SATURDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 80, @Troy 71
@Tennessee State 74, Stetson 54
@Northwestern 81,
SIUE 56
Tennessee Tech 81, @Lipscomb 78
Eastern Kentucky 74, @Savannah State 71
@Indiana 92,
Morehead State 59
@Memphis 80,
Southeast Missouri 65
@Eastern Illinois 79, Northern Kentucky 73 (OT)
Jacksonville 86,
@Jacksonville State 82
Evansville 85,
@Murray State 81 (OT)
AUSTIN PEAY 80, TROY 71
TROY, Ala. - The statistics show Chris Horton, with his 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Josh Robinson, with 17 points, led Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team to an 80-71 victory, Saturday afternoon, in Trojan Arena.
However, the play of two others—senior forward Khalil Davis and junior point guard Terrell Thompson—was perhaps as instrumental in the Governors’ second road win of the 2015-16 season. Davis scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists while using his elongated 6-5 frame to limit Trojan leading scorer Wesley Person to just 12 points—two three pointers coming late. Meanwhile, Thompson dished out five assists and had just one turnover from his point guard slot while scoring double-digits (13 points), including an 8-of-9 free-throw performance, for the first time.
As a result, the Governors were able to move back to within a game of the .500 mark at 4-5 and even the five-game road trip at 1-1.
Thompson played a significant role in helping the Govs’ right themselves early after Troy jumped out to an 11-5 lead, sitting back in a 2-3 zone defense to frustrate the Govs into five field-goal misses in the first four minutes. But Thompson then penetrated the defense to set up two buckets—one a three by Davis and another an inside Kenny Jones score—sandwiched around a Josh Robinson layup to give APSU a 12-11 advantage.
The Govs would trail only one more time in the half. Back to back Horton buckets allowed APSU to regain the lead at 16-14 and then Thompson found Davis for another three as the visitors held a 19-14 advantage.
The Govs took a 36-31 lead into the intermission with Davis scoring 11, including a trio of three pointers, while he held Person, who came in averaging 18 points per game, to just three.
Horton hit a pair of free throws to open the second half and Troy then went on a 10-0 run to take a 41-38 lead, seemingly poised to gain game’s momentum. But the ever-reliable Horton scored inside and then Davis nailed a three-pointer—his career best fourth—to allow the Govs to snatch back the advantage at 43-41. Although the game would be tied two more times, APSU never lost the lead again.
The Govs took the lead for good when Davis found Jones breaking free underneath for a layup to give the Govs a 47-45 lead.
After Horton put back a missed shot to make it a four-point contest, Troy would never get closer than three the game’s remainder. When that occurred Robinson hit back-to-back shots, including a three pointer, to put the Govs up by eight. When Jeremy Hollimon responded with a three—he nailed six in scoring a game-high 25 points—Thompson answered with a three of his own. That response, with 9:12 left, stunted the Trojans comeback hopes. The Govs seemingly had an answer for every Trojan response and built a 12-point, 66-54 lead after a Horton layup with 6:24 left.
Then it came down to making free throws. The team that made just 8-of-24, Wednesday night, at Corpus Christi, connected on 15-of-18 (83 percent) second-half free throws and finished the game at 21-of-27 (78 percent).
The Governors finished the game shooting 46 percent (26 of 57) from the floor while holding Troy to only 38 percent (23 of 60) shooting. It was the second straight staunch Govs defensive performance. The Governors also dominated the boards, out-rebounding Troy 42-31—the Govs had 14 offensive grabs that resulted in 17 second-chance points.
Horton finished 7-of-11 from the floor in tallying his 14th 20-point outing. His 13 rebounds matched his season average—he is fourth nationally in rebounding—and it was his seventh double-double this season, 43rd for his career. His five blocks were a season-high and the third time in the last four games he had three or more blocks.
TENNESSEE STATE 74, STETSON 54
NASHVILLE - After posting a 5-26 record a year ago, the Tennessee State men’s basketball team matched last year’s win total with a 74-54 home victory over Stetson on Saturday afternoon at the Gentry Center to improve to 5-2 on the season.Wayne Martin secured his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead TSU.
