TUESDAY'S SCORES
Bradley 87,
@Eastern Illinois 83 (OT)
@Southern Illinois 89,
Murray State 85 (OT)
@Vanderbilt 83,
Tennessee State 59
@Belmont 64, Lipscomb 62
Jacksonville State 72, @Alabama State 69
@UT Martin 82, Florida Atlantic 81
BRADLEY 87, EASTERN ILLINOIS 83 (OT)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Bradley made 11 of 12 shots at the free throw line in overtime as the Braves knocked off Eastern Illinois, 87-83, on Tuesday night in Lantz Arena. It was the first visit for the Braves to Charleston since 1919 when the teams played in EIU’s Pemberton Hall Gym.
Bradley improved to 4-3. EIU dropped to 4-3 as the Panthers lost their first home game this season.
The game ended tied 72-72 at the end of regulation as the Braves came back from down seven points with 4:53 left to play in the game. EIU led 70-63 after a pair of Cornell Johnston free throws.
Bradley cut the lead to one with two baskets by JoJo McGlaston, the second one a three-point play with 3:12 to play. Casey Teson extended the lead to three points with a jumper at the free throw line with 2:46 to play. Bradley tied the game with three free throws in the final 1:13, the final two by Darrell Brown with 23 seconds remaining. EIU had a chance to win the game in regulation but missed on a 3-pointer by Montell Goodwin with two seconds remaining. EIU ended the night shooting 7-of-28 from 3-point range.
In the overtime session Bradley jumped out to a five point lead with McGlaston finishing off a three point play and Koch Bar converting a lay-up with 2:23 to play. The Braves extended the lead to seven points on four more free throws as they only scored from the foul line in the final two minutes of the game. McGlaston and Bar both led the Braves with 17 points. Bar added 14 rebounds for a double-double.
EIU trimmed the lead to three points on a jumper by Muusa Dama and 3-pointer by Demetrius McReynolds with 42 seconds left. Brown then made two free throws to push lead back to double figures as he was one of five Bradley players in double figures with 14 points. McReynolds led all players with 25 points going 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Dama finished with a double-double for the Panthers with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Bradley led 41-37 at the half as the Braves shot 60 percent in the opening twenty minutes. EIU opened the game with hot shooting from McReynolds as his 3-pointer at 12:53 gave EIU a seven point lead at 14-7. Bradley would come back to lead by as many as eight points in the first half. McReynolds and Ray Crossland scored the final four points of the half for EIU to cut the lead to four. Crossland had 19 points.
In the second half the Panthers took the lead with a Crossland lay-up with 10:55 to go that put EIU up 53-52. EIU would hold the lead at two possessions for most of the second half as Bradley scored 11 of its 13 points over a six minute span from the foul line. The Braves ended the night 24-of-35 from the foul line.
EIU forced 24 Bradley turnovers converting those into 29 points. The Braves were able to stay in the game despite cooling off in the second half with solid rebounding. Bradley finished the night with 53-30 rebound advantage.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 89, MURRAY STATE 85 (OT)
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Murray State Racers rallied to force overtime, but ultimately fel to the Southern Illinois Salukis 89-85 Tuesday at the SIU Arena in Carbondale.
The Racers fell to 3-4 overall and come home to the CFSB Center Saturday to host Detroit Mercy at 7 p.m.
A Bryce Jones 3-point basket at the buzzer forced overtime after the Racers executed a flawless full-court play with 5.7 seconds remaining to tie the game 77-77.
Jonathan Stark made a pair of free throws with 1:06 left in overtime to tie it again 85-85. MSU had a chance to win the game after Gee McGhee blocked an SIU shot and gathered the ball in. With the shot clock not allowing MSU to keep the ball for the final shot, Stark drove to the basket and missed with 15-seconds left. SIU got the rebound and game winner off a missed 3-point try that was tipped in by Sean O'Brien with .06 left. MSU tried a full-court pass that went out of bounds. SIU was fouled and made two free throws for the 89-85 final.
