left in the opening half. EKU hit eight of its first 13 attempts from deep.
TSU (2-20, 1-7 OVC) got within 10 twice in the first half but Eastern Kentucky led by 13, 45-32, at the break.
EKU scored the first six points of the second half and never looked back. Another steal and basket by Stutz stretched the margin to 23, 74-51, with 9:04 left in the game.
The Colonels knocked down 13-of-25 shots from behind the three-point line for 52 percent.
Cosey finished with a team-best 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He hit 6-of-9 from behind the arc, had six rebounds and five assists. Tarius Johnson finished with 13. Marcus Lewis and Isaac McGlone each had 11 points.
Patrick Miller led all players with 33 points for the Tigers. Jordan Gaither came off the bench to hit five three-pointers and finish with 20 points.
Both teams shot 55 percent from the field.