THURSDAY'S SCORES
Chicago State 74,
Southeast Missouri 65 (Las Vegas, Nev.)
@#16 Indiana 97,
Austin Peay 62
@Miami (Ohio) 66,
Tennessee Tech 58
@Manhattan 81,
Eastern Kentucky 54
@Mississippi State 85,
Morehead State 76
Wright State 77,
@Murray State 62
@Southern Illinois 78,
UT Martin 70
@Belmont 88, Cleveland State 61
CHICAGO STATE 74, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 65
LAS VEGAS - Antonius Cleveland scored 26 points, including 20 in the first half, and Southeast Missouri (4-9) suffered its sixth-straight loss, 74-65, to Chicago State (4-9) Thursday afternoon at Orleans Arena.
SEMO and CSU, which met for the first time since Dec. 9, 1993, battled to six ties and 10 lead changes before the Cougars used a decisive 6-0 run in the final 3:08 of the game.
The Redhawks trailed 68-65 and later missed three field goals and turned the ball over once on their last four possessions.
Fred Sims Jr. scored on a layup right after SEMO pulled to within three. Trayvon Palmer then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, and Joshua Batson knocked down two free throws in the final 49 seconds to finish off the win.
Cleveland carried SEMO in his big first half scoring all his points in 19 minutes. He outscored five other Redhawks who combined for a quiet 11 points.
The Redhawks were down, 36-30, at halftime despite Cleveland's strong effort.
Palmer led CSU with a double-double 18 points and 15 rebounds. He shot 7-of-11 from the field, made 4-of-5 free throws and played 40 minutes. Sims Jr., who fouled out with 6:41 remaining, followed with 17 points and six rebounds, while Deionte Simmons added 17 points.
CSU scored 36 points in the paint, pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and scored 14 of its field goals on layups.
Cleveland shot 6-of-11 from the field and made a career-high 12 free throws. He also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and dished out three assists. Cleveland scored 20 or more points for the third-consecutive game and fourth time in five starts.
Denzel Mahoney chipped in 13 points.
The Redhawks shot 50 percent (12-of-24) in the second half and 48.9 percent (22-of-45) for the game. SEMO had 11 turnovers, as well.
#16 INDIANA 97, AUSTIN PEAY 62
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Despite excellent homecomings from John Murry and Kenny Jones, Austin Peay State University men's basketball team found why Indiana was ranked 16th heading into Thursday night's contest, falling 97-62 to the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall.
The Governors hung around for much of the first half, paced by junior Josh Robinson's 10 first-half points. Within two after a Jared Savage three-pointer at the 9:01 mark, the Govs were outscored 38-13 for the half's remainder, including a banked-in three-pointer from Devonte Green at the buzzer to lift Indiana to a 48-31 halftime lead.
The Hoosiers shot 60 percent (18-for-30) in the first half and bumped that up to 65.4 percent (17-for-26) over the final 20 minutes. And while Austin Peay was able to boast a robust 48.1 percent showing of their own from the floor in the first half, the Governors struggled to a 30.8 percent (8-for-26) clip in the second half.
Although Robinson led the Govs with 21 points, Jones and Murry acquitted themselves nicely in their return to the Hoosier State. Jones, the South Bend native, finished 16 points and seven boards, equaling Indiana's De'Ron Davis for the game high in rebounds, while Murry scored 18 on 7-for-12 shooting.
MIAMI (OHIO) 66, TENNESSEE TECH 58
OXFORD, Ohio - A roller coaster ride from start to finish, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball couldn't quite find the offense late Thursday evening as Miami (Ohio) held on at its home court to defeat the Golden Eagles, 66-58.
Both sides came out on fire to open the contest (Tech's last non-conference tilt of the season), with the Golden Eagles firing at a 54.2 percent clip and the RedHawks answering at 51.9 percent. Despite the hot hands on both sides, the two teams found themselves knotted at 36 apiece at halftime after combining for a whopping 23 first-half turnovers.
Tech continued its torrid pace to start the second stanza, opening the period on a 12-6 run over the first eight minutes. Senior guard Hakeem Rogers tallied nine of those powerful points, with sophomore forward Courtney Alexander II collecting the other three.
The Golden Eagles offense hit a wall after that point, finishing the game with just 10 more points and rounding out a tough half that saw the team finish shooting just 20.7 percent from the field. The turnovers also continued on both sides, with 17 more tallying up for a grand total of 40 in the contest.