Keron DeShields chipped in with 19 points, while Demontez Loman pulled down a season-high 12 rebounds in the win. Tahjere McCall facilitated the offense with a career-high eight assists to go with eight points, five rebounds and five steals.
The Tigers (5-2) posted a strong defensive effort, holding Stetson (3-6) to 18-first half points and a season low 54 points for the game. The Hatters entered Saturday averaging 82.9 points per game.
Tennessee State set the tone on the defensive end early, limiting Stetson to just four points in the first 9:23 of the game, opening on a 13-4 run. A no-look pass in the lane from McCall led to an uncontested two-handed dunk for Martin to cap the stretch.
Stetson cut the deficit down to three points twice in the first half, the last coming on Cameron Harvey’s jumper with 7:53 left cut the lead down to 15-12. An 8-0 run by TSU, however, put the lead back up to 11 with 4:21 left in the first. DeShields’ nifty pass that led to a McCall catch and layup in one motion gave the home side a 23-12 edge.
The Tigers took a 15-point advantage into the half with a 33-18 lead. For TSU, which never trailed in the game, it is the third time holding an opponent to 20 or fewer points in a half this season.
Following the intermission, Stetson began the second half on a 7-0 spurt to cut the deficit down to 33-25 with 17:54 to go. The tide quickly turned for TSU with a dominating 19-0 run that put the game out of reach. The lead reached 20 at 45-25 on a pair of McCall free throws with 14:24 to play.
The biggest lead for the Tigers came when freshman Armani Chaney (Chicago, Ill.) corralled a rebound and drove the length of the court for a layup and a 52-25 lead with 11:53 to go.
For the Tigers, 12 different players saw action in the second half.
Stetson was led by 20 points from Derick Newton to go with 15 points for Divine Myles.
The Tigers shot 47.7 percent (31-for-65) from the field and limited the Hatters to 34.0 percent (16-for-47) on the other end. On the glass, TSU finished with 41 boards to Stetson’s 27.
NORTHWESTERN 81, SIUE 56
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern knocked down seven second-half three-pointers and defeated SIUE men's basketball 81-56 Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
SIUE fell to 1-7 with the loss. Northwestern is 7-1.
Offensively, the Cougars tied a season-high with 14 assists, while also knocking down five three-pointers. SIUE hit 42 percent (5-12) of its three-point attempts marking a season high.
Northwestern led by nine (35-26) at halftime and then, in a sign of things to come, got back-to-back three-pointers from Aaron Falzon to start the second half and extend its lead to 15 points.
The Wildcats outscored SIUE 46-30 in the second half while shooting 66.7 percent (18-27) from the field in the period. Northwestern was 30-58 (51.7 percent) from the field for the game.
Falzon finished 5 for 10 from long range and was second for the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points. Alex Olah led Northwestern with 21 points and eight rebounds. Bryant McIntosh scored 11 points and added eight assists.
Burak Eslik was the only SIUE player to score in double figures. He led the Cougars with 13 points. Three players: Grant Fiorentinos, Devin Thornton and Keenan Simmons each scored eight points. The eight points are a season and career high for Thornton, who knocked down a pair of three-pointers.
Simmons, who made his first career start, tied his season-high with eight points, added seven rebounds and a block. C.J. Carr scored six points and tied his career high with six assists. He turned the ball over only once.
Saturday's game wrapped up the Cougars' busiest week of the year, having completed four games in a seven-day stretch.
TENNESSEE TECH 81, LIPSCOMB 78
NASHVILLE - It was a tale of two halves for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday evening, as the Golden Eagles (7-2) overcame a 14-point halftime deficit at the hands of in-state rival Lipscomb (3-7) to collect their sixth straight victory and match their best start since 2005-06.
