THURSDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 63, Tennessee State 60 (OT)
@Austin Peay 78, SIUE 58
@Murray State 80, Eastern Illinois 52
@Jacksonville State 76, Eastern Kentucky 58
Belmont 94, @Southeast Missouri 72
@Tennessee Tech 69, Morehead State 67
UT MARTIN 63, TENNESSEE STATE 60 (OT)
MARTIN, Tenn. - Jailen Gill produced the best game of his University of Tennessee at Martin career as the Skyhawks cranked up the heat defensively in a gritty 63-60 triumph over Tennessee State to start Ohio Valley Conference play.
A junior forward out of Kansas City, Mo., Gill collected his second double-double of the season with career- and game-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Skyhawks, who improve to 6-8 overall. Gill was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field while adding three free throws, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 34 minutes of play this evening.
Darius Thompson chipped in 12 points, five assists, a career-high four steals and three rebounds in 44 minutes for UT Martin. Fatodd Lewis overcame a tough shooting night to secure 10 points while Mike Fofana hauled in a career-high nine rebounds to ignite a Skyhawk defensive attack that limited Tennessee State to 38.2 percent shooting (21-of-55).
The Tigers (5-7, 0-1 OVC) led by as many as 12 points in the first half but could only muster nine points over the final 10:54 of the contest. Ken’Darrius Hamilton led the way with 12 points as Kamar McKnight (11), Darreon Reddick (11) and Christian Mekowulu (10) also scored in double-figures for Tennessee State.
Thompson was aggressive early, scoring four points during the Skyhawks’ 6-0 run to begin the game. Gill added a pair of free throws and Fofana dialed up a thunderous fast break dunk to make the score 10-2 in UT Martin’s favor at the 15:23 mark.
The Tigers then temporarily clicked offensively, scoring the first 11 points of a 21-1 run that resulted in a 23-11 Skyhawk deficit with nine minutes remaining before the halftime break.
Moments after a fast break layup by Terrence Parker concluded UT Martin’s field goal drought, the Skyhawks flipped the script and ended the first half on a run of their own. Six different UT Martin players scored during a 13-3 run over the final 6:29 of the opening stanza, resulting in a 28-26 Tennessee State lead at the break.
Thompson and Reddick each had a game-high seven points at halftime to lead their respective squads.
The Skyhawks piled up the first four points of the second half to take a 30-28 advantage after a layup by Thompson. The lead then changed hands six times to go along with three tie scores over the next 5:42.
Gill scored back-to-back buckets to break a 38-38 tie and nudge UT Martin ahead by four points with 12:25 remaining in regulation. The Tigers claimed a brief 51-49 lead with a little under six minutes left to play in the second half but Matthew Butler canned a jumper 16 seconds later and followed with a big three-pointer from the left wing to make the score 54-51 at the four-minute mark.
Tennessee State answered with the next five points of the game until a Gill layup with 1:05 to go in regulation sent the game into overtime with the score knotted at 56-all.
The Skyhawks tallied the first four points in the extra period and never looked back. Gill had a lay-in on a fast break and Lewis followed with a layup on a drive to the hoop, notching a 60-56 UT Martin lead midway through overtime. The Tigers crept within one point with 1:37 left to play but the Skyhawks held Tennessee State to 0-for-3 shooting from that point forward. Lewis toed the line and knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with 12 seconds remaining to provide the final scoring margin.
AUSTIN PEAY 78, SIUE 58
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Thanks to dynamite post performances from senior Averyl Ugba and freshman Terry Taylor, Austin Peay State University men’s basketball opened its Ohio Valley Conference schedule with a dominant 78-58 win against SIU Edwardsville, Thursday, in the Dunn Center.
The victory gives Austin Peay (6-7, 1-0 OVC) a win in the league opener for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign, while SIUE (4-8, 0-1) missed the presence of Jalen Henry, the league’s sixth-leading scorer, who missed the game with a lower-body injury.
Although the two teams traded buckets and stops early on, Austin Peay’s inside presence paved the way for a first-half ending 28-9 run that changed the course of the contest. Ugba scored 13 of his 15 first-half points during this stretch, opening the game-changing run with eight straight points. Taylor, his low-post counterpart, started the game with a pair of threes and scored 14 points in the first half to help the Govs take a commanding 42-26 lead into halftime.
Another huge Austin Peay run—this one of the 23-8 variety—took a 14-point lead and more than doubled it to 29 points with five minutes to go in the second half. Seven different
Governors scored during the run, with Ugba (six points) yet again leading the charge as the Govs made a statement to open league play.
MURRAY STATE 80, EASTERN ILLINOIS 52
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers got the 70th Ohio Valley Conference season going Thursday with an 80-52 win over the Eastern Illinois Panthers at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. The Racers (9-3) win their OVC opener for a 10th straight season since their last loss in 2007 at home to Eastern Kentucky. Murray State gets back on the floor Saturday at 7 p.m. when they host the SIUE Cougars.
The thrill of the night came from freshman sensation Ja Morant who turned in the Racers' first triple-double in eight years when he recorded 11 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out 14 assists. His 14 assists were a CFSB Center record as MSU is playing its 20th season there.
Jonathan Stark led the Racers with 21 points, while Shaq Buchanan tossed in 15 and 11 each came from Terrell Miller, Jr., and Morant.
Leading 41-31 at the half, the Racers were in front 61-47 with 8:42 remaining when they locked the Panthers down and didn't allow a field goal the rest of the way and finished the day on a 19-5 run.
In the first half, the Racers were down early 5-4, but took the lead for good with 15:31 on the clock on a tip-in by Miller.
