SATURDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 73, @Fairfield 61
Eastern Illinois 60, @Indiana State 56
@UT Martin 77, Presbyterian 60
@Murray State 89, Illinois State 77
@SIUE 61, Milwaukee 56
Arkansas 84,
Southeast Missouri 67 (North Little Rock, Ark.)
@Northern Colorado 69,
Jacksonville State 60
BELMONT 73, FAIRFIELD 61
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Belmont University men's basketball defeated Fairfield, 73-61, Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins welcomed back OVC leading scorer Craig Bradshaw after missing the previous three games. Meanwhile, Fairfield played a game for the first time in 13 days.
However, it was a strange start for Belmont, as the Stags scored the first seven points of the game. After a Rick Byrd timeout, Senior Reece Chamberlain got Belmont on the board at the 15:26 mark with a driving layin, whie freshman Amanze Egekeze added a three-pointer moments later. Sophomore Nick Smith would give the Bruins a brief lead, before five unanswered points from reserve forward Kevin Degnan pushed Fairfield back ahead 15-11.
The Degnan points were somewhat off the radar as he had scored only four points total in the Stags' first nine games. But undeterred, the Bruins ripped off 10 straight points, capped by a three-pointer from sophomore Taylor Barnette.
Belmont had settled in, but Fairfield offensive rebounds and second chance points gave the Stags some momentum. While Bradshaw and sophomore Evan Bradds did not score in the opening 20 minutes on a combined one field goal attempt, Smith and freshman Tyler Hadden helped Belmont take a 29-27 halftime lead. elmont shot 40 percent (10-for-25) in the first half - including 5-for-15 from three-point distance.
Strong play from Bradds and Egekeze sparked the Bruins to a 12-3 run out of the locker room as the lead grew to 41-30. But Fairfield leading scorer Marcus Gilbert, who Belmont admirably held scoreless for the opening 25 minutes of the game, erupted for 12 points in a two annd a half minute stretch as the Stags closed to within 45-43 with 12:26 left.
The Bruins responded, as a Bradds conventional three-point play, and baskets from Smith and Bradshaw pushed the Belmont lead back to nine with 10:57 remaining. Belmont got more uptempo, end-to-end play in the second half, in large part through stringing together defensive stops. One free throw from Steve Johnston got Fairfield within 56-54 with 6:36 to go, but a short jumper from Egekeze and a driving basket from Barnette pushed the Bruin advantage back to six. After Amadou Sidibe got the Stags within four, Bradshaw would have a hand in a decisive 6-0 Belmont run; first setting up Hadden for a easy two, before scoring two straight baskets on his own.
The Bruins led 66-56 with 3:08 left, and would go 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:56 to secure the victory. All told, Belmont shot 51 percent (27-for-53) from the field - including 6-for-20 from three-point distance. Belmont outrebounded Fairfield, 39-36, and was plus-nine on the glass in the second half.
Bradshaw led four Bruins in double figures with 15 points, all in the second half. Bradds had 13 second half points, while Smith added 12 and Egekeze 11. Hadden had a career-high nine points and Chamberlain provided six points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Gilbert led Fairfield (4-6) with 18 points.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 60, INDIANA STATE 56
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Eastern Illinois closed out a 60-56 win over Indiana State on Saturday afternoon with six points in the final 23 seconds as the Panthers won 60-56 beating the Sycamores for the first time since 2001.
EIU improved to 5-6 on the season and will play at Cleveland State at 1 p.m. on Saturday. ISU dropped to 4-7.
EIU led 20-17 at the half after building a 18-9 lead with 7:23 to play in the first on a Josh Piper jumper. A 6-0 run by ISU was capped by Khristian Smith's lay-up with 4:11 to play. Each team closed the half with a basket.
Devonte Brown had two lay-ups for Indiana State as the Panthers went nearly three minutes at the close of the game without a point. Brown's second free throw made it a 54-53 lead for EIU with 53 seconds to play.
