THURSDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 72, @Eastern Kentucky 65
@Morehead State 91, SIUE 63
@Austin Peay 69, Tennessee State 68
UT Martin 63, @Tennessee Tech 60
@Murray State 92, Belmont 77
EASTERN ILLINOIS 72, EASTERN KENTUCKY 65
RICHMOND, Ky. - LeTrell Viser hit a 3-pointer with 1:33 to play to give Eastern Illinois a little breathing room as the Panthers won at Eastern Kentucky for the first time since 2001 with a 72-65 win on Thursday night.
EIU has now won eight straight as they improved to 11-6 overall, 5-0 in the OVC. The Panthers will play at Morehead State on Saturday at 1 p.m. The defending OVC Champion Colonels dropped to 10-6 overall, 2-1 in the OVC. The eight straight wins ties the EIU school record for consecutive wins at the NCAA Division I level.
Viser put the Panthers up 12 points with 5:47 to play as he drained a 3-pointer which gave EIU a 62-50 lead. Viser was one of three EIU players in double figures finishing with ten points.
Ja’Mill Powell started an EKU run with a 3-pointer with 5:21 to play. Powell then added a tip-in following a missed free throw which cut EIU’s lead to 63-59 with 3:04 to play.
Timmy Knipp converted on free throws with 2:02 to play that trimmed the lead to two points. EIU responded with Viser’s 3-pointer and then made six straight free throws to close out the game.
EIU shot 71 percent in the opening half as they built a 41-29 lead. Trae Anderson paced the Panthers in the first half scoring eight of his team-high 14 points in the first twenty minutes.
The Panthers defensive effort was solid as EIU held their opponent below 40 percent shooting for the fifth straight game. EKU was held to 38 percent shooting for the game. Corey Walden led all players with 29 points. Powell had 13.
Cornell Johnston finished with ten points and four assists. EIU finished the game shooting 54 percent from the floor.
MOREHEAD STATE 91, SIUE 63
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State men's basketball team jumped out to a 16-point advantage by making its first 12 field-goal attempts and never looked back in a 91-63 Ohio Valley Conference win over SIU Edwardsville on Thursday night at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles improve to 7-12 overall, 2-2 in league action and 3-4 at home. The Cougars, who had previously won six of their last seven, slip to 7-9 overall, 3-2 in OVC play and 0-7 on the road. MSU also moves to 6-1 in the series with its fourth straight win over SIUE.
The 28-point victory was Morehead State's largest in 36 OVC contests under Woods.
Morehead State, which never trailed, didn't miss from the field until the 10:02 mark of the first half. The Eagles pushed their lead to a game-high 30 points in the final minute. MSU drilled 54 percent (34-of-63) overall, including 65 percent (20-of-31) before intermission.
Senior Karam Mashour led Morehead State with game highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds. It was his second career double-double, both of which have come this month. The point total was also a career best. He made 8-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the foul line.
Senior Angelo Warner added 18 points and five assists for the Eagles, while freshman Miguel Dicent chipped in with 13 points. MSU senior Kareem Storey was credited with game highs of seven assists and four steals, while junior Anthony Elechi yanked down seven rebounds.
SIU Edwardsville managed a 29-13 scoring edge from the charity stripe, but Morehead State posted a 78-34 advantage from the floor. The Cougars were limited to just 28 percent (15-of-53) from the field and 31 percent (4-of-13) from three-point range.
Morehead State collected 22 assists, which marked its most against a Division I opponent this season. The Eagles tied a season high with 10 three-pointers. MSU also registered a 46-16 upper hand in paint points and 14-2 margin in fast-break points.
Freshman Jalen Henry paced two Cougars in double figures with 12 points on 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. No SIUE player collected more than six rebounds, two assists or two steals.
AUSTIN PEAY 69, TENNESSEE STATE 68
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Zavion Williams tipped in a missed free throw with 6.4 seconds left to culminate an Austin Peay State University rally from an 11-point deficit over the final 6:04 as the Governors escaped Tennessee State, 69-68, Thursday night, in Ohio Valley Conference basketball action in Dave Aaron Arena.
TSU’s Darreon Reddick, the reigning OVC Freshman of the Week, drove the length of the floor before coming up on a contested jump shot from the right baseline as the buzzer sounded.
