FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Dayton 96,
Austin Peay 68
@Ole Miss 86,
UT Martin 83
Tennessee State 78, UC Davis 64 (Santa Clara, Calif.)
@Morehead State 106, Kentucky Christian 41
Jacksonville State 84, @Tulsa 73
@Georgia Tech 70,
Tennessee Tech 55
@Murray State 73, Illinois State 70
@Eastern Kentucky 97, IUPUI 87
@Eastern Illinois 83, Saint Francis (Ill.) 41
@Illinois 81,
Southeast Missouri 62
DAYTON 96, AUSTIN PEAY 68
DAYTON, Ohio - Austin Peay State University men's basketball team couldn't solve a red-hot Dayton offense in Friday's season opener against the Flyers, falling 96-68 despite 26 points from junior Josh Robinson.
The Governors fell behind early due to a combination of cold shooting—the Govs missed nine of their first 11 shots—and Dayton's Charles Cooke, who scored 14 of the Flyers first 20 points in the opening half.
Robinson kept pushing the pace for the Govs in the first half. He punctuated an 8-1 Austin Peay run with a three from the left wing at the 10:40 mark in the opening half to get the Govs within four, but Dayton reeled off a 20-6 run over the next seven minutes to put some distance between themselves and Austin Peay.
Austin Peay's second half was considerably better than its first; the Governors improved their shooting across the board, hitting 44.8 percent from the floor, 41.7 percent from beyond the arc and going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Robinson led the way with 26 points, hitting 8-of-17 from the floor. Sophomore Chris Porter-Bunton chipped in 10 points and eight boards, while seniors Kenny Jones and John Murry and sophomore Zach Glotta had nine apiece. Senior Assane Diop relentlessly crash the board with a game- and career-high 10 rebounds.
OLE MISS 86, UT MARTIN 83
OXFORD, Miss. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team matched Southeastern Conference opponent Ole Miss blow-for-blow tonight but the Rebels escaped by an 86-83 margin in the 2016-17 season opener for both squads.
UT Martin held a 42-39 halftime lead and trailed by just a single point with 49 seconds to go but couldn’t convert on four chances to win or extend the game to overtime.
Matthew Butler had a remarkable debut for the Skyhawks, pouring in a game-high 25 points. Playing approximately 85 miles from his hometown of Memphis, Tenn., the transfer from Rhode Island knocked down seven trifectas and also dished out three assists in 38 minutes for UT Martin.
Jacolby Mobley (17 points) and Kedar Edwards (13 points, seven rebounds, game-high five assists) also reached double-figures in the scoring column for the Skyhawks. Chandler Rowe had nine points and three steals while Javier Martinez (nine points, seven rebounds) and Fatodd Lewis (eight points, three steals) also heavily contributed to UT Martin’s near-upset.
Coming off a 20-win season, Ole Miss was led by Deandre Burnett’s 23 points. Terence Davis (19 points), Rasheed Brooks (12 points) and Cullen Neal (10 points) also paced the Rebels, who shot an even 50 percent in the second half.
Edwards got the Skyhawks off on the right foot, scoring the first two buckets of the game to give UT Martin an early 4-0 edge. Butler and Rowe soon added points to push the Skyhawk advantage out to 9-4 but Ole Miss took its first lead soon thereafter at 10-9.
A jumper by Martinez and an Edwards trifecta on back-to-back possessions tilted the score back in favor of UT Martin at 26-22 with 8:32 remaining in the first half. Lewis sank a jumper to pad the Skyhawk lead to 33-26 before a Mobley layup resulted in UT Martin’s biggest lead of the night (42-33) at the 2:30 mark.
The Rebels then closed out the half with six unanswered points but the Skyhawks still took a three-point lead into the break.
Edwards’ nine points led a balanced scoring attack for UT Martin in the opening 20 minutes, as six Skyhawks had between six and nine points. UT Martin shot 50 percent (15-of-30) in the first half while Ole Miss was paced by Burnett’s 12 points.
Ole Miss began the second half on an 8-0 spurt, taking a 47-42 advantage in the process. A Mobley three-pointer at the 15:53 mark pulled UT Martin within one point but a 9-2 Rebel run over a span of 3:15 gave Ole Miss a 60-52 edge with 12:26 left to play.
The Skyhawk deficit stood at 11 points (74-63) with under five minutes remaining but UT Martin rode the hot hand of Butler to get back in the game. The redshirt junior sharpshooter canned a trio of three-pointers in a stretch of 1:35 while Mobley added three free throws to make the score 76-75 with 2:15 to go.
