SATURDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 64, SIUE 59
@Eastern Kentucky 77, Tennessee State 72
@Southeast Missouri 68, Eastern Illinois 64
@Morehead State 73, Belmont 71
Murray State 82, @Austin Peay 72
@Tennessee Tech 73,
Jacksonville State 71
UT MARTIN 64, SIUE 59
MARTIN, Tenn. - Marshun Newell scored six straight points down the stretch on his way to another double-double to help the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team post a come-from-behind 64-59 victory over the SIU Edwardsville Cougars at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
Coming off a career-high 23 points and 17 rebounds just two nights ago at Austin Peay, Newell was responsible for game-highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds this evening. It was his fourth double-double of the season and third in the last four games for UT Martin, who improves to 15-8 overall and 7-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Skyhawks trailed by six points with 7:32 to go before Newell took over, immediately answering with an old-fashioned three-point play. With five minutes left and UT Martin trailing by two points, Newell scored six straight points in a span of 1:08 to give the Skyhawks a lead they would not concede the rest of the way.
Alex Anderson tallied 15 points for UT Martin while the Skyhawks received a big lift out of freshman Richard Lee, who piled up 12 points (one shy of his career-high) in 20 minutes.
SIU Edwardsville (9-13, 5-6 OVC) was led by Kris Davis’ 18 points. Rozell Nunn tallied 12 points and a team-best six rebounds for the Cougars, who were held to 35.8 percent shooting (19-for-53) in the game.
The Cougars began the game on an 8-0 run before Anderson buried a three-pointer from the left corner at the 16:16 mark. That ignited a 12-2 Skyhawk run, which was capped off by a Lee three-pointer in the left corner that gave UT Martin its first lead of the game at 12-10.
Another lead change and tie followed before Anderson canned another three-pointer to give the Skyhawks a 16-13 edge with just under 11 minutes to play in the first half. The score remained in UT Martin’s favor until SIU Edwardsville used a 9-2 run to go ahead by a 26-22 margin with 5:38 remaining before the halftime break.
SIU Edwardsville extended its lead to six points before layups by Lee and Javier Martinez closed out the half and made the score 30-28 in favor of the Cougars.
Anderson dialed up 11 points – including a 3-for-3 effort from three-point range – to lead UT Martin in the first half. Davis’ 11 points paced the Cougars, who shot 14.3 percent from three-point range (2-for-14) in the first 20 minutes.
Newell connected on a three-pointer from the left wing just 17 seconds into the second half to result in a 31-30 Skyhawk lead. However, SIU Edwardsville would account for nine of the next 13 points to reclaim a 39-35 advantage at the 16:49 mark.
A drive to the hoop by Deville Smith and a pair of free throws by Newell evened the score at 39-all but the Cougars answered with six unanswered points.
Lee knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner to pull UT Martin within two points (47-45) with 9:27 left to play but SIU Edwardsville came back with the next four points to go back ahead by a 51-45 margin with 7:32 to go.
Newell’s aforementioned spurt then helped the Skyhawks build a 58-54 lead with under four minutes to play. The Skyhawk lead remained at four points until CJ Carr made a three-pointer from the left wing with 1:40 remaining to cut UT Martin’s lead down to one point. Both sides then swapped empty possessions before Rowe came up with a clutch bucket, converting a leaner in the lane to give the Skyhawks a 62-59 lead with 24 seconds remaining.
SIU Edwardsville then went for the tie but Davis’ three-point attempt missed left. Twymond Howard corralled the rebound and fired an outlet pass to a streaking Anderson, who iced the Skyhawk win with a layup with three seconds to play.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 77, TENNESSEE STATE 72
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky survived a wild finish in McBrayer Arena Saturday, beating Tennessee State 77-72.
With two minutes to go, Tennessee State (5-20, 2-8 OVC) junior guard Marcus Roper hit a three from the right wing to cut the EKU (14-9, 6-4 OVC) lead to three. On the ensuing inbound play, guard Jay Harris stole the ball and laid it in to bring the lead to just one.
An Eric Stutz backdoor cut and lay-up brought the Eastern lead back to three, but on the next possession Roper hit another three to tie the game at 72 with 39 seconds to go.
Two Corey Walden free throws made the lead two again in the Colonels’ favor. Roper missed a three-pointer at the other end with 24 seconds left that was defended by junior guard Tommy Matthews. Matthews, a reserve guard, is averaging only 4.8 minutes per game.
EKU made three free throws after the miss to seal the win.
Senior guard Timmy Knipp finished with a career-high 23 points, shooting 6-of-8 from three-point land. Knipp scored 12 of the first 21 points for the Colonels, starting the game 4-of-4 from deep.
