SATURDAY'S SCORES
Southeast Missouri 74, @Central Arkansas 68
@Jacksonville State 88, Miles College 71
@Eastern Kentucky 115, Cincinnati Clermont 50
@Tennessee Tech 69, Chattanooga 67
Belmont 64, @Western Kentucky 63
Morehead State 69, Presbyterian 49 (Ruston, La.)
@Portland 75,
SIUE 53
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 74, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 68
CONWAY, Ark. - Jarekious Bradley and Nino Johnson each scored 20 points to lead Southeast Missouri (2-2) to a 74-68 win over Central Arkansas (0-4) Saturday afternoon at the Farris Center.
Southeast, which won its second-straight contest, had a pair of 20-point scorers in a game for the first time this season.
The Redhawks never trailed and started the game strong, using a 12-2 run to open a double-digit lead over the first 2:46. Bradley keyed the quick surge by knocking down a three-pointer and jumper on Southeast's first two possessions. Johnson also threw down a dunk and added another basket before Bradley buried his second three to cap the surge with 17:14 left in the first half.
Antonius Cleveland's jumper gave the Redhawks their biggest lead at 29-16 with 5:44 to go before UCA pulled to within six (39-33) at the half.
UCA chopped Southeast's lead down to two (54-52) when Thatch Unruh buried a three-pointer at the 12:09 mark of the second half. Isiah Jones, however, countered with a three of his own.
The Bears later made it a one possession game on two other occasions. After Jake Zuilhof's free throw narrowed Southeast's lead to 71-68 with 1:01 on the clock, the Redhawks calmly made three free throws in the final 30 seconds to ice the 74-68 win.
Bradley shot 7-of-17 from the field, had two threes and made 4-of-4 free throws in 35 minutes. Johnson hit 9-of-15 from the floor, grabbed nine rebounds and added three blocks en route to his second 20-point effort in four starts this year.
Cleveland also contributed his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Josh Langford pitched in 10 points off the bench.
Southeast shot 50 percent (17-of-34) from the field in the first half and wound up with a 45.2 percent clip for the game. The Redhawks outrebounded UCA, 45-31, and held a commanding 19-7 advantage on the offensive glass. Additionally, Southeast won the battle in second chance points by a count of 21-7.
Defensively, the Redhawks matched a season-high 12 steals and forced 16 turnovers.
UCA was led by Jordan Howard's 21 points.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 88, MILES COLLEGE 71
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State Gamecocks out-rebounded the opposition by more than 20 while going on a huge second half run in route to picking up their first win of the season against Miles, 88-71.
JSU out rebounded Miles College, 51-31, while riding a 34-17 second half to help move head coach James Green's home opener record to 6-1 at JSU.
Without senior guard Darion Rackley, Green's offensive game plan was to feed the paint and get the ball into the hands of fellow senior Jamal Hunter-and it worked to perfection. The Macon, Miss., native finished with a career-high 17 points and 17 rebounds. It marks the first time a JSU player grabbed 15-or more rebounds since Nick Murphy (18) vs Reinhard, Dec. 12, 2009.
Redshirt junior Jeremy Watson joined Hunter in the double-double department as the Birmingham, Alabama- native chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs.
It's the first time two players have recorded a double-double in a game since Tarvin Gaines (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Ronnie Boggs (14, 12) accomplished the feat vs Southeast Missouri, Feb. 20, 2013. It's also the first time since Nov. 10, 2013 against Illinois that two players brought down 10 rebounds in a game.
Joining the scoring frenzy was Avery Moore (17 points), Undra Mutchem (11), and JaQuail Townser (10). It marks the first time since March 2, 2013 against Belmont that five players scored in double figures.
Dontay Jackson also set a career-high with six points, and Malcolm Drumwright set his career-high as he finished with nine points.
The Gamecocks defense held the Bears to a 39.1 shooting percentage throughout the entire game, as well as 27.3 percent from behind the arc. Miles College didn't take its first lead until 4:40 remained in the first half as Albert Peterson finished an offensive possession with a layup. Mitchem answered on the other end with a three-point basket before the two players traded three-pointers on back-to-back possessions.