The victory snapped the Governors three-game losing streak and gave them their first OVC win this season, improving to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in the OVC. TSU fell to 3-16 overall and 0-4 in the OVC.
APSU led 43-42 with 13:52 remaining before the Governors went ice cold from the floor, going 1-of-9, while TSU warmed up from the floor, hitting a trio of field goals, while also taking almost full advantage of 14 free-throw attempts—making 13—over the next 7 ½ minutes. As a result, the Tigers held what appeared to be an insurmountable 59-48 lead with six minutes left in the contest.
But freshman Josh Robinson came off the bench to knock down a three pointer before TSU’s Jay Harris answered with a pair of free throws. Robinson then hit another three pointer and the Govs’ deficit shrunk to seven with 5:22, giving APSU hope.
APSU’s defensive pressure forced a TSU turnover and resulted in a Khalil Davis layup, carving the lead to five with just under five minutes remaining. TSU finally missed a free throw—the second of a two-shot situation—before APSU was called for a five-second violation in the frontcourt.
After a TSU miss inside, Chris Horton was fouled on the other end attacking the rim. But he converted only one of two free throws to make it a five-point game, 62-57, with 4:08 left. After APSU was unable to take advantage of a Tigers turnover against the Governors pressure, TSU once again seemed on the verge of game’s control when Harris hit a three pointer with 3:03 left to push the lead to eight, 65-57.
But the freshman Robinson was fouled attacking the basketball, making two free throws with 2:45 left to make it a six-point contest. The Govs full-court defense led to a Chris Freeman steal. But the Govs came up empty on a two-shot free throw before Smith collected a steal in the TSU frontcourt and drove to the hoop, slamming it home. It was a four-point game, 65-61, with 1:46 remaining.
APSU forced another TSU turnover on a five-second inbounds call only to have the Govs exasperatingly turn it over themselves with 1:36 remaining. This time TSU took advantage with Zachary Lee nailing a jumper with 1:14 remaining to give TSU a 67-61 advantage.
Robinson, seeking to slice the deficit in half, missed on a three-point shot. However, Horton snagged the offensive rebound, scored on a layup and was fouled. This time he converted the free throw and the deficit was trimmed to three, 67-64, with 1:02 left.
APSU forced another turnover and now had a chance to tie. However, Smith missed a three pointer with 44 ticks left. APSU fouled Harris, who made just one of free throws, again making it a four-point contest. Smith this time attacked the rim and dunked it with 26 seconds left with the deficit now just two, 68-66.
APSU almost immediately fouled Xavier Richards, who missed both ends of a two-shot free throw with 23 seconds left. APSU now had a chance to either tie (with a two pointer) or take the lead (with a three pointer).
The Govs then put the ball in the freshman Robinson’s hands. He spun inside and narrowly missed scoring on a contest shot, being fouled on the play with 7.0 seconds left. He sank the first free throw but after a TSU timeout, Robinson missed right on the second. The 5-11 Williams, one of the smallest players on the floor, was left unattended and he slipped down the right side. In one motion he leaped and tipped in the ball to give APSU the victory.
Williams finished 13 points in 10 minutes—the winning tip was his only offensive rebound of the night. Robinson, meanwhile, led the way with 15 points in his first college start. Horton finished with 14 points nine rebounds.
The Governors continued their shooting, shooting below 40 percent (39.6 percent/21 of 53) for the fourth straight game.
TSU, meanwhile, converted 10-of-17 floor shots (58.8 percent) in the second half to finish at 45.5 percent (20 of 44). The Tigers scored almost as many points from the free-throw line (20 of 26) in the final half as they from the field (22).
Harris led the Tigers with 16 points while freshman post player Christian Mekowulu added 15 points and eight rebounds.
UT MARTIN 63, TENNESSEE TECH 60
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Long range accuracy and several late-game defensive stops propelled the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team to a big 63-60 Ohio Valley Conference road victory over Tennessee Tech this evening.
The win was the Skyhawks’ first against Tennessee Tech since March 3, 2009 – snapping an eight-game losing skid against the Golden Eagles. UT Martin improves to 10-6 overall and 2-1 in league play.
As a team, the Skyhawks sank 10 three-pointers tonight – the fourth time this season that UT Martin had knocked down double-digit treys in a game. Conversely, the Skyhawks held Tennessee Tech to 27.3 percent shooting (6-for-22) from beyond the three-point arc.