A back-and-forth affair early in the first half, the Bisons quickly turned a 20-20 contest into 16-point lead in a matter of less than five minutes, capturing their largest advantage in the game with just under five minutes left in the first half. Tech managed to trim the deficit by two points to 46-32, thanks to a layup by Hakeem Rogers with under a minute in the period, but a daunting task laid ahead for the Golden Eagles.
Lipscomb simply made shots in the first stanza, hitting over 50 percent of its field goal attempts, including 7-of-17 from beyond the arc. The home team also beat the Golden Eagles on the glass, owning a six-board advantage. Tech struggled from the field early, shooting just 31.3 percent and 35.7 percent from 3-point range.
But as Golden Eagle fans have quickly learned this season, there is no deficit too large and no hole too deep when you refuse to give up and continue to play the game.
Following the halftime break, the tables quickly turned in the arena, with the Golden Eagles looking like the team with the 14-point lead. Tech opened the half on an 11-0 run, forcing Lipscomb into an early timeout after less than three minutes into the period following a 3-pointer from Aleksa Jugovic.
In no time at all, the deficit shrunk to three, but the Bisons refused to simply roll over and seemed to have an almost "over our dead bodies" mentality when it came to surrendering the lead complete. Despite trimming the home team's advantage by 11 points in under three minutes, it would take the Golden Eagle another 12 to finally finish off their rally, taking their first lead since the 13:29 mark of the first half with a little over five minutes remaining in the contest.
Tech seemed to have broken the spirit of the Bisons, refusing to let go of its advantage with every attempt by the home squad. Each time Lipscomb attacked, the Golden Eagles seemed to answer.
A missed 3-point attempt by Eli Pepper led to a transition, three-point play senior guard Torrance Rowe, who's role in the victory would not go unnoticed. Lipscomb answered with a Brett Wishon layup on the next possession. A couple of missed opportunities and a foul sent the Bisons' Josh Williams with a chance to tie it, but the junior was able to convert just one free throw.
Rowe responded about a minute later, drilling one of his four second-half triples for another four-point advantage for Tech. Boom. Josh Williams matched him with his own trey. Back to a one-point game.
Senior forward Ryan Martin made a three-point game again, sinking a jumper from the paint. With 1:09 on the clock, Lipscomb guard J.C. Hampton drew a crucial foul on the defensive glass, resulting in Martin's fifth foul and a trip to the line with a chance to cut the Tech lead back to one. He did just that.
Lipscomb then went back to the charity stripe with a chance to take the lead back when what seemed like a clean, Shirmane Thomas block was deemed a shooting foul to send Josh Williams to line with 28 seconds to play. Much to the chagrin of the home fans, Williams missed the second attempt, giving Tech the ball with a tie game and no shot clock.
Most would give the advantage to the visitors, but Lipscomb guard Nathan Moran had other plans. Playing tight defense on Rowe from the moment he collected the ball, Moran stripped the Golden Eagle guard at midcourt, racing to bucket for an easy layin with just 17 seconds left on the scoreboard. The Bisons finally took back what they thought was theirs all along.
Experienced with taking the big shot for the Golden Eagles – Rowe made the game-winning three pointer in a 19-point comeback against Chattanooga last year and the game-tying layup in a 10 point rally against Jackson State earlier this season – the senior from Atlanta, Ga. calmly jogged up the court with the ball, pulled up from about five feet beyond the 3-point line and casually dropped a three-point dagger into the hearts of every Bisons fan in the building.
Making sure they had time to gather themselves for a smart defensive play, Golden Eagle head coach Steve Payne wisely used his final timeout, drawing up a loose press so as not give up any cheap buckets.
Lipscomb got the ball to their man, Josh Williams, and the junior drove the lane looking for the game-winning bucket in the team's first home game in Allen Arena in the 2015-16 season.
Out of nowhere, the mammoth hand of senior forward Anthony Morse provided the exclamation point a victory like that deserved, rejecting the junior's shot into the arms of Mason Ramsey.