Ole Miss was able to maintain a six-point lead with a minute left but the Skyhawks had another late charge in them. Dante Bailey stepped up and made two big free throws and after UT Martin forced a turnover, Butler swished another three-pointer at the 49-second mark to trim the Skyhawk deficit to 84-83.
Rowe forced a steal but UT Martin’s three-point attempt on the ensuing possession rimmed out. Another Rebel turnover then took place but the Skyhawks could not convert their next chance. Burnett made a pair of free throws with 10 ticks left and UT Martin had two more chances to send the contest into overtime but a pair of shots from beyond the three-point arc barely missed the mark.
TENNESSEE STATE 78, UC DAVIS 64
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Tahjere McCall scored a team-high 20 points and Wayne Martin registered a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to a 78-64 victory over UC Davis in Friday’s season opener at the Leavey Center at the Cable Car Classic.
The Tigers (1-0) led by as many as 15 points in the first half before UC Davis (0-1) mounted a comeback and took the lead in the second half. Down 57-56 with just over four minutes left, the Tigers outscored the Aggies, 22-7, down the stretch to pull away.
For Martin, it was his 11th career double-double, helping the Tigers outrebound UC Davis by a 48-33 margin.
Tennessee State dominated the opening 11 minutes of the game, using an 11-0 run capped by an A’Torey Everett (three-pointer for a 23-8 lead. TSU held UC Davis to single-digit points for a majority of the first half as the Aggies did not score their 10th point until the 8:50 mark of the opening half.
The Aggies clawed back into the game and pulled to within two points at 28-26 thanks to a 10-0 run.
TSU took a slight 29-26 advantage into the locker room.
UC Davis took its first lead of the game on a Brynton Lemar jumper with 14:25 left in the second half, giving the Aggies a 39-37 advantage.
The score see-sawed back and forth with both teams exchanging baskets. McCall’s three with four minutes left gave the Tigers the lead for good at 59-57.
Samson Oyediran added to TSU's lead when he banked in a three from straight away for a 66-58 advantage with 2:21 remaining. The Tigers’ edge reached double-digits on the next possession on a Martin jumper to put the score at 68-58. The Aggies pulled within nine points on two occasions, but that was as close as they would get.
MOREHEAD STATE 106, KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN 41
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State men's basketball opened its season with a 106-41 win over Kentucky Christian at Johnson Arena.
Sophomore guard Malik Maitland led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 7-for-9 from the field. The 5-foot-11 starting point guard connected on a staggering five of six attempts from three-point range.
The Eagles exploded out of the gate with 21 unanswered points, before Kentucky Christian finally stopped the bleeding with a layup 5:16 into the first half. Morehead State led the Knights 53-16 at halftime.
The Morehead State bench outscored Kentucky Christian's 71-8, thanks in part to 14 points from freshman Jordan Walker in his collegiate debut. Junior Soufiyane Diakite added 10 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Lamontray Harris posted nine points and 10 boards.
JACKSONVILE STATE 84, TULSA 73
TULSA, Okla. - The Ray Harper era at Jacksonville State got off on the right foot Friday as the Gamecocks downed Tulsa 84-73 in its season opener.
The 11-point victory snapped an eight-game skid dating back to last season - Jan. 24, 2016 against Morehead State at Pete Mathews Coliseum. It was the first season-opening victory since 2012 and first over a Division I opponent since defeating Alabama A&M 74-68 to begin the 2003-04 campaign.
Senior Malcolm Drumwright helped Harper to his first win at the JSU helm with a 20-point performance. The point guard also pitched in six assists, sharing the ball with three additional multi-point scorers. Fellow senior Greg Tucker and junior Norbertas Giga scored 17 and 13 points, respectively, and junior Erik Durham added 10.
The Gamecocks controlled the tip and scored first on a Giga layup to take the initial lead.
Tulsa managed to take a brief three-point lead at the 17:55 mark, but it lasted just 1:37 minutes. The contest was either tied or driven by JSU for the remainder.
Jacksonville State went on to shoot 55.2% (16-for-29) in the first half, nailing four three-pointers. Tucker and Giga led the scoring effort with 11 points each, and Tucker was responsible for two of the half's four treys.
A 10-point lead, 38-28, at the half was extended to a game-high 19 points at the 7:27 point in the second half, but foul trouble for the Gamecocks provided drama in the closing minutes. The Golden Hurricane cut the lead to nine in five minutes, aided by the disqualifications-by-foul of Giga, Drumwright and Andre Statam.