Under Green, the Gamecocks are now 43-35 at home and 21-6 against non-conference foes at home. JSU also push its series record with Miles College to 5-0, in favor of the Gamecocks.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 115, CINCINNATI CLERMONT 50
RICHMOND, Ky. - Senior forward Eric Stutz did not miss a shot and Eastern Kentucky never trailed Saturday night, defeating the University of Cincinnati Clermont College 115-50 at McBrayer Arena.
The Colonels (3-0) used a 20-4 run midway through the first half to put the visiting Cougars (2-4) away.
Stutz led EKU with a career-high 23 points on a perfect 10-of-10 shooting. He made his only three-point attempt and was also 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
The 6-foot-8 Stutz dominated a smaller Cougar frontcourt, pulling in six rebounds, two of those offensive. Stutz made his first three-pointer of the season at the 17:34 mark of the second half with a long-range shot from the right wing.
Eastern Kentucky out-scored the visitors 60-16 in the paint.
The Colonels outscored Clermont 57-26 in the second half, including a 22-0 run that gave the home team a 92-28 lead.
Despite the large margin of victory, EKU as a team didn’t shoot well from three-point range for most of the game. The Colonels missed their first six threes and started just 1-of-10 from outside. Eastern went into halftime making just 5-of-19 from behind the arc.
The Colonels started to heat up from outside midway through the second half, finishing 11-of-35 (31.4 percent) on the night from deep.
The Colonel pressure defense forced 32 Clermont turnovers, and led to a 43-3 advantage in points off turnovers. Redshirt sophomore guard Jaylen Babb-Harrison led Eastern with six steals and sophomore guard Isaac McGlone added five. McGlone also had seven points, seven assists and six rebounds.
EKU limited Clermont to just 30.8 percent shooting during the game and just 7-of-22 from three-point range. The Cougars started out 3-of-5 from deep, but made just 5-of-17 the rest of the way.
Babb-Harrison added 22 points to the effort and senior guard Corey Walden had 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior guard Ja’Mill Powell scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
TENNESSEE TECH 69, CHATTANOOGA 67
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Thirteen years ago was the last time these two instate rivals faced each other, and the rematch was definitely worth the wait.
The Golden Eagles fought back from a early second half 16-point deficit, to take the lead with 30 seconds left on a deep trey from junior Terrance Rowe, winning 69-67 over Chattanooga on Saturday night.
Tech found itself down 43-26 at the break, and need a huge defensive half to rally the comeback.
With 8:12 left to play, senior Dwan Caldwell took over. A Caldwell layup brought the score within 10, 47-57, but his defensive effort is what brought the Golden Eagles back into the game. A blocked shot by Caldwell, followed by back-to-back steals, all resulting in TTU lay-ups, took the score to 53-57.
Caldwell's hustle plays got the Eblen Center crowd on their feet, and it changed the atmosphere of the game.
With the crowd behind them, the home squad knew they had the chance to take this game back in control.
Freshman Aleksa Jugovic stole the ball away from UTC's Ronrico White with 3:30 left, and was fouled on the ensuing possession. Jugovic hit both his free throw, to bring the game within to, 60-62.
The Mocs responded with an 'and-one' layup from junior Casey Jones to bring the UTC lead back to five.
With 1:22 left to play, junior Josiah Mooore got the offensive rebound and the put-back to tie the score at 65.
With the Golden Eagles ability to keep the Mocs from hitting a shot on the next possession, TTU got the ball back, and with 30 seconds left to play, Rowe pulled up a few feet behind the arch, and hit the go-ahead triple that sealed the game.
UTC's Justin Tuoyo spun around the TTU defense, slamming one home with 25 left on the clock. However, a UTC follow on the next possession put Caldwell on the line. Caldwell's first free shot clanked off the rim, giving the Mocs' hope. The TTU forward delivered on his second free throw making the score 69-67 with seven seconds left to play.
A last second heave from the visitors fell short, and TTU completed the comeback behind a solid team defensive effort.
Rowe led the way with a game-high and career-high 18 points, adding three assists and two rebounds. Junior Charles Jackson impacted the whole game, gobbling up a game-high 11 boards, adding 15 points and a game-high four blocks. Jackson has now had a double-double in each TTU game this season.
