SATURDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 67, Austin Peay 61
@Belmont 58, Morehead State 57
Murray State 94, @Southeast Missouri 92 (OT)
@SIUE 80, Eastern Illinois 63
@Jacksonville State 82, Tennessee Tech 68
Eastern Kentucky 69, @Tennessee State 41
UT MARTIN 67, AUSTIN PEAY 61
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team earned a hard-fought 67-61 victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay this evening at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
Tonight’s win marked the 100th in the head coaching career of Skyhawk bench leader Heath Schroyer. The first-year UT Martin coach also had previous head coaching stops at Portland State (35 wins in three years) and Wyoming (49 wins in four years).
The Skyhawks improve to 16-9 overall with an 8-4 OVC mark. The victory tonight also clinched a winning season for UT Martin, the fourth such accomplishment in the program’s 23-year Division-I history.
Marshun Newell scored 20 points to go along with seven rebounds for the Skyhawks. Alex Anderson registered 13 points, Twymond Howard recorded a team-best 11 rebounds and Deville Smith flirted with a triple-double (nine points, career-high 10 rebounds, seven assists) in addition to two blocks and two steals for UT Martin, who trailed with three minutes to play until a 7-0 run provided some breathing room at the end.
Austin Peay (7-19, 2-10 OVC) was led by 21 points off the bench by Josh Robinson. Chris Horton tallied a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds while Khalil Davis (11 points) and Ed Dyson (10) also cracked double-figures in the scoring column for the Governors.
Javier Martinez got the Skyhawks off to a good start, accounting for UT Martin’s first five points. A fast break layup by Newell at the 15:32 mark kept the Skyhawk lead at three points before Austin Peay went on a 12-5 run to take a 16-11 advantage nearly six minutes later.
A blocked three-point attempt and ensuing fast break layup by Smith evened the score at 16-all with 8:24 to go in the first half but the Governors came right back with a 12-4 run to reclaim the lead (28-20).
The Skyhawks then concluded the first half on an 8-2 spurt, as a Newell three-pointer from the left wing made the score 30-28 in Austin Peay’s favor at the break.
UT Martin displayed a balanced scoring attack in the first half, as eight Skyhawks scored while the team shot 54.5 percent (12-for-22) in the first 20 minutes. Robinson had nine points while Horton was responsible for eight points and 10 rebounds for the Governors.
Smith swished a trifecta from the left wing to open the scoring in the second half, giving the Skyhawks a 31-30 lead in the process. Austin Peay then pieced together five straight points to reclaim the lead.
A three-pointer by Alex Anderson and a Twymond Howard free throw tied the contest at 40-40 with 14:51 left to play. The Governors scored four straight points before another Anderson trey and a layup by Martinez tilted the score in UT Martin’s favor at 45-44.
Robinson connected on a three-pointer on Austin Peay’s next trip down the floor to give the Governors a two-point advantage but the Skyhawks soon used an 8-2 run to surge ahead by a 53-49 margin, thanks to an old-fashioned three-point play by Newell at the 7:10 mark.
The UT Martin lead stayed at four points until Robinson scored five points on back-to-back possessions, resulting in a 58-57 Austin Peay lead with 3:24 remaining.
A trio of Skyhawks then helped UT Martin post a 7-0 run to take over the game. Howard (layup after an offensive rebound), Newell (left side three-pointer) and Anderson (two free throws) paced the Skyhawks to a 64-58 lead with 1:22 to go.
An old-fashioned three-point play by Dyson made the score 64-61 with 39 seconds to play but Anderson and Newell finished the game with three free throws to clinch the milestone victory.
BELMONT 58, MOREHEAD STATE 57
NASHVILLE - Sophomore Evan Bradds scored a conventional three-point play with 11 seconds remaining to lift Belmont University men's basketball to a 58-57 victory over Morehead State Saturday night.
In a game that featured 14 ties and 19 lead changes with neither team leading by more than four points throughout, Belmont made the plays down the stretch that had eluded them in last-second losses in the previous two games.
After Corban Collins gave Morehead State a 56-52 lead with 2:11 remaining, senior Reece Chamberlain sank a baseline three-pointer to cut the deficit to one with 1:54 left. After Brent Arrington made one free throw at the 1:11 mark, the teams exchanged defensive stops.
The set up the final drama. Junior Craig Bradshaw found Bradds along the baseline, who scored through contact to tie the game at 57.
He would complete the conventional three-point play to give the Bruins a one-point lead. Morehead State would have one final chance, with Kareem Storey missing a driving layin attempt, and two off-balance putback tries rimming off before the horn sounded.
Freshman Mack Mercer led Belmont with a career-high 17 points. Bradds tallied his sixth double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Arrington led Morehead State (12-16, 7-6 OVC) with 15 points.
Belmont (16-10, 8-5 OVC) has won 28 consecutive conference home games dating back to 2011.
MURRAY STATE 94, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 92 (OT)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Murray State Racers clinched their 24th Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship with a 94-92 overtime victory over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
The Racers (23-4) stayed undefeated in the OVC at 13-0 and pushed the nation's second-longest winning streak to 21. The SEMO Redhawks fell to 12-14 and 6-7.
Three T.J. Sapp free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime. This after MSU trailed 73-63 with 5:18 left and used a 15-5 run to get back into the game.