Tulsa added to the pressure with a press, managing to pull within eight points of the JSU lead, but that was as close as the home team could get. With less than a minute remaining, the Gamecocks went on a 7-3 run to put it away.
Giga and sophomore Christian Cunningham each barely missed recording double-doubles. Along with his 13 points, Giga reeled in eight rebounds, and Cunningham came up one point and two boards shy of the feat.
Statam led the JSU offense from behind the arc with three three-pointers. The sophomore nailed all three within a two-minute window, going 3-for-5 from long range.
GEORGIA TECH 70, TENNESSEE TECH 55
ATHENS, Ga. - Strong showings from several newcomers proved not enough for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles dropped their 2016-17 season opener on the road at Georgia Tech, 70-55.
A rough shooting night proved costly for the young squad, with a 33.3 percent shooting touch from the floor and 19.2 percent rate from downtown making it difficult to match a Georgia Tech squad that hit at over 50 percent from the field.
Redshirt freshman Micaiah Henry proved more than effective in his first collegiate contest, leading the Golden Eagles in scoring with 15 points on a very impressive 7-for-10 outing. The big man hauled in five rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, and rejected two shots as well.
The Golden Eagles dominated the offensive boards all night, owning a 21-8 advantage while also collecting a 37-34 edge on the glass overall. Tech also won the turnover margin 15-14.
Junior college transfer Ja'Cardo Hawkins enjoyed a successful debut in the purple and gold, scoring 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. He also collected four rebounds while playing just 12 minutes off the bench.
Senior Kajon Mack, who transferred to Tech from Tulane over the summer, tallied nine points in his Golden Eagle debut while sophomore forward Courtney Alexander II led the team with six boards.
MURRAY STATE 73, ILLINOIS STATE 70
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State men's basketball team opened the season with a victory as Jonathan Stark hit a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to give the Racers a 73-70 win over the Illinois State Redbirds at the CFSB Center.
Stark's winner came after the Racers had fought back from a 62-58 hole with 2:38 to go.
The win makes the Racers 1-0 as they head out on the road for the first time in the 2016-17 season Tuesday when they take on Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro.
Trailing 32-29 after an ISU half court buzzer shot by Keyshawn Evans, the Racers fell behind by eight less than four minutes into the second half. They rallied with four-straight 3-point baskets, two each from Terrell Miller, Jr. and Bryce Jones to take a 46-42 lead with 13:42 left.
They led 55-53 on two Stark free throws with 6:35 left, but ISU had a 9-0 run which set up the Racers' comeback win.
When the dust settled on the home opener, Miller led the Racers with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting including 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Stark had 19 points, while MSU got 14 from Bryce Jones and 12 from Damarcus Croaker.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 97, IUPUI 87
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team used a big night at the free throw line to earn a season-opening 97-87 victory over the visiting IUPUI Jaguars on Friday night at McBrayer Arena.
EKU (1-0) made 45 free throws in the win, including 13 in the final two minutes of play to seal it. In all, the Colonels shot 80 percent (45-of-56) from the stripe.
Five Colonels reached double figures on the night. Nick Mayo, a Preseason All-OVC selection, led the way with 24. The sophomore also nabbed eight rebounds and went a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe.
Freshman Asante Gist notched 21 points in his EKU debut. The native of East Orange, New Jersey also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five assists. Senior Jaylen Babb-Harrison tallied 13 points, going 3-for-5 from three-point land. Fellow senior Isaac McGlone scored 11 points, while junior transfer Dillon Avare poured in 11 points off the bench.
The Colonels trailed the Jaguars, 4-3, early in the first half, but a Mayo three-pointer gave EKU a lead it would not surrender again. Mayo, Babb-Harrison and McGlone all hit three-pointers in the first three minutes of the game. EKU went 6-of-15 from three-point range in the first half, and took a 42-28 lead into the locker room at the break.
Eastern opened the second half with an 18-8 run – highlighted by a one-handed Mayo put-back dunk – to extend the lead to 60-36. The 24-point advantage was the biggest of the night for the Colonels.
The Jaguars attempted a late rally, eventually getting the lead down to eight, 91-83, with 34 seconds on the clock; however, that was as close as they would get, as the Colonels went 13-of-14 from the stripe down the stretch to ice it.
IUPUI (0-1) was led by Darell Combs’ 28 points. The Jaguars made 20-of-27 free throw attempts.
