SATURDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 70, @SIUE 69
@Morehead State 74, Tennessee Tech 55
Southeast Missouri 86, @Eastern Illinois 74
@Belmont 83, Austin Peay 59
Jacksonville State 68, @Eastern Kentucky 60
Murray State 76, @Tennessee State 57
UT MARTIN 70, SIUE 69
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Delfincko Bogan dominated the game on both ends of the floor to help propel the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team to an exhilarating 70-69 Ohio Valley Conference victory at SIUE this afternoon.
Bogan scored a game-high 21 points (on 7-of-8 shooting) while also swiping a game-high five steals for the Skyhawks, who improve to 7-14 with a 2-6 OVC mark. The junior out of Charleston, Mo. tossed in 17 points in the first half and applied intense defensive man-to-man pressure on SIUE’s potential game-winning possession.
Dominique Williams played big for UT Martin today, corralling his first career double-double (14 points, game-high 11 rebounds) while playing all 40 minutes. Terrence Parker added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while Fatodd Lewis nailed the go-ahead jumper in the paint with 11 seconds remaining for the Skyhawks, who also received a game-high six assists from Matthew Butler. UT Martin shot 59.6 percent (28-of-47) from the floor and scored 40 points in the paint.
SIUE (7-12, 3-5 OVC) received 21 points out of Jalen Henry while David McFarland (18 points) and Daniel Kinchen (10 points) also scored in double-figures. The Cougars hit 10 three-pointers in the first half but were limited to 11.1 percent shooting (1-of-9) from beyond the three-point arc over the final 20 minutes.
Bogan owned the game early, forcing a steal on a jumpball on the opening possession of the contest. He then sank a straightaway three-pointer on UT Martin’s first trip down the floor and added two more trifectas in a 61-second span to boost the Skyhawk lead to 9-3 at the 17:40 mark.
Following another bucket by Bogan at the 13:44 mark, SIUE went on an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the contest at 20-15. UT Martin quickly responded with the next six points to reclaim the advantage at 21-20 after a pair of Darius Thompson free throws.
McFarland then hit three 3-pointers in a 2:30 to help the Cougars reclaim the lead. The Skyhawks trailed by eight points with just under five minutes to go in the first half but layups by Mike Fofana and Bogan helped UT Martin shave its deficit in half (37-33) at the under-4-minute media timeout.
The Cougars once again led by eight points at the 2:38 mark but the Skyhawks closed out the first half on a 7-2 run. A Lewis layup, Bogan 10-foot jumper and Butler right wing three-pointer helped UT Martin whittle its deficit to 45-42 at the halftime break.
Bogan dialed up 17 points on a perfect shooting effort (6-of-6 from the floor, 3-for-3 from three-point range, 2-of-2 from the free throw line) to lead all scorers in the first 20 minutes. McFarland’s 15 points led SIUE, who made 10 three-pointers in 18 attempts in the first half.
The frontcourt duo of Williams and Parker powered the Skyhawks to begin the second half. They each scored six points apiece during the opening 5:29 to lift UT Martin to a 54-52 advantage with 14:31 left to play.
The two teams then swapped leads four times and had four tie scores over the next 4:47. A bucket inside by Williams and a pair of Bogan free throws nudged the Skyhawks ahead 66-62 with just under eight minutes remaining.
UT Martin then went cold from the floor, not scoring a field goal for nearly seven minutes. Despite that, the Skyhawk defense picked up the slack – allowing only five points in that time – and UT Martin took a 68-67 lead after a Bogan drive to the hoop at the 2:29 mark.
SIUE took the lead just 16 seconds later on a putback by Henry. The score remained 69-68 until Lewis scored on a sweeping bucket to his left with 11 seconds to go, tilting the Skyhawks ahead by one point.
Following a timeout, the Cougars inbounded the ball to Kinchen, who was immediately greeted by full-court pressure by Bogan. Guarded closely the whole way, Bogan forced Kinchen into an off-balance 15-foot jumper that caromed off the rim and fittingly fell into the hands of Bogan for the rebound, sealing the victory.