Deville Smith led UT Martin in scoring for the eighth time this season, tallying 16 points while burying four 3-pointers in the process. Twymond Howard and Alex Anderson also added 11 points for the Skyhawks, who also received seven points, seven rebounds and five assists out of Marshun Newell.
Tennessee Tech (9-9, 1-4 OVC) was led by Charles Jackson’s 21 points and 10 rebounds. Torrance Rowe also chipped in with 14 points and eight assists for the Golden Eagles, who had won seven of their eight home games entering tonight.
UT Martin came out on fire from three-point range, as Smith canned three trifectas in under six minutes to give the Skyhawks a 16-10 advantage at the 14:08 mark. Back-to-back buckets by Newell (three-pointer from the right wing) and Howard (scooping layup) pushed UT Martin’s lead out to 23-15 with just under nine minutes left to play in the first half.
The Golden Eagles answered with six unanswered points to get within one possession (23-21) but Anderson knocked down a big three-pointer at the 5:18 mark to extend the Skyhawk lead out to five points.
Tennessee Tech’s Torrance Rowe then reeled off five straight points to even the score at 26-all until CJ Davis buried a long trey from the right wing to tilt the score back in UT Martin’s favor. Jackson then scored on layups on back-to-back possessions to give the Golden Eagles a one-point edge with two minutes to go before the half.
Baskets by Newell (fast break layup off a steal) and Howard (right corner three-pointer) in the final 1:16 provided the Skyhawks with a 34-32 lead at the halftime break.
Smith had a team-high nine points in the first half for UT Martin, who connected on eight 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. Jackson’s 13 points led Tennessee Tech.
Tennessee Tech accounted for the first six points of the second half before a lay-in by Arkeem Joseph at the 16:19 mark ended the scoring drought for UT Martin. Less than two minutes later, Joseph came back with a fast break layup to help the Skyhawks tie the score at 38-all.
A steal and layup by Howard allowed UT Martin to keep pace at 40-all but Tennessee Tech responded with a 7-2 run to go ahead by a 47-42 margin with 11 minutes to go. The Skyhawks then came roaring back with seven of the game’s next eight points – capped off with an old-fashioned three-point play by Javier Martinez that made the score 49-48 in UT Martin’s favor with 7:36 remaining.
The two squads then swapped leads but another three-pointer by Anderson at the 5:27 mark turned a two-point Skyhawk deficit into a one-point advantage (54-53). The Golden Eagles would trim UT Martin’s lead to one point before Smith sank a contested three-pointer with 2:49 remaining to extend the Skyhawk lead out to 59-55.
Rowe hit a three-pointer on Tennessee Tech’s next possession but Smith was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and calmly sank a pair of free throws to make the score 61-58.
The Skyhawks then stepped up defensively, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for nearly three minutes. Meanwhile, Newell toed the free throw line and made two big free throws with 10 seconds remaining to extend UT Martin’s lead out to 63-58.
Jackson converted an alley-oop with six seconds to go to get Tennessee Tech within one possession. After a Skyhawk turnover on the ensuing possession, Javon McKay had an open look at a three-pointer to send the game into overtime but the shot fell short and into the waiting hands of Newell, who dribbled out the clock.
MURRAY STATE 92, BELMONT 77
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - Cameron Payne scored 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, Jarvis Williams added 19 with 10 rebounds -- his fifth double-double of the season -- and Murray State beat Belmont 92-77 on Thursday to win its 12th straight.
T.J. Sapp scored 15, Jeffery Moss 13 with six assists, Justin Seymour and Jonathan Fairell had 10 apiece, and Fairell grabbed 11 rebounds for the Racers (14-4, 4-0 Ohio Valley Conference). Murray State outrebounded Belmont 41-24.
Craig Bradshaw put Belmont up 5-4 with a 3-pointer, but the Racers ripped a 14-2 run and led 25-16 after Seymour's 3, then led 35-20 after a jumper by Williams. Belmont gained ground on an 11-2 run, but Murray State led 46-37 at halftime.
Payne hit three consecutive 3-pointers and the Racers built a 22-point lead, 90-68, after Fairell's layup with 4:25 left.
Taylor Barnette led Belmont (10-7, 2-2) with 19, including five 3s, Evan Bradds had 17 points, and Bradshaw 16.