Stark led MSU with 29 points including a 10-of-11 night from the free throw line. Jones added 13 points, while Terrell Miller added 12 points and eight rebounds. Gee McGhee came off the bench and hit three-straight 3-point baskets and finished with 11 points.
The Racers shot 39 percent from the field on 27–of-70 shots. They hit 43 percent on 13-of-30 3-point tries.
MSU won the battle of the boards with SIU 43-38 and had 15 offensive rebounds.
The first half featured a 5-of-8 start from the field for MSU and afterwards, McGhee entered the game and hit 3-of-3 from long range and the Racers led the Salukis 25-24 at the 7:57 mark. MSU fell behind by five with 2:12 left but finished the game outscoring SIU 7-0 on a pair of threes by Jones and Jachai Taylor.
VANDERBILT 83, TENNESSEE STATE 59
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, falling by an 83-59 final score on the road at Vanderbilt on Tuesday night at Memorial Gymnasium. Ken’Darrius Hamilton led TSU’s offense with a career-high 19 points on the night.
TSU (6-1) dug itself an early deficit as Vanderbilt (4-3) built a 21-point halftime edge. For the Tigers, which received votes in the Associated Press Top 25, Darreon Reddick also turned in a double-digit scoring effort with 12 points.
Hamilton led the TSU offense with seven points in the first seven minutes as the Commodores jumped out to a 17-11 advantage. The Tigers found themselves down by 10, trailing 24-14 with eight minutes to play before halftime.
The Tigers cut the Vanderbilt lead down to seven on a Reddick jumper at 29-22 with just under five minutes to play before halftime.
The Commodores ended the half on a 14-0 run to take a 43-22 halftime lead. Vanderbilt shot 61 percent (14-for-23) from the field in the first half.
The scoring went back and forth in the second half as the Commodores maintained a 20-point lead for most of the final 20 minutes.
TSU forced 19 turnovers in the game, leading to 23 points off turnovers. The Tigers finished 20-for-49 (40.8 percent) from the field, while Vanderbilt finished with 25-for-46 (54.3 percent) shooting.
Vanderbilt was led by 22 points form Matthew Fisher-Davis and 13 from Jeff Roberson.
BELMONT 64, LIPSCOMB 62
NASHVILLE - Sophomore Dylan Windler scored with under one second remaining to cap a remarkable second half comeback as Belmont University men's basketball defeated Lipscomb, 64-62, Tuesday night.
The Bruins have now won 10 consecutive games over Lipscomb, the longest-win streak in the storied history of the Franklin American Mortgage Battle of the Boulevard series.
Belmont, welcoming the return of senior All-American candidate Evan Bradds - who missed Friday's game - sought to regain the form from its convincing home opening victory over Western Kentucky.
But from the opening tap, Lipscomb showcased the toughness and resolve embodied by fourth year head coach and former Belmont player, Casey Alexander. The Bisons' confounding defense took Belmont completely out of its typical rhythm, leading to a disjointed start. Despite four early points from Bradds, Lipscomb rode Garrison Mathews to a modest lead.
After a 3-pointer from junior Austin Luke got Belmont within 26-21 at the 6:35 mark, the Bisons would hold the Bruins scoreless over the next four minutes. One Kenny Cooper free throw extended the Lipscomb lead to 33-21. A Rob Marberry basket and an empty Belmont possession sent the Bisons to the locker room up 13, 37-24.
It was a first half box score to send to the shredder - Belmont shot 34 percent (8-for-23) from the field and committed 11 turnovers. Meanwhile, Lipscomb shot 50 percent from the field and had only two giveaways.