Cornell Johnston then scored a lay-up with 23 seconds left and Chris Olivier and Trae Anderson each knocked down two free throws. Brenton Scott hit a 3-pointer for the Sycamores with three seconds left to play.
EIU opened an eight point lead with 10:51 to play as Piper and Johnston both connnected on 3-pointers lifting the Panthers to a 38-30 lead.
Smith powered the Sycamores to back within one poin with a jumper at 7:13 which made it a 44-43 EIU lead.
Both teams would trade baskets with EIU holding the lead the entire second half. Johnston knocked down another 3-pointer with 3:44 to play giving EIU a 54-48 lead. The Panthers would then go scoreless until Johnston's lay-up with 23 seconds to play. The freshman guard finished with 11 points.
Olivier had 15 points while Anderson had 14.
UT MARTIN 77, PRESBYTERIAN 60
MARTIN, Tenn. - In its first home game in a month, the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team sped past the visiting Presbyterian Blue Hose by a 77-60 margin in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
The Skyhawks led for all but 1:29 of the contest this evening and turned a nine-point halftime lead into a 21-point lead midway through the second half. UT Martin committed only three turnovers while shooting 58 percent (29-for-50) from the floor tonight, improving its record to 7-3 overall. That marks the best winning percentage out of any team in the Ohio Valley Conference and the best 10-game start for UT Martin since 2001-02.
Deville Smith led the Skyhawks in scoring for the fourth straight game, pouring in 23 points while tying a career-high with five 3-pointers. He also tied a career-high with nine assists against only one turnover in 39 minutes of play.
Twymond Howard added 16 points this evening, joining Alex Anderson (12 points on four 3-pointers) and Marshun Newell (11 points, nine rebounds, six assists) in double-figures. Javier Martinez also made a huge impact off the bench, scoring nine points to go along with career-highs of 10 rebounds and two blocks in 27 minutes for UT Martin, who won the rebounding battle (29-24) and shot 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from three-point range.
Presbyterian (4-8) was led by William Truss’ 12 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Downing also compiled 12 points while Austin Anderson handed out a game-high 10 assists for the Blue Hose.
UT Martin’s defense set the tone early, forcing a shot clock violation on the opening possession of the game. Smith began the three-point barrage with a trifecta from the right corner on the Skyhawks’ first trip down the floor.
Presbyterian briefly took a 5-3 lead before UT Martin reeled off a 13-0 run over the span of 2:25, capped off with treys by Howard and Newell.
After another Smith three-pointer at the 12:29 mark provided the Skyhawks with a 21-7 advantage, the Blue Hose answered with seven unanswered points to get within seven points with 9:35 to go in the first half. Anderson then connected on a triple with a little over nine minutes to play to push UT Martin’s lead back out to double-digits (25-15).
The Blue Hose responded with another brief 7-0 spurt to close within one possession but Smith answered right back with a three-pointer from the right corner that began a 8-0 run for the Skyhawks, who took a 33-24 advantage into the halftime break.
Smith led all scorers with 11 points in the first half, as the Skyhawks made seven 3-pointers and committed only one turnover in the first 20 minutes. Downing’s 10 points led Presbyterian.
Arkeem Joseph accounted for UT Martin’s first two baskets in the second half but Truss scored Presbyterian’s first six points of the half to get the Blue Hose within seven points (37-30) with 17:20 left to play.
The Skyhawks then essentially put the game away with a 19-5 run over a stretch of 6:47, as Smith and Martinez each poured in six points apiece during the big run, which resulted in a 56-35 UT Martin advantage.
A Smith three-pointer and driving layup by Howard kept the Skyhawk lead at 21 points midway through the second half. Presbyterian followed with an 8-0 run to get within 13 points but that was ultimately as close as the Blue Hose would get the rest of the way.