MOREHEAD STATE 74, TENNESSEE TECH 55
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Fueled by a late first-half run, efficient field goal accuracy and clamp-down defense in the second half, the Morehead State men's basketball team took down Tennessee Tech 74-55 Saturday at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles, who improved to 5-3 at home, moved to 6-13 overall and 2-6 in the OVC. Tennessee Tech, which still has not swept a trip to Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State since 2001-02, slid to 13-8 overall and 5-3 in the league. It was the best defensive scoring effort this season.
Junior forward Lamontray Harris recorded his fourth consecutive double-double with team-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Eagles held a decisive edge on the boards, 46-24.
With Morehead State holding an 18-16 advantage with 5:33 left in the first half, Harris ignited a 10-0 run with a jumper. The hosts went on to lead by 13 twice in the opening half before taking a 35-22 lead at the break.
The advantage ballooned to 22 (57-35) with less than nine minutes left in the contest following a breakaway dunk from De'Von Cooper and an uncontested slam from James Baker. Morehead State's largest lead ended at 71-45 with 2:46 left.
The home team held Tennessee Tech to just 20-of-56 (36 percent) from the field and only 7-of-27 from three-point range. The Eagles also nailed 17-of-23 from the free throw line and shot 51 percent (24-of-47) overall. MSU also won despite turning the ball over 26 times, the second victory this year with more than 25 floor miscues. The Eagles dished out 18 assists.
Freshman Malek Green chipped in 13 points and pulled in eight rebounds, while freshman De'vom Cooper tallied his third double-figure game with 10. The Eagle bench outscored TTU's bench 31-10.
Curtis Phillips led all players with 18 points for Tennessee Tech.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 86, EASTERN ILLINOIS 74
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Daniel Simmons scored a career-high 26 points and freshman Justin Carpenter pitched in a career-best 24 points to lead Southeast Missouri (10-11, 4-4) to an 86-74 victory over Eastern Illinois (7-12, 2-5) Saturday.
SEMO, which picked up its 10th win of the season, swept the SIU Edwardsville and EIU road trip for the first time since 2012. The Redhawks also left Charleston with a win for the first time in three years.
The Redhawks trailed, 43-36, at halftime, but used a huge second half to bury the Panthers. SEMO erased an 11-point deficit on multiple occasions and led for the final 14 minutes of the game.
SEMO opened the second stanza with an 11-2 run and tied the game at 47-47 on a 3-pointer by Simmons with 17:29 left to play. Simmons was a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range and scored 18 of his points in the second half.
Jajuan Starks' layup regained a 55-54 edge for EIU with just under 14 minutes and that was the last time the Panthers led. SEMO closed out its second-straight win by making 18-consecutive free throws, including 12 in the last 2:12.
The Redhawks regrouped after EIU put together its second-highest scoring first half of the season.
SEMO trailed by one following a layup by Carpenter, but the Panthers used a 10-0 run to take a 23-12 advantage with 11:28 remaining in the first half. A pair of layups by Starks and a 3-pointer each from Ray Crossland and Mack Smith led the charge. Clinging to a 28-27 lead, EIU went on a 9-2 run to go up eight before heading into the locker room with a 43-36 advantage.
Simmons shot a near-perfect 8-of-9 from the field with five of his makes from long range. He also grabbed five rebounds, made 5-of-6 free throws and dished out five assists in 27 minutes off the bench. Carpenter hit 10-of-16 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws to go along with four rebounds in 30 minutes. Ledarrius Brewer and Jonathan Dalton chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
As a team, SEMO shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) and matched a season-high 12 three-pointers for the game. The Redhawks buried 20-of-22 free throws and had 20 assists on their 27 made field goals.
All five starters scored double figures for EIU. Starks and Smith paved the way with 17 apiece, while Muusa Dama turned in a double-double 16 points and 12 rebounds.
SEMO outscored the Panthers by a +19 margin (50-31) in the second half.
BELMONT 83, AUSTIN PEAY 59
NASHVILLE - Behind a career-high 31 points from junior Dylan Windler, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Austin Peay, 83-59, Saturday.