The sophomore forward corralled the ball before Williams fouled him with under a second to play. Ramsey drained both free throw attempts to give Tech the 81-78 lead that would also represent the final score. A Lipscomb throw-in attempt failed with the final play, with Morse tipping the pass into the hands of Shirmane Thomas to cap and incredible comeback for the second time in two games.
Not to be overlooked, Martin notched his second double-double in as many games and his third of the season thanks to 8-of-13 shooting and a warrior-like effort on the glass. The big man poured in 18 points and collected 11 boards.
Rogers, whose 11 first-half points kept the team afloat, finished the contest with 14, hitting on three triples on seven attempts. Jugovic also scored in double digits, dropping three treys and a couple of free throws for 11 points.
Morse made his presence felt on the defensive end of the court, rejecting four shots, including the game-saving block to essentially end the game. He also hauled in six rebounds despite being limited to 19 minutes due to early foul trouble.
As a team, Tech finished the game with 44 rebounds, outworking Lipscomb on the glass in the second half by 11 boards. The team made 15-of-18 free throw attempts, marking the team's seventh game of shooting 70 percent or better from the charity stripe.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 74, SAVANNAH STATE 71
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Senior Jarelle Reischel finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team to a gritty 74-71 win at Savannah State on Saturday at Tiger Arena.
After trailing most of the game, EKU (7-2) took the lead with 7:34 to play and expanded that lead to six, 68-62, on a pair of free throws by Reischel with 2:30 on the clock.
However, Savannah State (4-5) did not go quietly. The Tigers responded with seven consecutive points and retook the lead, 69-68, on a layup by Khalen Pinkett with just under a minute left.
With SSU still leading, 71-70, junior JaVontae Hawkins converted a layup to give EKU the lead for good with 10 seconds on the clock. The Colonels forced a turnover on the other end of the floor and Hawkins sank two free throws to ice the victory.
It was the first road win of first-year head coach Dan McHale’s career.
EKU entered the game second in the country in field goal percentage (54.7) and third in three-point field goal percentage (47.4), but shot only 21-of-56 (37.5 percent) from the field and 8-of-30 (26.7) from deep on Saturday.
Instead, the Colonels had to grind out the victory from the free throw stripe. Reischel made 17 consecutive free throws to lead the way. As a team, EKU went 24-of-27 from the line (88.9 percent).
Hawkins contributed 16 points in the win, while freshman Nick Mayo scored 10 points and pulled down four boards.
EKU forced Savannah State into 25 turnovers and stifled the Tigers to just 1-of-13 (8 percent) shooting from three-point range.
Troyce Manassa paced SSU with 18 points and seven rebounds.
EKU took its largest lead of the first half when junior Isaac McGlone knocked down a three-pointer from the corner to make it 11-7 with 15:22 on the clock. SSU, however, responded with a 10-0 run and went up 17-11 when Pinkett converted a layup at the 12:41 mark.
Senior K.J. Bluford came off the bench and ended the run with a pair of three-pointers, and Hawkins brought the Colonels back to within one, 27-26, with a fast break layup with just over three minutes to play in the first half. However, the Tigers ended the half on a 7-2 run and went into the locker room at the break leading by six, 34-28.
SSU maintained its lead through most of the second half, until junior Jaylen Babb-Harrison came off the bench and gave EKU its first lead since early in the game, 56-54, on a three-pointer with 7:34 to play.
INDIANA 92, MOREHEAD STATE 59
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Morehead State jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, and led at 13-12, but a 29-6 IU run midway through the first half was too much to overcome, as the Eagles fell to the Hoosiers, 92-59. The loss is MSU's second of the season and they are now 0-5 all-time at Indiana.
With 13:33 to go in the first half, junior forward Treshaad Williams put back a miss by junior guard Xavier Moon, giving the Eagles a 13-12 lead. Following that putback, Indiana went on a 29-6 run, scoring on 12 straight possessions. With eight minutes to go in the half, Morehead State was shooting 55 percent from the floor, but had managed just 11 shots, and trailed 30-16.
