SATURDAY'S SCORES
Jacksonville State 76, @North Alabama 65
@Green Bay 100,
Belmont 92
Eastern Kentucky 70, @High Point 69
@Chattanooga 71,
Tennessee Tech 60
@Chicago State 80,
Eastern Illinois 72
Southern Illinois 82,
@SIUE 61
Austin Peay 73, @Alabama A&M 61
@Western Kentucky 88,
Tennessee State 74
Western Illinois 70,
@Southeast Missouri 63
@Murray State 83, Prairie View A&M 67
@UT Martin 87, UNC Asheville 70
JACKSONVILLE STATE 76, NORTH ALABAMA 65
FLORENCE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team claimed its fourth consecutive win after taking the first NCAA Division I meeting between JSU and North Alabama,76-65, on Saturday in Flowers Hall on the UNA campus.
The Gamecocks improved to 4-3 on the season, while the Lions dropped to 2-6 overall.
JSU started strong from the opening tip and led the entire contest, including a double digit lead from the 13:16 mark of the opening half until the UNA cut the lead down to nine at 67-58 with 3:24 left in the game. The Gamecocks led by as many as 20 points early in the second half at 50-30 with 17:45 in the second half. The quick start was attributed to a solid shooting performance in the first 20 minutes as JSU put together a 43 percent shooting half (18-of-41). The Gamecock defense limited the Lions to just 27 percent from the field (7-of-27). UNA made a late run in the final three minutes as they got deficit down to three possessions 72-65 before JSU sealed the win at the free throw line.
As a team, the Gamecocks finished shooting 45 percent from the field, while UNA improved to 37 percent from the field in the second half. JSU held UNA to 32 percent shooting for the contest.
Senior guard Marlon Hunter turned in a career-high 23 points in the win along with six rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes of action. Hunter, from Panama City, Florida, established his new career mark for points at the free throw line late in the contest. His previous high was a 22 point effort against Southeast Missouri last season. Hunter finished 7-of-14 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
Hunter was one four Gamecocks in double figures in the scoring column. Junior Ty Hudson posted 12 points, while Jason Burnell added 11 points and credited with five assists. Burnell also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Senior Detrick Mostella finished with 10 points in the road win. Derek St. Hilaire came off the bench for seven points.
UNA's Christian Agnew paced the home squad with 22 points, while Kendarius Smith and Kendall Stafford came off the bench for 12 points and 10 points respectively.
GREEN BAY 100, BELMONT 92
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Belmont University men's basketball dropped a 100-92 decision at Green Bay Saturday.
The Bruins (6-1), perennially among the nation's top 3-point shooting teams, endured a 6-for-31 day from behind the arc, including 2-for-18 in the second half. Meanwhile, Green Bay went 11-for-23 from long distance.
Belmont fell behind by nine points midway through the first half, before freshman Grayson Murphy sparked a 12-0 run to give the Bruins a 42-35 lead at the 3:49 mark.
Freshman Nick Muszynski provided strong interior production, and when senior All-America candidate Dylan Windler sank a wing 3-pointer, Belmont led 49-43 wth 33 seconds left in the half.
Sandy Cohen III hit a high arcing 3-pointer at the first half horn to trim the Belmont lead to 49-46 at halftime.
Consecutive driving baskets from Murphy stretched the Belmont lead back to 54-48 with 18:12 remaining. Kameron Hankerson capped an 8-0 Green Bay response to give the hosts a 56-54 lead with 15:46 left. elmont would tie on three more more occasions, but a series of inexplicable rim outs around the basket and from 3-point distance kept the Bruins from stringing together momentum. When PJ Pipes' baseline jump shot bounced in, Green Bay led 92-86 with 1:01 remaining.
Senior All-America candidate Windler led Belmont with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Muszynski had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Murphy had 12 points and 10 assists.
JayQuan McCloud led Green Bay (5-3) with 21 points.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 70, HIGH POINT 69
HIGH POINT, N.C. - Senior Nick Mayo buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team to a come-from-behind 70-69 road win over High Point on Saturday afternoon at the Millis Center.
