THURSDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 107, @Southeast Missouri 94
@Jacksonville State 61, SIUE 52
@Tennessee Tech 81, Eastern Illinois 69
BELMONT 107, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 94
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - In a breathtaking offensive performance, Belmont University men's basketball defeated OVC West favorite Southeast Missouri, 107-94, Thursday night.
The Bruins, who remarkably also scored 107 points against the Redhawks a year ago in victory in Nashville, put together one of their finest offensive games in recent memory.
Senior Blake Jenkins scored 19 first half points in leading Belmont to a 55-50 halftime lead.
The Redhawks rode the fine play of Jarekious Bradley and Tyler Stone to get within two points in the second half, but the Bruins' precision halfcourt offense remained the story.
Senior J.J. Mann and sophomore Craig Bradshaw combined on 39 second half points as Belmont used a 9-0 run late to secure the game.
All told, Belmont shot 63 percent (38-for-60) from the field – including a season-high 17-for-26 from three-point distance.
Belmont had 21 assists and only six turnovers.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 61, SIUE 52
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Junior Jamal Hunter recorded his first career double-double to help the Jacksonville State men's basketball team pick up a 61-52 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Ohio Valley Conference action at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Thursday night.
The Macon, Miss., native finished 4-of-5 from the field for 11 points to go with 11 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks while helping JSU improve to 8-11 overall and 2-2 in OVC play. Donivine Stewart was a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the 3-point line to lead the Cougars (4-12, 1-2 OVC) with 17 points in the losing effort.
Senior Brian Williams finished with 15 points to go with six rebounds and five assists while helping the Gamecocks win their 14th straight game over opponents from the OVC's West Division. Junior D.J. Felder added 14 points, 10 of which came in the second half, off a 6-of-7 shooting night while grabbing five rebounds on the night.
Freshman Undra Mitchem also added nine points and a career-high five rebounds for the Gamecocks. For the game, JSU shot 23-of-52 (44.2 percent) while holding SIUE to a 19-of-52 (36.5 percent) shooting night from the field.
The Cougars started the game just 2-of-10 from the field and watched as the Gamecocks built a 17-6 lead to open the game. SIUE then used an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 17-16 with 7:23 to play in the half.
Hunter and freshman Undra Mitchem each scored baskets underneath to end the scoring drought for the Gamecocks. Following a layup and free throw from the Cougars, JSU used a 3-point shot from junior Darion Rackley and a pair of free throws from Williams to push the lead to 26-19 with 3:35 to play.
SIUE then went on a 10-0 run to close the half with a 29-26 lead. The Gamecocks missed their final seven shots of the half during the run after opening the game 11-of-20 from the floor to finish the half 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from the floor while the Cougars shot 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from the floor.
The Cougars opened the second half with two 3-point field goals from Stewart while building a 36-29 lead. The Gamecocks then began slowly chipping away at the lead, using baskets from Hunter and Felder and a 3-point shot from Mitchem to cut the lead to 38-36 with 15:42 remaining.
Stewart then again hit a 3-point shot for SIUE to push the lead back out to 41-36. The Gamecocks then went on a 13-2 run to take a 49-43 lead behind eight straight baskets from Felder. Williams then capped the drive with a 3-point field goal off a feed from Rackley.
SIUE would manage to cut the lead to 49-47 with 4:17 remaining but Williams again answered with a three before feeding fellow senior Nick Cook underneath for a basket to push the lead back up to 54-47. The Gamecocks then managed to hit 7-of-10 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 61-52 victory.
TENNESSEE TECH 81, EASTERN ILLINOIS 69
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech used balanced scoring, critical defensive plays down the stretch and some clutch baskets to capture an exciting 81-69 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Eastern Illinois Thursday night in Eblen Center.
With the win, Tech (9-9/2-1 OVC) improved to 6-1 at home this season, and has now won nine of the last 12 games over the Panthers. Eastern Illinois (4-11/1-3 OVC) slipped to 1-7 on the road.
Senior point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas led Tech with 18 points, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists. He was one of four Golden Eagles to score in double figures, helping to overcome 51 percent shooting by EIU.
Junior Jordan Johnson added 12 points with two assists and two steals, while dawn Caldwell added 11 points, led Tech with six rebounds, and added two assists, one block and one steal.
The fourth Golden Eagle in double figures was Josiah Moore with 10. The balance went deeper, as Shirmane Thomas and Ty Allen each netted seven, and Dennis OGbe scored six.
Eastern Illinois was paced by Dylan Chatman with 14 points while Sherman Blanford added 11 and six rebounds. The Panthers also enjoyed balanced scoring, as Luke Piotrowski and Josh Piper had eight each, and both Reggie Smith and Alex Austin scored six.
Tech nursed a 43-36 lead at halftime, following a 20-minute back-and-forth battle in which the Golden Eagles held a lead that kept getting challenged but never erased. The first stanza was marked by good shooting on both ends of the floor. EIU shot 52 percent from the field and Tech hit a 50 percent clip, punctuated by 6-for-9 accuracy from outside the arc.
After the Panthers took an early lead and held it for more than 10 minutes, the Golden Eagles finally caught up and moved ahead with 9:17 to play in the period on a 3-pointer by Johnson. Tech slowly added to the margin until it reached nine points, 38-29, with 1:42 to play.
A 17-7 run by EIU wiped out Tech's 10-point lead in the second half and tied the contest at 59-59 with 7:30 remaining.
Samarrippas drained back-to-back 3-pointers, over the next two minutes as the Golden Eagles held a slim edge, a margin that was trimmed to one point on a 3-pointer by Piper with 5:13 to play to make it 65-64.
Moore hit a layup and Caldwell's crucial tip-in with 3:50 remaining pushed Tech to a five-point lead, and Tech went 8-for-8 at the line in the final 1:24 to hold on.