Eastern Kentucky worked hard to total a combined 36 points off turnovers and second chance points.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 83, SAINT FRANCIS (ILL.) 41
CHARLESTON, Ill. - – Eastern Illinois men’s basketball opened the 2016-17 season on a high note as the Panthers rolled to a 83-41 win over Saint Francis (Ill.) in the season opener Friday night at Lantz Arena. EIU had 12 players score in double figures led by Demetrius McReynolds with 18 as they shot 55 percent in the win.
With EIU leading 40-22 at the half McReynolds opened the second half with seven straight points as he was 7-of-8 from the floor hitting 2-of-3 from 3-point range. McReynolds individual run pushed the Panthers lead to 20 points as they would eventually build the lead to 44 points with 3:43 left in the game on a three point play by Joe Kuligoski.
Muusa Dama set the tone on the defensive end of the floor off the opening tip as he picked up one of his four blocks on a lay-up attempt by Landus Anderson after the Fighting Saints won the opening tip. Patrick Muldoon hit the first bucket for EIU. The two teams would trade baskets before Cornell Johnston drained a 3-pointer to open a quick 9-2 run for the Panthers capped by a Montell Goodwin 3-pointer. EIU ended the first half 3-of-6 from 3-point range and shot 8-of-17 from beyond the arc for the game.
Casey Teson gave the Panthers a double figure lead with a jumper at 11:26 that made it 20-10. USF chipped away at the first half lead closing to seven points on a jumper by Ryan Peter with 6:44 left in the half. EIU closed the half with a 14-3 run with dunks by Marshawn Blackmon and Dama.
The Panthers led 40-22 at the half shooting 53.8 percent from the floor. EIU would increase that shooting percentage in the second half knocking down 56.7 percent in the second half and 55.4 percent for the game.
Goodwin joined McReynolds in double figures finishing with 15 points going 6-of-10 from the floor. Dama led a solid effort on the glass with nine rebounds as EIU had a 41-22 rebound advantage.
Jo Jo Ballestero had 13 points to lead USF as the Fighting Saints were held to 32.6 percent shooting for the game.
ILLINOIS 81, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 62
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Southeast Missouri (0-1) started strong, but fell victim to a big second half run as Illinois (1-0) pulled away, 81-69, Friday night at the State Farm Center.
SEMO and Illinois met for the third time overall and first since Dec. 28, 2005. The Fighting Illini improved to 3-0 in the series with each of those wins coming on their homecourt.
The Redhawks stormed out of the gate knocking down seven of their first 12 field goals. Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference guard Antonius Cleveland heated up to score SEMO's first eight points of the game.
SEMO led all the way to the 5:08 mark in the first half before D.J. Williams' layup gave Illinois a 26-25 edge and the Fighting Illini never relinquished their lead from then on. Illinois closed out the half on an 11-6 run to take a 37-31 advantage at the intermission.
At one point, the Redhawks shot 58.6 percent, but saw their field goal percentage dip slightly under 40 percent (38.7) in the game's opening period.
The Fighting Illini used an 8-0 run to widen their lead to double figures in the first 2:31 of the second half. Three-pointers by Michael Finke and Tracy Abrams keyed the surge that gave Illinois a 45-31 lead with 17:29 remaining.
Ahead, 50-41, with 12:42 on the clock, Illinois put the game out of reach when it went on a 15-2 run to take its biggest lead. The hefty surge gave the Fighting Illini their biggest lead of the night (65-43) and SEMO never recovered.
Newcomer Milos Vranes led SEMO with 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Vranes, in his Redhawk debut, shot a near-perfect 5-of-6 from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. He also added a game-high three steals.
Cleveland followed with 10 points, and as a result, scored double figures in his 11th-straight game dating back to last season. He leads the Redhawks with 55 double-digit career scoring games and reached double-digits in 18 of his last 19 starts. Cleveland limped off the court following his nice one-handed dunk, but returned in the final three minutes of the game.
A total of seven players, including Vranes, Jaylen Benton, Denzel Mahoney, Dondre Duffus, Tahj Eaddy, Jonathan Dalton and Daniel Simmons took the court for the first time in a Division I game against Illinois tonight. Eaddy dropped in nine points and Simmons had seven, as 11 different Redhawks were in the scoring column.
As a team, SEMO made 10 three-pointers, something it did only twice in 29 games last season.
Naismith Trophy candidate Malcolm Hill led all scorers with a game-high 21 points. Hill, who made only one field goal in the first half, pitched in 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Three other starters, including Morgan, Abrams and Finke followed with 16, 13 and 12 points, respectively. Morgan did not miss a field goal (8-of-8) and Hill did not miss a free throw (7-of-7).
Illinois shot 56.6 percent (30-of-53) for the night and outrebounded the Redhawks, 37-22.