Windler went 11-for-16 from the field - including 7-for-9 from 3-point distance - and added eight rebounds and five assists in an inspiring all-around performance.
With senior Austin Luke and Austin Peay post man Averyl Ugba nursing early foul trouble, neither team could find an offensive rhythm. A deep 3-pointer from freshman Nick Hopkins gave Belmont a 32-28 halftime lead.
Windler made two deep 3-pointers in the opening 1:10 of the second half to spark a flurry of Bruin offense. Belmont made eight of its first nine shots from behind the arc to start the start half. A Hopkins 3-pointer capped a 30-8 Belmont run and made the score 71-43 with 6:54 remaining.
Off a Luke steal, Windler punctuated his career day with an alley oop slam to give Belmont an 80-53 advantage.
Belmont shot 66 percent from the field in the second half, as five Bruins scored in double figures.
Steve Harris led Austin Peay (10-10, 5-3 OVC) with 20 points.
Belmont (15-6, 7-1 OVC) has won 10 of its last 11 games.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 68, EASTERN KENTUCKY 60
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team claimed the program's first win at Eastern Kentucky's Alumni Coliseum Saturday night, topping the Colonels 68-60 for the season sweep.
Prior to Saturday's victory, the Gamecocks (15-6, 6-2 OVC) were 0-13 against EKU (8-13, 2-6 OVC) in Richmond. It's the second time this season head coach Ray Harper has led JSU to a first on the road, recording the program's first win at Belmont's Curb Center on Jan. 6.
Senior Malcolm Drumwright scored 20 points, posting his third 20-point performance in four games, and extended a streak of at least one Gamecock scoring 20 points in a contest to four games.
Junior Jason Burnell totaled 15 points, shooting 6-for-14 with a couple of free throws, and senior Norbertas Giga was good for 12 points off the bench. The 7-foot Giga was 4-for-5 from the floor, hit a 3-pointer and was 3-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Jacksonville State took a 31-26 lead into the locker room after the first period, battling back from what had been a half controlled mostly by Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels held the advantage for 11 minutes, trailing the Gamecocks for 6:16.
Drumwright shot 50% in the half, firing up all six of his shots from beyond the arc. The senior led JSU with nine points and three 3-pointers, while Burnell was also 50% from the floor with a second-most eight points in the period.
After leading 7-4, EKU went on an 11-0 run to put the Gamecocks down 15-7 after eight minutes. It wasn't until the last eight minutes of the half that Jacksonville State scored more than five points in a row.
The Gamecocks rallied back from the 8-point deficit with a 16-7 run to go ahead by three, 25-22, with four minutes remaining in the half. Jason Burnell scored eight of JSU's 16 points during their longest run of the half, helping the Gamecocks to score nine consecutive points.
Despite four stretches of four or more points at a time for EKU, Jacksonville State controlled the second half. The Gamecocks built their lead to as much as 13 halfway through the period and kept a cushion of no less than seven for the remainder of the game.
All 12 of Giga's points came in the second half. He saw six minutes of action and was 0-for-1 in the first half, but was a perfect 4-for-4 in the last period.
MURRAY STATE 76, TENNESSEE STATE 57
NASHVILLE (AP) - Jonathan Stark scored 25 points, including four 3-pointers, and Ja Morant finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to help Murray State beat Tennessee State 76-57 on Saturday night.
Terrell Miller Jr. had 12 points, including 10 in the second half, and Byron Hawkins scored 11 points for Murray State (14-5, 6-2 Ohio Valley).
Stark hit 3-pointers to spark and cap a 15-2 run to close the first half and the Racers took a 38-26 lead into the break. Delano Spencer hit a 3 that pulled Tennessee State (8-11, 3-5) within six points with nearly seven minutes to play, but the Tigers hit just 1 of 5 from the field, and committed five turnovers, from there as Murray State scored 21 of the final 29 points.
Spencer led Tennessee State with 13 points and Christian Mekowulu scored 10. The Tigers shot just 37 percent (19 of 52) from the field, including 4-of-20 3-pointers.