THURSDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee State 72, @Tennessee Tech 59
Belmont 66, @Jacksonville State 53
@Eastern Illinois 81, UT Martin 71
Southeast Missouri 71, @SIUE 67
TENNESSEE STATE 72, TENNESSEE TECH 59
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Balanced scoring with five players reaching double figures carried the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to a 72-59 road win at Tennessee Tech at the Eblen Center on Thursday night. Ken’Darrius Hamilton recorded his second-consecutive double-double with a career-high 21 points to go with 10 rebounds.
The win helps TSU improve to 15-10 overall and 6-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play, while the Golden Eagles fall to 10-17 and 6-6 in the OVC.
Also scoring in double figures for the Tigers were Wayne Martin with 15, Darreon Reddick adding 13, Delano Spencer with 11 and Armani Chaney scoring 10.
A dominant first half by the Tigers gave the visitors a 36-19 halftime edge. TSU shot 46.7 percent in the opening half and held the Golden Eagles to just 35 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
A three from Hamilton elevated the Tigers’ early lead to 20-6 to cap an 11-0 run for the visitors.
On the last play of the first half, Hamilton again came up with a big play, cleaning up on the offensive glass and finishing a layup for a 17-point halftime edge.
TSU continued to lead by at least 12 points throughout the second half en route to victory sparked by 10 second-half points from Reddick. The Tigers’ advantage reached a game-high 21 points with 2:34 to play.
Tennessee State, which finished with a 38-28 rebounding advantage, shot 48.2 percent for the game while limiting the Golden Eagles to 37.0. TSU finished with 15 assists as a team, which are the third most for the Tigers in a game this season.
BELMONT 66, JACKSONVILLE STATE 53
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Behind a game-high 21 points from senior All-America candidate Evan Bradds, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Jacksonville State, 66-53, Thursday night.
Belmont led 14-10 before eight quick points from Greg Tucker gave Jacksonville State a 20-14 lead seven minutes in. But after an electrifying, end-to-end start that saw the hosts make nine of their first 11 shots, Belmont hunkered down and played some of its finest defense of the season.
With Bradds and sophomore Dylan Windler in foul trouble, Belmont got 12 first half points from senior Taylor Barnette to seize a 34-30 lead at the break.
Belmont would score the first six points of the second half, as a Bradds slam on a gorgeous pass from junior Austin Luke increased the lead to 10, 40-30, with 17:13 left.
Andre Statam would close the margin to 48-44 with 11:29 to go, before Bradds and Barnette answered with scores. Belmont would limit Jacksonville State to one field goal over an eight minute stretch in building the lead back to 60-46 on a layin from sophomore Kevin McClain.
Tucker led Jacksonville State (15-12, 7-5 OVC) with 14 points.
Aside from Bradds' 21, Barnette had 17 and McClain 10. Belmont (18-4, 12-0 OVC) has won 14 consecutive games, including an NCAA-best 10 consecutive road games.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 81, UT MARTIN 71
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois scored the first basket of the game and following two early ties by UT Martin, the Panthers took the lead for good on Montell Goodwin’s 3-pointer with 17:22 to play in the first as EIU beat UTM 81-71 on Thursday night in Lantz Arena.
EIU improved to 12-13 overall, 4-8 in the OVC. UT Martin dropped to 17-10, 7-5 in the OVC.
Demetrius McReynolds scored the first four points of the game for EIU. After UTM tied the game with baskets by Jacolby Mobley and Javier Martinez, Goodwin drained the 3-pointer pushed the Panthers in front for good. EIU led for 38:29 of the game as Goodwin and McReynolds powered the offense in the first half. Both players scored 14 points for EIU as they shot 55 percent from the field and 54 percent from 3-point range (7-of-13).
After Goodwin hit the 3-pointer at the 17:22 mark, Mobley quickly answered with a lay-up to trim the Panthers lead to one. Terrell Lewis and Casey Teson sandwiched 3-pointers around a lay-up by McReynolds as EIU used an 8-0 run to give themselves an early cushion.
Goodwin added a lay-up with just over ten minutes to play in the first that gave EIU its first double digit lead of the game. UT Martin responded with a run of its own cutting the EIU lead to one point with 6:51 to play in the first on a Mobley 3-pointer. Mobley would lead the Skyhawks with 17 points as they trailed 28-27.
EIU responded with a 13-3 run as they quickly ran the lead back to double figures. Joe Kuligoski sank a 3-pointer from corner to put EIU up 11 with 1:57 to play in the first. EIU would take a 45-33 lead to the locker room.
The Skyhawks made an early charge to open the second half as they cut the lead to six points on two plays by Chandler Rowe; first a 3-pointer and then a dunk with 15:18 to play that shrank the EIU lead to 50-44.
McReynolds converted on free throws with Goodwin and Teson each sinking 3-pointers as EIU stretched the lead back to double figures. Teson’s 3-pointer with 12:59 to play made it 58-48. EIU finished the game 12-of-24 from 3-point range. Teson added 14 points which included an 8-of-9 night from the foul line. Goodwin led all players with 22 points while McReynolds had 16.
A Mobley lay-up with 6:53 to play cut the EIU lead down to eight but that would be as close the Skyhawks would get. Javier Martinez finished with a double-double scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds. Jalen Jackson added 11 points.
Ray Crossland was the fourth EIU player in double figures with ten points. Lewis had a season high nine assists.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 71, SIUE 67
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Denzel Mahoney scored 20 points and Antonius Cleveland added 19 to lead Southeast Missouri (12-15, 7-5) to a 71-67 win over SIU Edwardsville (5-21, 0-12) Thursday night.
SEMO dropped SIUE to its 12th-straight loss and moved back into a tie for first atop the Ohio Valley Conference West Division after UT Martin fell to Eastern Illinois.
Free throws and turnovers were the difference as the Redhawks picked up their third road win of the season.
SEMO outscored the Cougars, 27-15, at the free throw line and forced 17 SIUE turnovers. The Redhawks converted those miscues into 22 points.
SIUE stormed out to an 18-4 lead in the first 5:35 behind three 3-pointers from Burak Eslik.
The Redhawks, however, battled back to tie the game on a pair of Trey Kellum free throws and took their first lead (30-29) on Tahj Eaddy's 3-pointer with 2:08 remaining in the first half.
Despite its slow start, SEMO managed to head into the locker room tied, 32-32, at the intermission.
The Cougars outrebounded the Redhawks, 24-13, and pulled down 10 offensive boards in the game's first 20 minutes.
SEMO used a 9-1 run to grab a 50-41 lead with 12:16 left to play in the second half. The Redhawks scored six of their points at the charity stripe during that stretch.
Cleveland's 3-pointer later gave SEMO its only double-digit lead at 65-55 at the 2:57 mark.
It was then a two-possession game for the final 1:38. SIUE pulled to within four on three occasions before taking the defeat.
Mahoney shot 5-of-10 from the field and a near-perfect 9-of-10 at the free throw line en route to his sixth 20-point game of the season. He also had a team-high eight rebounds and three steals.
Cleveland went 7-of-11 from the field and made 4-of-7 free throws to go along with four reboudns.
Eaddy and Kellum followed with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Eaddy came off the bench to shoot 5-of-7 from the floor.
SEMO made more free throws than SIUE attempted (22). The Cougars entered the game as the nation's No. 2 team in free throws attempted.
Jalen Henry led SIUE with a game-high 22 points and Eslik followed with 18.
SIUE held a +10 margin (40-30) on the boards with 19 offensive rebounds.
The Redhawks swept SIUE for the third time in the all-time series between the schools.