Eastern Kentucky also had huge contributions from fellow seniors Corey Walden and Eric Stutz. Walden finished with 22 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Stutz contributed 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added four rebounds.
Roper was a star for the Tigers. The junior had 32 points and finished 7-of-13 from three-point land.
Both teams had success from the field and three-point range. EKU shot 50 percent from the floor and the Tigers finished at 49 percent. The Colonels made 10-of-25 from deep and Tennessee State had nine threes for the game.
The Colonels turned the ball over 13 times, but forced 16 Tiger turnovers.
EKU led 42-30 at the half, but was outscored 42-35 in the second half. Knipp, Walden and Stutz combined for 32 of the 42 points at the break.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 68, EASTERN ILLINOIS 64
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (11-13, 5-6) used a huge second half to erase a 12-point deficit and get by Eastern Illinois (14-10, 7-4), 68-64, Saturday night in Ohio Valley Conference action at the Show Me Center.
It was a tale of two halves for Southeast, which shrugged off a sluggish start to pull off its come-from-behind win.
The Redhawks trailed, 50-38, with 10:36 left to play when they put together a big 16-3 run to take their first lead of the game.
Freshman Marcus Wallace scored seven points to key the decisive surge that also saw Nino Johnson, Jarekious Bradley and J.J. Thompson contribute. The Redhawks scored 12 unanswered points during the run that ended with Thompson knocking down two free throws to give Southeast a 54-53 edge with 4:50 left to play.
Walk-on and nearby Sikeston native J.T. Jones, who came off the bench to send a jolt in the Redhawks, had a steal at halfcourt and later scored a layup off a steal by Johnson to regain a 56-54 lead immediately after the Panthers tied the game.
Southeast never relinquished its lead after Jones' basket.
After Josh Piper's free throw narrowed the Redhawks lead to 56-55, Johnson rebounded his own miss and threw down a one-handed jam to send the crowd into a frenzy. Johnson blocked Trae Anderson's shot and got the rebound on EIU's next possession before Bradley buried a three at the top of the arc to expand Southeast's lead to 61-55 with 1:33 on the clock.
Dylan Chatman's three-pointer made it a 64-62 game with 17 seconds left, but Southeast made four free throws in the final seconds to polish off the victory. The Redhawks did not miss a free throw in the last 28 seconds, going 6-of-6.
Southeast fell victim to a 10-2 run in the first 3:25 of the game, missing six of its first seven shots along the way. LeTrell Viser and Chatman each buried a three and Anderson capped the quick jaunt with a layup at the 16:35 mark.
The Redhawks battled back to tie the game at 13-13 on a jumper by Wallace with 12:02 left to play and pulled within a point (17-16) when Isiah Jones knocked down a three with 9:34 remaining. After Jones' make, EIU answered with a 12-4 run to build a 29-20 advantage. Anderson scored six points to key the surge that ended on his own free throws with 3:38 on the clock.
Both teams would then go scoreless for the next 2:25 before Thompson ended the drought with a layup. Chatman followed that up with his second three of the first half, giving the Panthers a 32-22 lead at the intermission. Southeast scored a season-low 22 first-half points and shot 31 percent (9-of-29) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
Wallace netted a season-high 18 points on 6-of-9 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws off the bench to lead Southeast. Wallace's effort helped the Redhawk bench outscore EIU's reserves, 40-9. Thompson followed with 11 points, while Johnson and Antonius Cleveland each turned in a double-double. Johnson scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds, and Cleveland pitched in 10 points and added a career-high 12 boards.
Bradley posted nine points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 19 minutes off the bench. He returned after missing Thursday's game at Murray State with a concussion. Jones was 1-of-2 from the field with a steal in a big 11 minutes.
Southeast shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field and heated up to make 50 percent (15-of-30) of its attempts in the second half. The Redhawks outscored the Panthers, 46-32, in the second stanza, as well.
Anderson finished with a game-high 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead EIU. The Panthers were without two of their top scorers in Chris Olivier and Reggie Smith. Both did not play due to sickness.
MOREHEAD STATE 73, BELMONT 71
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Freshman Miguel Dicent drained a runner with 4.9 seconds remaining, and the Morehead State men's basketball team forced a turnover on the game's final possession to score a 73-71 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Belmont on Saturday night at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles, who have won five of their last six contests, improve to 12-14 overall and 5-6 at home. The Bruins, who have dropped back-to-back games after winning five in a row, slip to 15-9 overall and 6-7 on the road. The teams are now tied atop the OVC's East Division at 7-4.