The Racers have won the rebound battle in all nine of their wins this season and they also set a season-best in holding EIU to .286 field goal percentage of 18-of-63 from the field.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 76, EASTERN KENTUCKY 58
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State Gamecocks topped Eastern Kentucky 76-58 Thursday night to open their Ohio Valley Conference schedule with a win.
Senior Norbertas Giga posted his fourth double-double of the year and 10th of his career, scoring 14 points with 13 rebounds, while junior Marlon Hunter scored a career-best 20 points in the 18-point victory.
The Gamecocks (10-4, 1-0 OVC) held the Colonels (6-8, 0-1 OVC) 14.8 points below their season scoring average and nearly matched EKU's scoring defensive mark of 76.3 points per game.
Jacksonville State allowed just 14 first-half points, outscoring EKU 32-14 in the opening period. The Gamecocks jumped out to an 11-0 lead and did not allow the Colonels to get on the board until a successful foul shot fell at the 11:58 mark. Hunter tallied nine of his 20 points in the first half, while Giga pitched in a second-best eight.
Nine of Eastern Kentucky's 14 points in the first came from DeAndre Dishman off the bench. Aside from the 6-foot-6 forward going 3-for-4 from the field, Jacksonville State's defense limited the EKU offense to 18.2% shooting and 0-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first.
EKU picked up the pace in the second half, scoring 44 points, but JSU matched the Colonels' total to hang onto the 18-point lead. Hunter finished out the second half with 11 points, while junior Christian Cunningham posted all eight of his points in the closing period. Jacksonville State matched it's 11-0 run in the first with another 11-0 run in the second, jumping from a 42-25 advantage to a 53-25 advantage in a three-minute span.
Jacksonville State improved to 8-7 in OVC openers with the win, having claimed five of their last six openers. The victory also snapped an 0-5 skid against the Colonels, making the first win over Eastern Kentucky since Jan. 22, 2015.
Head coach Ray Harper reached a historical milestone with the win, becoming the fastest head coach in JSU history to record 30 victories. Harper is 30-19 in 49 games at the helm in Jacksonville. His career record now stands at 461-146 in 19 seasons as a head coach.
BELMONT 94, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 72
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Behind 21 points each from senior Amanze Egekeze and freshman Nick Hopkins, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Southeast Missouri, 94-72, Thursday night.
The Bruins shot 60 percent from the field, including 68 percent in the second half. Egekeze scored 19 of his 21 points after halftime as Belmont won its fourth consecutive game.
Belmont led 47-36 at halftime.
Southeast Missouri got within 53-45 with 15:50 left on a Ledarrius Brewer 3-pointer, but Hopkins capped an 8-2 Bruin response. 14 Egekeze points over a seven minute stretch gave Belmont a 90-65 lead with 2:37 left.
Junior Dylan Windler narrowly missed his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and nine rebounds, while junior Kevin McClain added 12.
Brewer led Southeast Missouri (6-8, 0-1 OVC) with 21 points.
Belmont (9-5, 1-0 OVC) has won 15 of its last 16 conference openers.
TENNESSEE TECH 69, MOREHEAD STATE 67
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - If Thursday night's Ohio Valley Conference opener is any indication, the Tennessee Tech men's basketball time is in for a thrilling run through league play over the next 10 weeks. The Golden Eagles (9-5, 1-0) used a last-second layup from senior Curtis Phillips Jr. to defeat Morehead State (4-8, 0-1) in the teams' kickoff to 2017-18 OVC slate, 69-67.
The Golden Eagles showed off the kind of ball movement that ranked them first in the league heading into the contest. Tech's 24 assists – the team's sixth game with 20-plus helpers on the year – on 28 field goals (85.7 percent) broke the school record for percentage of assists to field goals made in a single game set earlier this season against Boyce College (34-on-41 – 82.9 percent).
Between the ability to share the ball and an up-tempo attack – Tech outscored the Eagles 22-2 on fast break points – the Golden Eagles were able to hold off a late comeback bid. Morehead State rallied from eight back with just under four minutes to play, tying the game on the team's only fast-break bucket of the evening, a layup by A.J. Hicks.
Coach Payne called timeout with the ball and 10 seconds left on the clock, drawing up a play for graduate guard Kajon Mack to take the last shot. Mack drove around the left side of the lane, throwing up an attempt that careened off the rim and backboard and landed just behind two Morehead State players.
Phillips snagged just the third offensive board for the Golden Eagles on the night, took one dribble and laid the ball in off the glass with four tenths of a second to play. Morehead State's desperation pass attempt was knocked down at half-court (also by Phillips) to secure the Tech victory.
Despite being out-rebounded 41-29 (including a 14-3 mark on the offensive glass), the Golden Eagles held a clear advantage in scoring around the basket. Tech scored 44 points in the paint as compared to just 26 by the Eagles.
The ability to score close helped TTU's field goal percentage as well, as Tech shot 51.9 percent from the field – a key stat on a night that included struggles at the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles hit just eight of their 16 free-throw attempts while Morehead State finished 16-for-25.
Tech did force 17 MSU turnovers on the night, racking up 11 steals along the way.
Phillips led the Golden Eagles with 17 points on 8-for-17 shooting while tallying his first double-double of the year with a team-high 10 rebounds. He also dished out five assists, blocked two shots and totaled three steals while making just a single turnover.
Mason Ramsey chipped in 14 points on a 5-for-8 night and Mack added 13 points with six assists. Aleksa Jugovic hit at least one 3-pointer for the 21st consecutive game, leading to 10 points and a team-best seven assists.
The win marked a milestone for Coach Payne, as the seventh-year head man earned his 100th career victory both in Division I and at Tennessee Tech. He became just the sixth head coach in program history to hit the century mark in the wins column.