The Eagles then went into the locker room at half facing a 41-19 deficit. In the half, the Hoosiers had 19 points off of turnovers and outscored the Eagles 20-8 in the paint.
In the second half, the lead grew as large as 41 points at 70-29. But, the Eagles did not lay down, going on an 11-2 run of their own and cutting the lead to 72-43 with just over eight minutes to go. They cut the lead to as low as 26 at 76-50 with 6:34 to go.
Senior forward Lyonell Gaines was the lone Eagle to score in double figures with 13 points. He was 6-of-6 from the line. Moon, junior guard Corban Collins, and sophomore guard Miguel Dicent each finished with eight points. Junior forward DeJuan Marrero led the way with nine rebounds.
Junior forward Troy Williams led Indiana with 16 points, and junior guard Yogi Ferrell and sophomore James Blackmon Jr. finished with 15.
Morehead State was outrebounded for the first time this season, 35-31, and the Eagles shot 31 percent compared to IU's 57 percent.
MEMPHIS 80, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 65
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Dedric Lawson had a double-double 28 points and 14 rebounds and Shaq Goodwin added 20 points to lead Memphis (5-2) to an 80-65 win over Southeast Missouri (0-7) Saturday night at FedExForum.
Southeast hung tough with Memphis until the final five minutes when the Tigers used a 12-1 run to pull away for good.
The Redhawks trailed by six when Trey Kellum scored a layup to make it a 63-57 game with 4:43 left to play. Memphis countered by scoring 12 of the next 13 points and never looked back. Ricky Tarrant Jr. scored four points, while Lawson converted a 3-point play and Avery Woodson buried a 3-pointer to key the surge that extended the Tigers lead to 75-58 with just under two minutes remaining.
The 17-point margin was the largest of the night for Memphis, which picked up its fifth win of the season.
Southeast started strong, shooting 45.5 percent from the field as six different players got in the scoring column. The Redhawks and Tigers went back-and-forth to a total of 10 ties in the game's opening 20 minutes.
Ladarius Coleman came off the bench and drained a 3-pointer to give Southeast a 13-10 edge with 13:26 left to play, its biggest lead of the half. Down 24-22 with 6:48 remaining, Memphis went on a 9-0 run to take a 31-24 advantage with under five minutes to go. Lawson scored four points and Woodson hit another 3-pointer during that stretch which ended on a pair of Tarrant free throws.
Antonius Cleveland was fouled and completed a 3-point play immediately after the Tigers' jaunt. The Redhawks then tied things up at 33-33 on a tip-in by Coleman before pulling within two, 37-35, at the intermission.
Lawson and Goodwin were responsible for 48 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Tigers who outscored Southeast, 54-30, inside the paint. Tarrant and Woodson followed with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Memphis shot 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from the field with a 53.1 percent (17-of-32) clip in the second half.
Wallace gave Southeast a big lift off the bench with a season-high 16 points in 30 minutes. He shot 6-of-8 from the field and had five rebounds, as well. Cleveland had 14 points and six boards, while Kellum pitched in 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Cleveland went over 700 points in his Southeast career. Additionally, Coleman scored seven points and collected eight rebounds for Southeast's bench which outscored Memphis' reserves, 28-4.
The Redhawks improved at the free throw line, sinking 10 of their first 11 of the game. Southeast finished at 14-of-21 for 66.7 percent.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 79, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 73 (OT)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Cornell Johnston scored ten of his 24 points in overtime on Saturday night as Eastern Illinois won its second straight home game with a 79-73 win over Northern Kentucky at Lantz Arena.
Tied at 62-62 at the end of regulation Johnston knocked down a 3-pointer at the 4:13 mark of overtime to give EIU an early 66-63 lead. Lavone Holland would help NKU answer with a 4-0 run that put the Norse in front 67-66 with 3:33 to play. Johnston hit a jumper and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions that gave EIU the lead for good with 1:56 to play. EIU closed out the game with four free throws by Trae Anderson and Johnston.
EIU improved to 2-4 on the year while NKU fell to 1-5.