MURRAY STATE 89, ILLINOIS STATE 77
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers won for the sixth straight time Saturday in an 89-74 win over Illinois State. The Racers have won five straight at home in the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
MSU (8-4) got 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots from Jarvis Williams, while Cameron Payne scored 20 points in the final 25-plus minutes after getting his first hoop at 4:40 in the first half. Jeffery Moss and Justin Seymour were 10-of-18 from the field as they finished with 14 and 13 points. Tyler Rambo provided eight points off the bench in 14 minutes.
The Racers are 33-3 in the Coach Steve Prohm era and winners of four straight when they reach the 80-point mark.
The Racers grabbed their largest lead of the first half at 8:56 on a Williams rebound and put-back. Payne got on the board with three straight field goals starting at the 2:48 mark, when he hit a transition jumper. The Racers led ISU 35-33 at 2:21. However, the Racers would have to make a comeback when ISU ended the half on a 9-2 run to lead 42-37.
MSU started the second half with a 13-4 run to lead 51-46 when Jonathan Fairell hit a pair of free throws at 15:08. Rambo scored four points in a MSU 7-1 run and the lead went to double-digits at the 7:00 mark 73-62. MSU put the game away on a Payne to Williams dunk for an 82-71 lead at 2:33.
MSU shot the ball extremely well in going 31-of-54 for 57 percent. They were even better in the second half in hitting 17-of-27 shots for 60 percent.
SIUE 61, MILWAUKEE 56
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE men's basketball connected on 60 percent of its shots in the second half and captured a 61-56 win over Milwaukee Saturday night at Vadalabene Center.
The Cougars (2-7) were 12 of 20 from the field over the final 20 minutes to erase a halftime deficit and snap a seven-game losing streak. It is the first time this season (1-7) and only the 16th time in 126 games under Head Coach Lennox Forrester that SIUE has come back from a halftime deficit.
Milwaukee (5-7) was 10-12 from the free throw line in the first half and took a 28-25 lead into the locker room.
The Panthers enjoyed their largest lead of the night, six points, thanks to a three-pointer from Akeem Springs with 16:24 to play that put Milwaukee on top 35-29. A 14-2 run by SIUE over the next 7:22 gave the Cougars a six-point lead (43-37) with 8:46 left.
Milwaukee took a five-point lead on a Matt Tiby layin with 6:47 left before Rozell Nunn and Kris Davis combined for five points to tie the game for a 10th time with 5:03 remaining. Nunn hit a running layup with 6:35 to play and Davis drained three of four free throws. Tiby gave Milwaukee its last lead (48-47) with a three-pointer with 4:14 to play.
Donivine Stewart put the Cougars up for good with a jumper from the left side with 3:50 to play.
Milwaukee remained close thanks in large part to SIUE struggling at the free throw line. The Cougars missed 10 free throws over the final 3:35 and finished the game just 13-28 from the free throw line.
Stewart was just 4-12 from the stripe. He finished with eight points, a game-high six assists, and four rebounds. Davis and fellow senior Maurice Wiltz led the way for SIUE with 13 points. Wiltz was 4 for 6 from the field and 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. He was 3 for 4 at the free throw line. Michael Messer added nine points on a 4-of-5 shooting performance. Jackson scored eight points and added five blocked shots. Nunn also scored eight points for the Cougars.
Milwaukee finished the game just 3 for 21 from three-point range and just 20-63 (31.7 percent) from the field. Tiby led the Panthers with 16 points. Steve McWhorter scored 11 points and hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds.
ARKANSAS 84, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 67
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Bobby Portis matched his season high of 24 points and added nine rebounds in a return to his native central Arkansas as the Razorbacks pulled away in the second half for an 84-67 win over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night.
Portis, from neighboring Little Rock, was 9 of 14 from the field as Arkansas improved to 8-2 to start the season for a second straight year. He also had 24 points in a season-opening win over Alabama State.