Belmont's predicament only worsened as a Nathan Moran 3-pointer and a Mathews bucket pushed Lipscomb's advantage to 42-24 with 18:55 left. Three points from Bradds and a Windler offensive rebound basket stabilized things momentarily. Then, in the lone hot shooting window of the evening, senior Nick Smith and Luke strung together three triples in a 90 second span to get Belmont within six, 46-40, with 14:57 remaining.
But as quickly as the burst came, it then left, as Belmont made just two field goals over the next eight minutes, mysteriously rimming out clean looks. But the Bruins rode impassioned defense and rebounding to stay within striking distance. Five straight points from Bradds and a basket from junior Amanze Egekeze got Belmont within 53-52 with 5:29 remaining.
The drama and intensity only grew from there, as score would be within one possession until the final horn.
A strange sequence took place leading into the under-four media timeout, as Belmont junior Burton Sampson and Lipscomb's Aaron Korn got tangled up battling for a loose ball. Though both players took a spill, Sampson was charged with a loose ball foul, awarding Lipscomb free throws. So instead of Belmont having a chance to reclaim the lead, Korn made both free throws to push the Bisons' edge back to three.
Following two Smith free throws, a tip-in basket from Marberry gave Lipscomb a 60-57 lead with 2:16 left, before a driving basket from Bradds cut the margin to one. Then after a forcing a Mathews turnover, senior Taylor Barnette (Lexington, Ky.) was called for a charging foul with 1:33 remaining, thwarting a chance to go back in front.
But after another Belmont defensive stop, Bradds found Barnette cutting to the basket for a gorgeous back door connection and a 61-60 Belmont lead with 45 seconds left.
After a near traveling violation by Marberry and a Lipscomb timeout, Egekeze tipped away a post feed to create a turnover.
Luke was then fouled, and proceeded to make one free throw to extend the lead to two, 62-60, with 17 seconds left. From there, Lipscomb worked into the frontcourt, found Marberry in the lane, and the sophomore scored a lefty hook shot with 2.8 seconds remaining to tie the score at 62.
But as both teams scrambled back downcourt, Bradds quickly lofted a deep baseball pass to Windler, who snared it out of the air near the Bruin lane, power dribbled, and scored on the right side with 0.8 seconds remaining. Mass hysteria ensued, as Lipscomb did not get off a final shot attempt.
All told, Belmont shot 40 percent (23-for-57) from the field - including 6-for-30 from 3-point distance. The Bruins outrebounded Lipscomb, 41-32, and forced 12 second half turnovers. Bradds led three Bruins in double figures with 24 points. He added nine rebounds and a career-high six assists. Luke scored 13. Smith added 10.
Marberry led Lipscomb (2-6) with 24 points.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 72, ALABAMA STATE 69
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team claimed its fourth win in a row, and third in a row away from Pete Mathews Coliseum, Tuesday night with a 72-69 win over Alabama State at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Junior Norbertas Giga bucketed a career-high 18 points, and senior Erik Durham posted 17 points to register his sixth consecutive game in double digits. Tyrik Edwards scored a career-high 10 points with nine coming in the second half.
Alabama State opened the game with a press against the Gamecocks' offense, forcing a couple of early turnovers. Despite the defensive strategy, the Hornets managed just two points off turnovers. Meanwhile, five of JSU's first eight points were scored off two ASU turnovers.
Jacksonville State took a one-point lead, 31-30, into the locker room at the half after fighting back from eight points down. The Hornets dominated the boards up until the three-minute mark of the period with seven second-chance points. Alabama State had reeled in five more rebounds than the Gamecocks, leading the battle 26-21 with an 8-2 advantage on the offensive boards.
The Gamecocks out-rebounded ASU 7-4 in the final three minutes of the half and took its lead with 2:34 left on the clock. Sophomore Andre Statam led first-half scorers with seven points, while senior Erik Durham followed up with six points on two 3-pointers.
The beginning of the second half saw Jacksonville State go on a 7-2 run to jump out to a 40-32 lead. It ran its lead to a game-high 10 points at the 15:20 mark to seemingly cement its lead. However, a surge from the Hornets brought the Gamecocks' lead within one with four minutes left to play.