The Panthers led 32-31 at the half shooting 46 percent from the field with Casey Teson knocking down 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Teson’s 3-pointer with 10:01 to play in the opening half pushed EIU’s lead to six points at 22-16.
Tyler White kept the Norse in the game in the opening half with 11 of his 12 points. White hit a pair of free throws with 57 seconds remaining in the half to cut the Panthers halftime lead to one point.
NKU opened the second half with a 5-0 run as Cole Murray drained a 3-pointer and Holland converted a lay-up off a steal. Johnston ended the first NKU run with a pair of free throws. Jalen Billups extended the lead back to four points with a jumper. Marshawn Blackmon had four straight points for EIU with a pair of steals, the second ending with a dunk at 14:56.
Anderson tied the game at 40-40 at the 12:43 mark as the senior finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The two teams played back-and-forth for the remainder of regulation with the largest lead coming with 7:06 left to play as Jordan Garnett finished off a three point play to give NKU a 50-47 lead. The two teams had seven ties over the final 12:43 of the game.
A.J. Riley has 12 points as EIU shot 50 percent from the floor.
Holland had a double-double for NKU with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Billups added 15 points.
JACKSONVILLE 86, JACKSONVILLE STATE 82
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Head coach James Green received a career-high performance from sophomore guard Malcolm Drumwright, but it wasn't enough as the Gamecocks fell to Jacksonville University 86-82 Saturday night.
Drumwright finished the contest with a career-high 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 5-of 8 from behind the arc and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. He also dished out three assist and had one rebound. Erik Durham added 13 points, Jeremy Watson had 11 while JaQuail Townser and Greg Tucker both had 10 points apiece.
Townser brought down a team-high nine rebounds and dished out five assists while Durham had seven rebounds. Watson had five rebounds.
JU's visit to Pete Mathews is the first time the Dolphins came to Jacksonville, Ala., since the 2001-02 season. JU pushes its series record to 9-2 against the Gamecocks.
It's the first time in eight games Green had five players score in double figures. Back on Nov. 16, 2015 against Oakwood, Townser had 17, Andre Statam added 16, Jared Hamilton chipped in with 12, and Christian Cunningham finished with 12 while Drumwright had 11 earlier this season.
DelFincko Bogan added five points while Cam Biedscheid hit a 3-point basket for his lone points.
For the Dolphins, Marcel White had 17 points, 10 of which from the free throw line, and a game-high 10 rebounds. Kori Babineaux had a team-high 21 points, on 9-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. Darius Dawkins was the other Dolphin in double figures as he finished with 15 points and four rebounds.
Darien Fernandez finished with nine points and five rebounds while Omar El Manasterly had eight points and eight rebounds. In addition, J.R. Holder had four points and three rebounds.
JU shot 56.9 percent from the field for the game, 57.7 during the game's first 20 minutes and 56.0 percent the final 20 minutes. Dolphins also shot 50 percent, 10 of 20, from beyond the 3-point arc, while the Gamecocks only shot 41.5 percent from the field during the game.
EVANSVILLE 85, MURRAY STATE 81 (OT)
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - D.J. Balentine shot 12 for 20 from the field and scored 32 points to send Evansville past Murray State 85-81 in overtime Saturday night.
Egidijus Mockevicius added 22 points, and the win marked Evansville's (7-1) first over Murray State since 1991 while ending an 18-game home win streak for the Racers.
Bryce Jones scored 21 points, Wayne Langston chipped in 18 and Justin Seymour 17 for Murray State (5-4).
Jones hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to tie at 73. On Evansville's next possession, Jones stole the ball from Balentine and got off a shot with two seconds left but missed.
Jones gave the Racers a 77-76 lead with 2:52 left before Jaylon Brown made two of his own and the Purple Aces recaptured the lead. After a Murray State turnover, Balentine buried a jumper to put his team up 80-77 with 1:59 remaining. Seymour's two free throws made it 80-79 but Murray State couldn't get closer.