Mayo finished the game with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
EKU (4-4) trailed by as many as 23 points in the first half. A three-pointer by Jahaad Proctor gave High Point a 42-19 advantage with 4:44 to play in the half.
The Colonels, however, ended the stanza on a 12-0 run. A jumper by sophomore Jacquess Hobbs ignited the run and a tip-in at the buzzer by Mayo ended it, sending Eastern into the locker room down by only 11, 42-31.
EKU carried that momentum into the second half. The Colonels opened the half on a 10-2 run and pulled to within three, 44-41, when junior Jordan Oakley converted a layup in transition at the 17:00 mark.
High Point (3-5) desperately kept the surging Colonels at bay over the next 16 minutes.
EKU pulled to within two of the Panthers when freshman Jomaru Brown connected on a three-pointer to make it 56-54 with 8:46 left; however, the Colonels could not seem to get over the hump.
Until the very end, that is. A free throw by Brandonn Kamga handed High Point a four-point lead, 68-64, with 52 seconds to play.
On EKU’s ensuing possession, junior Dujuanta Weaver came off a screen and drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it a one-point game with 42 ticks on the clock.
Kamga was fouled with nine seconds left. He made the first free throw to make it 69-67, but missed the second.
Junior Kelvin Robinson then brought the ball up the floor and kicked it to Mayo at the top of the key. Mayo faked the drive and then faded away for the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
It was Mayo’s first career buzzer beater, and EKU’s first buzzer beater since Denzel Richardson hit a last-second shot to beat Coppin State in 2014.
EKU’s bench played a huge role in the win. Brown scored 10 points and dished out two assists. Oakley contributed nine points, nine rebounds – six of which were offensive – and three blocks, and Hobbs had eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a team-best three steals.
Eastern won the turnover battle, 17-9, and turned those 17 High Point turnovers into 23 points.
CHATTANOOGA 71, TENNESSEE TECH 60
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - An early barrage of 3-pointers proved too much to overcome for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday afternoon, as in-state rival Chattanooga (4-5) downed the Golden Eagles (1-7) in McKenzie Arena, 71-60.
The Mocs came out firing, kicking off the game on a 9-0 run behind a trio of triples. Tech got to as close as six with 10 minutes to play in the first half, but Chattanooga answered with three straight makes from downtown, ballooning the lead to double digits.
Between turnover troubles and the hot-shooting half from the Mocs, the Golden Eagles faced a halftime deficit of 40-23. Tech turned the ball over nine times in the opening stanza, while Chattanooga knocked down a fiery 10-of-22 attempts from beyond the arc.
Tech flipped the script in the second half, particularly from an energy standpoint. The Golden Eagles started 5-for-6 from the floor, finishing the final 20 minutes shooting over 45 percent from the field.
The team's defensive intensity was on full display, as the Golden Eagles forced 12 Moc turnovers to claw their way back within eight with two minutes to play. Tech also committed just four turnovers of their own over the final 20 minutes, providing several opportunities to chip away at the UTC lead.
For the game, Chattanooga hit 13-of-29 attempts from downtown and shot 45.2 percent from the field. The Mocs won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding the Golden Eagles 38-31. Tech finished the contest shooting 40.7 percent from the field, but just 29.4 percent from 3-point range and 50 percent from the charity stripe.
Tech did manage to force 18 Moc turnovers to their own 13, racking up a season-high 11 steals.
Playing in his hometown in front of a contingent of local fans, freshman Jr. Clay led the Tech scoring effort for the second-straight game. The point guard tallied 15 points while also hauling in a team-high seven rebounds and nabbing a team-high three steals.
Fellow rookie Garrett Golday earned his first career start and was effective on offense in his 19 minutes of action. The forward finished 4-of-6 from the field on his way to a season-high 10 points. Micaiah Henry added nine points on a 4-for-4 showing from the floor.