MSU held a 71-64 lead with 2:08 to play, but BU put together a 7-0 run to even things with 11 ticks remaining. Junior Craig Bradshaw, who scored 13 of his 15 points after intermission, evened the affair for the Bruins, but Dicent drilled the game-winner with the left-hand toss off the glass.
Belmont's largest lead of five points came with 17:47 to play in the opening half. Morehead State's biggest cushion of 11 points came with 6:43 remaining. The Bruins knocked down 6-of-8 at one stretch in the second period, while the Eagles drilled 10-of-12 during the same time frame.
Senior Karam Mashour tallied a game-high 22 points for the Eagles on 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. It was his 12th game in double figures this season and fourth performance of 20-or-more points. He is now averaging team highs of 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in league play.
Senior Angelo Warner added 14 points for Morehead State, while classmate Kareem Storey contributed 13. Mashour and sophomore Corban Collins pulled down team highs of six rebounds, while Warner snagged five. Four Eagles handed out four assists en route to a team total of 17.
Morehead State connected on 54 percent (27-of-50) from the field, including 65 percent (17-of-26) in the second half. Belmont drilled 53 percent (25-of-47) from the floor, including 55 percent (12-of-22) in the first half. The Bruins were limited to just five three-pointers on the night.
Belmont sophomore Evan Bradds collected a team-best 17 points on 7-of-9 from the floor.
The heavyweight showdown featured nine ties and 11 lead changes. The win was Morehead State's first in six tries all-time against Belmont. The Bruins won all three meetings during the 2013-14 campaign.
MURRAY STATE 82, AUSTIN PEAY 72
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Murray State Racers won for the 19th straight time Saturday in an 82-72 victory at Austin Peay in the Dunn Center in Clarksville, Tenn.
The Racers improved to 21-4 and 11-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while APSU fell to 7-17 and 2-8.
T.J. Sapp and Cameron Payne each scored 27 points and combined for 15 of MSU’s 25 field goals.
Sapp was mostly responsible for an amazing 11-0 for the Racers in the final 1:41 of the first half. Sapp scored 10 points in the run as the Racers jumped in front at the intermission 42-26.
When Payne hit a 3-pointer to start the second half, MSU had its largest lead of the day at 19 points 45-26.
MSU led by as many as 21 points with 16:00 remaining before APSU cut the lead to 56-50 at the 8:52 mark.
The Racers managed foul problems and pushed the lead back to 79-66 with a minute left and made it to the 82-72 final.
TENNESSEE TECH 73, JACKSONVILLE STATE 71
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Host Tennessee Tech (11-13/3-8 OVC) captured an Ohio Valley Conference contest Saturday in Eblen Center with a 72-59 victory over Jacksonville State (9-17/2-9 OVC).
Junior Charles Jackson led the attack with 17 points and tied his career-high with 16 rebounds, his 15th double-double of the season. Sophomore DeOndre Haynes added 12 points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, senior Dwan Caldwell had 11 points and seven boards, and Torrance Rowe finished with 10 points. Freshman Aleksa Jugovic posted a team-best five assists.
JSU was led by Darion Rackley with 25 points, bolstered by his 12-for-15 performance at the free throw line. Malcolm Drumwright also reached double digits with 17 points for the Gamecocks. Jeremy Watson had 10 rebounds for JSU.
Tech nabbed 18 offensive rebounds, finishing the game with a 48-29 edge on the glass, and had a 17-4 advantage in second chance points.
Jacksonville State's only lead of the night came on the game's opening basket by Rackley, but Caldwell's jumper at the 15:36 mark put Tech on top with a lead the Golden Eagles carried all the way to the house.
Tech's inside duo of Caldwell and Jackson helped the Golden Eagles push their first half lead to double figures, 19-7, with 11:18 remaining in the period. Tech took the margin all the way up to 17 points on four separate occasions before heading to the break with a 38-22 advantage.
The difference reached 20 points with 7:18 to play on a free throw by Shirmane Thomas, Tech's biggest lead of the night.
The Gamecocks attempted a comeback, putting together a 10-3 stretch to pull within 13 points, but Tech got a dunk by Josiah Moore and then began a parade to the free throw.
Drumwright's 3-pointer and four points from Rackley got JSU with a dozen, 69-57, with 40 seconds left before Golden Eagle freshman Josh Bougher drained his first career 3-pointer to join the scoring parade.
Both teams had their struggles from long range. Tech was 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) while JSU managed just 2-for-12 (also 16.7 percent). They were nearly identical at the free throw line, with JSU going 23-for-34 and Tech hitting 23-for-33.
The margin came in the paint, where Tech owned a 36-26 advantage.