Michael Qualls added 15 points, including a thundering dunk in the second half, while Anthlon Bell finished with 12 points -- 11 in the first half. Arkansas shot an even 50 percent from the floor and was 7 of 19 beyond the arc.
Jarekious Bradley led the Redhawks (5-6) with 17 points, despite shooting 1 of 9 on 3-pointers, while Antonius Cleveland added 13 and Nino Johnson 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Southeast Missouri State is now 1-19 against current Southeastern Conference members, with its lone win a 28-21 victory over Arkansas in the 1924-25 season. After trailing by as many as 19 points early in the second half, the Redhawks cut Arkansas' lead to 49-42 with a 14-2 run -- highlighted by a pair of dunks by Johnson.
The Redhawks were still within nine points at 53-44 before Alandise Harris ignited the Verizon Arena crowd with a one-handed putback dunk of Manuale Watkins' 3-point miss. Rashad Madden followed with a steal and a pair of free throws, and the Razorbacks quickly extended their lead by to 59-44 after a layup by North Little Rock native Anton Beard.
Southeast Missouri State closed within 10 points once more at 59-49, but Qualls scored eight straight points at one point for Arkansas as the Razorbacks went on a 12-2 run to take a 71-51 lead and put the game out of reach.
Qualls had all 15 of his points in the second half, including his powerful dunk on the break to put Arkansas up 79-57. The junior was 8 of 9 on free throws, while Bell led the outside shooting attack by hitting 3 of 6 3-pointers.
NORTHERN COLORADO 69, JACKSONVILLE STATE 60
GREELEY, Colo. - Late turnovers and a Northern Colorado run proved costly for the Jacksonville State men's basketball team in a 69-60 loss on Saturday.
Late in a second half that saw eight lead changes, the Gamecocks (7-5) held a six-point lead over the Bears (4-5), but back-to-back turnovers keyed a 19-4 run over the final 5:07 that kept UNC unbeaten at home.
Senior D.J. Felder led three Gamecocks in double figures with 16 points on a 7-for-9 shooting night and also pulled down five boards in the losing effort. The Bears got 24 points from Tim Huskisson, who led a 44-16 advantage inside for UNC in the game.
A team that entered the game averaging just under 78 points per game and over 88 at home, the Bears struggled to get points early against the Gamecocks defense. They went inside in the second half and got 22 more points in the paint to pull away from JSU.
Senior Darion Rackley scored 15 for JSU, 12 in the first half, while junior JaQuail Townser added 10. Junior Dontay Jackson scored just two points but dished five assists and grabbed three steals in the game. Avery Moore scored nine one night after receiving his diploma over 1,400 miles away in Jacksonville.
Dominique Lee recorded a double-double for the Bears with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Tevin Svihovec added 13 points, 11 in the second half. Lee's night on the glass led UNC to a 35-30 advantage in the rebounding column.
The first half couldn't have started much better for the Gamecocks, who scored the first eight points and raced to a 16-5 lead before seven minutes ran off of the clock. They were able to maintain most of that lead until the final 4:16, when the Bears took a 13-3 run into the half to grab their first lead of the night at 32-31.
JSU seemed to stop the bleeding and an 8-0 run by UNC on an Moore triple that turned a one-point game into a 31-28 JSU lead with 1:04 left in the half.
Jackson raced down the floor and made great block on a Corey Spence layup attempt but was whistled for a technical right after to set up the final Bears run. Spence made both technical free throws and Lee followed with a lay in with seven seconds left to give UNC its first lead.
The second half saw each team exchange blows for the first 12 minutes. That stretch that saw seven lead changes before the Gamecocks scored six in a row to build a 54-48 lead with 6;52 to play, the first lead of more than three points by either team in the second half.
The Bears wouldn't go away, tying the game at 58-58 and then using an old fashioned 3-point play by Svihovec to reclaim the lead at 61-60 with 3:04 left in the game.
A pair of Townser turnovers on the next two possessions led to two UNC dunks and pushed their lead to 65-60 with just over a minute to play.