Starting the extra period with a 6-0 run, the Racers led 91-85 when Jarvis Williams hit a pair of free throws with 3:03 left. But SEMO answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead with 1:12 left. Tyler Rambo hit two free throws with 33.8 seconds left and MSU was in front for good 93-92. Wayne Langston made a steal with 19 seconds left to keep SEMO off the scoreboard. After Sapp hit one free throw with 15.9 left, the Redhawks missed at the buzzer and the Racers won the OVC title.
The Racers played quite a few minutes without leading scorer Cameron Payne who fouled out with 2:43 left in regulation. Payne had 26 points including 12-of-14 from the line. Jarvis Williams fouled out in overtime and had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Jeffery Moss pumped in 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Jonathan Fairell fouled out in the extra time and ended the day with 13 rebounds. The hero Sapp had 17 points.
The Racers lost the lead with 7:37 remaining in the first half and didn't regain it until there was 4:10 left in overtime.
SEMO led the Racers 43-38 at halftime.
SIUE 80, EASTERN ILLINOIS 63
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Michael Messer and Rozell Nunn combined for 41 points Saturday as SIUE men's basketball snapped a three-game losing streak with an 80-63 win over Eastern Illinois at Vadalabene Center.
The win moved SIUE to 6-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 10-14 overall. The Cougars are 9-3 at home this season. EIU dropped to 15-11 overall and 8-5 in the OVC.
Messer finished just a point shy of his career high with a game-high 23 points. He was 8 for 12 from the field, including 3 for 4 from three-point range.
Nunn scored a season-high 18 points. He was 6 for 9 and 3 for 5 from three-point range. He scored five points in an 8-0 SIUE run to open the game. Messer scored 15 first-half points to help the Cougars to a 45-27 lead at the break.
Eastern Illinois opened the second half on a 9-0 run to trim the Cougar lead to 45-36 with 16:41 to play. SIUE withstood the run from Eastern Illinois before pulling away.
Messer scored on a layup with 13:40 to play to give SIUE a 59-45 advantage before Dylan Chatman buried a three for EIU to cut the lead back to 59-48 with 12:42 left.
Four different Cougars scored and SIUE forced two turnovers by the Panthers during a 10-0 run over the next 5:08 to push the SIUE lead to 21 (69-48).
For the game, SIUE connected on 56.1 percent (32-57) of its shots, the second-highest percentage of the year, and racked up 19 assists.
Kris Davis (11) and Keaton Jackson (10) both finished in double figures scoring while leading the team with seven rebounds apiece. Donivine Stewart chipped in eight points and dished out nine assists.
Chatman led Eastern Illinois with 15 points. Trae Anderson and Reggie Smith each scored 11 points.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 82, TENNESSEE TECH 68
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Darion Rackley led five Gamecocks in double figures on Saturday night, when the Jacksonville State men's basketball team raced to an 82-68 win over Tennessee Tech at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Rackley used a solid night from the floor and another great night from the free throw line to lead all scorers with 24 points, his eighth 20-point game of the year and 17th of his career. The Gamecocks (11-17, 4-9 Ohio Valley Conference) had five players in double figures for the first time since Nov. 22 and avenged a road loss to the Golden Eagles (12-14, 4-9 OVC) a week ago.
Rackley was 6-for-12 from the floor and 11-for-12 from the free throw line, while also pulling down seven boards and dishing a career-high-tying six assists. He ran his season points total to 408 points, his first over 400 in four years in red and white. His career total extends to 1,296, which puts him one ahead of Paul Trammell in 13th on the school's all-time scoring list.
Senior forward Jamal Hunter had another strong outing inside, scoring 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting and coming up one board shy of a double-double with nine boards.
Freshman Malcolm Drumwright also scored 15, using a 6-for-8 night at the line, while seniors Avery Moore and D.J. Felder added 14 and 10 points, respectively, to round out the five players in double figures.
The Gamecocks were 23-for-28 (.821) from the charity stripe, including 15-for-18 in the second half.
TTU got 20 points and nine rebounds from Josiah Moore.
JSU grabbed an early 9-4 lead and then thing slowed down. The Golden Eagles clawed back and led by as many as six in the first half. The Gamecocks took off an a 19-5 run to close the half and take a 36-26 lead into the locker room.
The Gamecocks scored the first basket of the second half to make it a 12-point game and led by as many as 16 down the stretch. The Golden Eagles wouldn't get within single digits in the final 11 minutes.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 69, TENNESSEE STATE 41
NASHVILLE - Pressure defense and three-point shooting has been Eastern Kentucky University’s way to win, and that is how the Colonels beat Tennessee State University Saturday night in Nashville, 69-41. Eastern Kentucky has won a season-best five straight games.
EKU (16-9, 8-4 OVC) limited Tennessee State (5-22, 2-10 OVC) to just 13-of-41 shooting for the game (31.7 percent) and 1-of-11 from three-point range (9.1 percent).
Eastern forced the Tigers into 19 turnovers and limited Tennessee State’s best offensive player Marcus Roper to just two points.
EKU seniors Corey Walden, Timmy Knipp and Eric Stutz came away with the majority of the Colonels’ points. The three seniors combined for 40 of 69 points.
The Colonels finished 9-of-24 from three-point range, good for 38 percent. Knipp made four of those nine.
Eastern Kentucky led by seven at the half, but multiple runs in the second half put the game away for good. In the final 12 minutes of the game, the Colonels went on a 34-5 run.
EKU limited Tennessee State to just 27 percent shooting in the second half on their way to building a lead as much as 28 at the final buzzer. Eastern never trailed during the contest and was the largest win of the year in conference play.
With the win, EKU stays in first place in the OVC East Division. The Colonels are a half game ahead of Belmont with four games to play in the regular season.