While Tech certainly took advantage of its trips to the charity stripe on the night, finishing 12-for-14 for an 85.7 percent showing, the visitors just couldn't get the whistle to blow in the second half, drawing just six fouls until the 3:52 mark in the contest.
After taking its final lead with 2:34 left on the scoreboard, Miami (Ohio) managed to make three trips to the free throw line, sinking all six of its attempts, which represented all but two of the team's final eight points.
On the night, RedHawk freshman Michael Weathers led all scorers with 19 points while Rogers and junior guard Aleksa Jugovic paced Tech with 14 apiece. Jugovic tallied a 4-for-8 showing from beyond the arc, representing his 12th straight game with a made 3-point attempt. He also added four rebounds and a team-best four assists.
Junior Mason Ramsey tallied nine points and a career-high four steals on the night, as well as five rebounds. Alexander contributed a team-high seven rebounds in a game that saw Tech outwork the RedHawks on the glass, 40-33.
MANHATTAN 81, EASTERN KENTUCKY 54
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - A strong second half carried host Manhattan College past the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team, 81-54, on Thursday night at Draddy Gymnasium.
EKU (6-8) led Manhattan, 30-28, at halftime; however, the Japers shot 68 percent (17-of-25) from the field in the second half to pull away for the win.
Sophomore forward Nick Mayo just missed his third double-double of the year for the Colonels, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds. He also had two assists and a block. Freshman guard Asante Gist scored nine points, while senior guard Isaac McGlone contributed eight points and four assists.
EKU stifled Manhattan to just 37 percent (7-of-19) shooting from the field in the first half. The Colonels took their largest lead of the game, 23-17, when McGlone connected on a three-pointer with 4:43 left in the half. Thomas Capuano, however, responded with a triple on the other end of the floor, and the Jaspers pulled to within two, 30-28, at the break.
Manhattan opened the second half on a 23-5 run and took a 16-point lead, 51-35, when Calvin Crawford drained a three-pointer less than seven minutes in. The Jaspers never looked back.
Crawford came off the bench to lead four Jaspers in double figures with 19 points.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 85, MOREHEAD STATE 76
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Morehead State men's basketball jumped out to a 41-31 halftime lead before falling at Mississippi State on Thursday night, 85-76.
With the loss, the Eagles fall to 3-9 on the year, while the Bulldogs improve to 8-3.
Senior guard Xavier Moon and sophomore forward Lamontray Harris led the charge in the first half with ten points each as Morehead State jumped out to a 41-31 lead.
The Eagles shot 57 percent and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 20-12, in the first stanza.
But, Mississippi State hit three three-pointers and started the second half on a 13-4 run to trim the Eagles' lead to 45-44.
The Bulldogs led by as much as five midway through the second half, but Morehead State battled back to tie it at 60-60 on a layup by freshman guard Jordan Walker with 8:05 to go.
However, Mississippi State answered with another run, this time of the 9-2 variety, and Morehead State failed to get it closer than three points the rest of the way.
Moon led the Eagles with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting and was 2-of-6 from three-point range. He also finished with a team-high five assists and three steals, and hit some big shots down the stretch to keep Morehead State in contention.
Harris finished with 20 points off the bench and started the game 7-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-2 from deep, before finishing 7-of-11. He also led the team in rebounds with seven.
Walker added ten points and three rebounds, while junior guard Miguel Dicent finished with six points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Sophomore guard Quinndary Weatherspoon led the Bulldogs with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting.
Morehead State outrebounded the Bulldogs, 32-30, marking the fourth straight game where they have outrebounded their opponent.
But, the Eagles turned it over 16 times, while Mississippi State committed just five turnovers. It marked just the second time this year that Morehead State has lost the turnover battle.
WRIGHT STATE 77, MURRAY STATE 62
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - Mark Alstork scored 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and Wright State dominated in the second half to overtake Murray State for a 77-62 win Thursday night.
Trailing by six at the break, Wright State (9-4) opened the second half with a 16-3 run capped by Mike La Tulip's 3-pointer to make it 46-39 with 14:12 left and led the rest of the way.
Murray State (5-8) stayed close most of the way, cutting the gap to 59-58 on a 3 from Terrell Miller Jr. with 6:11 to go. But then the Raiders broke away with a 14-2 run and continued to pad it down the stretch, shooting 52 percent in the second half while holding the Racers to 8 of 28 from the field after the break.
