SUNDAY'S SCORES
Campbell 78,
Austin Peay 72 (Montego Bay, Jamaica)
@#11 Michigan State 101,
Tennessee Tech 33
CAMPBELL 78, AUSTIN PEAY 72
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - It's been a beautiful stay for Austin Peay State University men's basketball team in MoBay.
But that won't make Sunday's 78-72 loss to Campbell sting any less. Despite a solid shooting effort and their typical trademark rebounding prowess, the Govs ran up against a high-scoring Campbell (3-2) duo to leave the Jamaican portion of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic at 1-1.
With an early 10-0 run that included two tip-ins by sophomore Terry Taylor, the Govs took a big swing early on the offensive end. They also kept Campbell's Chris Clemons, the nation's second-leading scorer, in check during the opening moments, holding him to 1-for-5 shooting to start.
That would not be sustainable. As Clemons heated up, the Governors suddenly had to contend not only with him but with Cory Gensler who came in averaging 7.1 ppg but scored 12 in the first half. He stretched the Campbell lead to six with a three-pointer at the three-minute mark but neither team would lead by more than that in a back-and-forth first-half. A pair of late buckets by Ivan Cucak would help Austin Peay (2-3) close it to a four-point deficit at the break.
Despite trailing, Austin Peay had plenty to feel good about at halftime. The Govs hit nearly 54 percent (15-for-28) from the floor and advantages in both rebounds (19-13) and points in the paint (22-14), but Campbell had turned 11 Austin Peay turnovers into 15 points.
The Govs would take a quick lead to start the second half on a Jarrett Givens three and a jumper from Steve Harris, extending it to a three-point advantage after a Zach Glotta three. But Clemons and Gensler spearheaded a 13-2 Campbell run to take the lead for good—in fact, Clemons and Gensler were the entirety of the Campbell offense in the second half, with no other Fighting Camel hitting a shot from the floor until the 3:33 mark.
Austin Peay's deficit hovered between five and eight points for much of the half before the Govs made a late run, cutting the deficit to three on multiple occasions. Each time, the Fighting Camels had an answer, the last a Trey Spencer three with 22 seconds left after an old-fashioned three-point play by Austin Peay's Dayton Gumm.
#11 MICHIGAN STATE 101, TENNESSEE TECH 33
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team suffered its second straight loss to a Top-15 nationally ranked opponent Sunday evening, falling on the road to No. 11 Michigan State, 101-33, in the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.
A combination of a tough shooting night from the Golden Eagles (0-5) and electric night on offense from the Spartans (3-1) provided all the difference that was needed on the night. Tech was held to just 29.4 percent shooting from the field, 10 percent from 3-point range and 22.2 percent at the charity stripe.
Michigan State hit on 55.2 percent of its attempts from the floor, including an eye-popping 70.4 percent in the second half. The Spartans started the second half 6-for-6 from 3-point range, finishing the stanza at 69.2 percent from deep.
The Golden Eagles were out-rebounded by the home team 47-27 and forced into 19 turnovers in the contest as well. Tech closed the MSU lead to single digits with 7:42 to play in the first half on a Corey Tillery 3-pointer, but the Spartan defense would hold Tech scoreless for the remainder of the period, finishing on a 19-0 run.