Caldwell finished the game with nine points and seven boards, along with a game-high four seals, adding one block and one assist.
UTC saw guard Greg Pryor score a team-high 11, while guard Tre' McLean added 11 points, six boards and two assists.
Overall the Golden Eagles were outshot by the visitors, as UTC connected on 48 percent of its shots, while Tech connected on 44.4. However, TTU's biggest advantage came on the boards, as the Golden Eagles snagged 38 boards, 11 offensive, compared to the Mocs' 27 and eight.
BELMONT 64, WESTERN KENTUCKY 63
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Sophomore Nick Smith sank a three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to cap a breathtaking comeback as Belmont men's basketball defeated Western Kentucky, 64-63, Saturday night.
The Bruins, mired in uncharacteristically cold shooting, led briefly in the first half, but trailed by double figures much of the evening.
Down as many as 15 points with under 10 minutes remaining, Belmont continued to chip away, scratch and claw and give themselves a chance down the stretch.
Sophomore Evan Bradds carried the offensive load, allowing Craig Bradshaw and Smith an opportunity to tally from long distance late.
After Smith gave Belmont the lead, WKU had one final chance, but T.J. Price's 17-footer at the buzzer danced off the rim.
MOREHEAD STATE 69, PRESBYTERIAN 49
RUSTON, La. - The Morehead State men's basketball team used second-half runs of 8-0 and 11-0 to register a 69-49 non-conference win over Presbyterian on Saturday night at the Thomas Assembly Center. The game was part of a four-team Coaches vs. Cancer Classic round robin.
The Eagles, who play in the Ohio Valley Conference, improve to 2-3 overall and 1-0 on a neutral court. The Blue Hose, which competes in the Big South Conference, falls to 1-3 overall 0-2 on a neutral floor. It was the first-ever meeting between Morehead State and Presbyterian.
Morehead State held a 29-25 halftime lead, but pushed the cushion to 37-25 with 16:55 remaining on its half-opening run. The Eagles opened up a 57-36 advantage with 7:26 to play on its second surge of the period. MSU's largest lead of 25 points came with 4:08 remaining in the contest.
Senior Angelo Warner and junior Brent Arrington led MSU with 18 points apiece. Warner drilled 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range. Arrington canned 6-of-8 overall and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Senior Karam Mashour rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10.
Freshman Marquel Willis collected eight points in 16 minutes off Morehead State's bench, while senior Chad Donley recorded six points and six rebounds in just eight minutes.
Morehead State forced 24 turnovers while committing just 12. The Eagles posted advantages of 22-6 in points off turnovers, 11-0 in fast-break points, 10-2 in second-chance points and 10-6 in steals. MSU had a 12-point advantage from long distance and four-point edge from the foul line.
MSU collected 11 more free-throw attempts than Presbyterian, which marked the first time this year it has taken more shots than its opponent from the foul line. The Eagles have committed just 56 turnovers this season, which is an improvement of 19 from its five-game mark last year.
Senior Jordan Downing paced PC with 13 points, on 4-of-8 from three-point range, and 10 rebounds. Classmate William Truss contributed nine boards and a game-high six blocked shots.
PORTLAND 75, SIUE 53
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland scored the first eight points Saturday night and never trailed, rolling past visiting SIUE 75-53 in men's basketball at the Chiles Center.
Portland (3-0) was fueled by a eight first-half three-pointers, and carried a 46-28 lead into the break. The Pilots were 18 of 36 from the field over the first 20 minutes.
The Pilots scored 10 of the first 11 points to start the second half to build a 27-point lead, their largest of the game, and forcing the SIUE (1-2) to call a timeout.
The Cougars used an 8-2 run to trim the lead to 21 (58-37) thanks to six points on a pair of three-pointers from freshman Keenan Simmons.
Simmons finished with a career-high 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He was 3 for 4 from three-point range.
Keaton Jackson led the Cougars with 13 points. He and Michael Messer each pulled down six rebounds to lead the way. Freshman C.J. Carr had a career-best 10 points. He added five assists and no turnovers.
Volodymyr Gerun led Portland with a game-high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Kevin Bailey added 12 points for the Pilots.