Steven Davis added 20 points with seven rebounds for Wright State.
Miller and Jonathan Stark led Murray State with 21 points apiece. Miller also grabbed 11 rebounds.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 78, UT MARTIN 70
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team held a nine-point lead in the second half this evening but the Southern Illinois Salukis stormed back to hand the Skyhawks a 78-70 setback at SIU Arena.
In a game that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes, UT Martin broke a 26-26 halftime tie and posted a nine-point edge with 17:55 remaining. However, the host Salukis clawed back and took the lead for good with 5:32 left to play.
Matthew Butler led the Skyhawks in scoring for the fourth time this season, compiling 19 points to go along with a game-high five assists while logging all 40 minutes. Kahari Beaufort set a new career-high in scoring for the second straight game, dialing up 15 points while keying UT Martin’s hot start to the second half. Javier Martinez (12 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Skyhawks, who round out the nonconference season with a 10-5 record.
Southern Illinois (7-6) was led by Armon Fletcher’s 22 points while Sean O’Brien tallied 18 points. Mike Rodriguez and Sean Lloyd each accounted for 11 points apiece for the Salukis, who shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) in the final 20 minutes.
It was a back-and-forth affair early, as the first half resulted in eight ties and seven lead changes. Martinez was responsible for UT Martin’s first four points of the game while a Beaufort three-pointer from the left side provided the Skyhawks with a 7-5 lead.
Southern Illinois took an 11-9 advantage before Fatodd Lewis, Malik London and Dante Bailey each scored during a 6-0 UT Martin run. The Salukis responded with five straight points to briefly go ahead before a Butler three-pointer from the right wing tilted the score back in favor of the Skyhawks with 6:36 remaining in the first half.
Another 6-0 UT Martin spurt turned a two-point deficit into a 26-22 advantage, as Lewis, Kedar Edwards and Martinez each scored inside during the run. Southern Illinois followed by scoring the final four points of the half as the score was knotted at 26-all at the break.
Martinez’s six points paced a balanced Skyhawk scoring attack in the first half, as seven different UT Martin players registered in the point column. O’Brien reeled off 14 first-half points for the Salukis, who were forced into 12 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of play.
A hot stretch by Beaufort to begin the second half allowed the Skyhawks to take their biggest lead of the game. The junior guard out of Hartford, Conn. poured in the first five and 10 of the first 12 UT Martin points of the second half, resulting in a nine-point Skyhawk lead with just under 18 minutes on the clock.
Southern Illinois was able to get back within four points before a right wing trifecta by Butler pushed UT Martin’s advantage out to 41-34 at the 14:48 mark. The Salukis stormed back to even the score at 45-all but Butler came right back with a three-pointer from left wing just 32 seconds later.
Following another tie (50-50), Lewis buried a three-pointer from the left wing to make the score 53-50 with 8:46 left to play. Southern Illinois pushed back with seven unanswered points to go ahead by a 57-53 margin before a pair of Edwards free throws at the 6:54 mark. A defensive stop followed before Butler scored on a leaner to even the score once again at 57-all.
The Salukis accounted for 10 of the game’s next 12 points to go on top 67-59 but UT Martin didn’t quit. Butler knocked down a three-pointer and Martinez converted a layup at the 1:44 mark to pull the Skyhawks back within a single possession at 67-64.
However, Southern Illinois tallied the next nine points and UT Martin would not get any closer than six points the rest of the way.
BELMONT 88, CLEVELAND STATE 61
NASHVILLE - Behind a 29-4 second half run, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Cleveland State, 88-61, Thursday night.
The visiting Vikings scored the opening six points, but junior Amanze Egekeze continued his strong play with 12 first half points as the Bruins seized a 40-35 halftime lead.
Though Demonte Flannigan helped Cleveland State stay within 50-45 with 15:55 remaining, Belmont held the visitors to four points over the next 11 minutes with a decisive mix of strong defense and unselfish offense.
Senior All-America candidate Evan Bradds shook off early foul trouble and Viking double teams to lead Belmont with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Belmont shot 57 percent from the field, 61 percent in the second half.
Rob Edwards and Anthony Wright led Cleveland State (4-8) with 14 points each.
Belmont (6-4) has won five of its last six games.