The two teams traded blows until the final 13 seconds. ASU's Terrance LeFlore hit a layup to make it a three-point game, and Edwards missed two free throws to give Alabama State the ball with five seconds remaining. Shooter Torloft Thomas was forced to send up a deep 3-pointer from the left side of the key, but the attempt fell short to secure the win for the Gamecocks.
UT MARTIN 82, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 81
MARTIN, Tenn. - Kedar Edwards knocked down a pull-up three-pointer with 1.3 seconds to go to help the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team grind out a come-from-behind win, soaring to an 82-81 win over Florida Atlantic at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
For the third consecutive win, the Skyhawks (6-2) battled back from a double-digit deficit to come out on top. UT Martin trailed by seven points at the halftime break and 11 points with 9:59 remaining before mounting yet another comeback, aided by a 60 percent shooting (18-of-30) effort in the second half. Edwards received an inbounds pass 75 feet away from the basket before taking five dribbles and rising up for the go-ahead bucket.
After Florida Atlantic (2-4) called a timeout to set up a play, Edwards intercepted the ensuing pass and the celebration began for the Skyhawks.
Fatodd Lewis led the Skyhawks in scoring tonight as he established new career-highs in points (19), three-pointers (four) and minutes played (32). Matthew Butler played big down the stretch and piled up 15 points while Edwards (13), Malik Pugh (12) and Jacolby Mobley (11) all reached double-figures in scoring. Chandler Rowe also enjoyed a great all-around performance with six points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals in a game-high 39 minutes.
The Owls were paced by Jailyn Ingram’s 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting while Ronald Delph posted a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Nick Rutherford tallied 17 points and nine assists while Adonis Filer rand up 10 points for Florida Atlantic, who competes in Conference USA.
A three-pointer by Butler provided UT Martin with its first lead of the night at 5-2 but it was the Owls who soon seized the lead, edging the Skyhawks for 35:34 of clock time. A 12-2 Florida Atlantic run resulted in a 19-10 UT Martin deficit with 10:45 remaining before the halftime break.
The Owls took a 25-14 lead at the 6:27 mark of the first half but the backcourt duo of Butler and Mobley combined for the next eight Skyhawk points to trim their deficit to seven points. Lewis drilled a three-pointer with 49 seconds to go in the half to provide the 38-31 halftime score.
Mobley boasted a team-high 11 points for UT Martin in the opening half but the Skyhawks could not overcome a hot shooting performance by Florida Atlantic, who connected on 51.9 percent of its attempts. Ingram tossed in 12 points to lead the Owls in the first half.
Lewis converted a three-pointer to open UT Martin’s scoring in the second half, trimming its deficit to six points early. Edwards racked up six consecutive points for the Skyhawks but Florida Atlantic came back and extended its advantage to 10 points (51-41) with 14:11 left to play.
UT Martin then went on a 7-0 run to get back within a single possession but the Owls came right back with eight unanswered points of their own, opening up a 59-48 advantage midway through the half.
Lewis followed by going on a scoring spree, accounting for eight of the Skyhawks’ 10 points during one stretch. Pugh chimed in with seven consecutive UT Martin points to put the Skyhawks in prime position for the comeback.
Despite UT Martin’s grit, Florida Atlantic took a 78-72 lead with a little over two minutes remaining. Butler soon took over and scored five points during a 7-0 Skyhawk run – including an old-fashioned three-point play that briefly gave UT Martin a 79-78 advantage with 17 ticks to go.
Florida Atlantic’s Gerdarius Troutman then buried a deep three-pointer from the right wing with six seconds to go, tilting the score back in favor of the Owls at 81-79. Edwards’ heroics followed, as he put the finishing touches on a performance where the senior out of Brooklyn, NY scored all of his 13 points after the halftime break.