CHICAGO STATE 80, EASTERN ILLINOIS 72
CHICAGO - Chicago State shot 75 percent from the field in the second half as the Cougars rallied from a nine point half time deficit to beat Eastern Illinois, 80-72, on Saturday afternoon at the Jones Convocation Center.
EIU fell to 3-5 on the season. Chicago State improved to 2-8.
The Cougars went on a 20-4 run to open the half behind the hot shooting of Travon Bell and driving play of guard Rob Shaw. Shaw’s three point play cut EIU’s lead to 46-44 with 17:01 to play. Bell then hit three straight 3-pointers for the Cougars to give CSU a 52-46 lead. Shaw finished with 14 points. Bell had 16 points going 5-of-6 from 3-point range.
The Panthers would overcome that CSU run as they would regain the lead on a 3-pointer by Josiah Wallace with 8:31 to play. Wallace had a team-high 18 points for the Panthers.
Christian Jacob tied the game with a lay-up and Delshon Strickland had a fast-break lay-up off a steal with 8:10 to play that gave Chicago State the lead for good. Strickland had 12 points off the bench as CSU had five players finish in double figures.
Eastern Illinois had two runs in the first half as the Panthers led at the break 41-32. The final run of the half came in the final 2:05 of play. After hitting a cold streak of 1-of-9 from the field as a team, Ben Harvey snapped the Panthers out of the slump with a 3-pointer with 2:05 left and EIU leading 31-29. Harvey would add another 3-pointer and mid-range jumper to finish the first half with 15 points.
EIU’s first run of the half came following the first media timeout as they went on a 10-2 run to lead 21-13 with 11:15 to play in the first half. Aboubacar Diallo had a pair of baskets in the run as he and Harvey helped EIU’s bench score 19 first half points off the bench.
Harvey would finish the game with 17 points, one of four Panthers in double figures. Mack Smith had 14 and Rade Kukobat 12.
Anthony Harris posted a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds as CSU won the battle on the glass 35-30.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 82, SIUE 61
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE senior David McFarland scored a career-best 24 points Saturday, but that wasn't enough to slow down the surging SIU Carbondale Salukis.
The Salukis shot nearly 60 percent from the field to defeat the Cougars, 82-61, in front of 3,360 fans at the Vadalabene Center. SIUC, winning its third consecutive contest in the rivalry game between the sister schools, improved to 5-3 and SIUE fell to 1-5. The Salukis lead the series 10-1 and are 5-0 at SIUE.
MaFarland, a 6-foot, 4-inch senior guard from Edwards, Mississippi, made 9 of 19 shots, including 4 of 8 from 3-point land. He tallied 16 of his points in the second half, but the Cougars couldn't match the Salukis' overall shooting. SIUC connected on 31 of 52 shots, including 11 of 20 treys. They also converted 9 of 11 free throws.
Nobody shot it better for the Salukis than 6-5 senior guard Armon Fletcher, a graduate of nearby Edwardsville High. He amassed 24 points, thanks to 8-for-10 shooting and made all five of his 3-pointers. Fletcher also snared nine rebounds.
McFarland tried to offset the Salukis' torrid shooting. He also made 2 of 3 free throws and collected six rebounds to go along with three assists and high scoring show. McFarland's previous top point output for SIUE was 22 against Southeast Missouri State last season.
SIUE teammate Brandon Jackson pitched in 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He also contributed seven rebounds. Tyresse Williford had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Cougars made 23 of 61 shots, though they hit on only 5 of 20 threes. SIUE also converted 10 of 21 free throws and grabbed 32 rebounds, the same as the Salukis.
SIUE trailed 37-29 at half, then fell behind 57-37 with 12:55 remaining. However, the Cougars sliced the Salukis' lead to 68-58 with 3:03 to go. Yet they could get no closer.
AUSTIN PEAY 73, ALABAMA A&M 61
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team prevailed in a hard-fought 73-61 road victory against Alabama A&M at T.M. Elmore Gymnasium, Saturday.
In a contest that saw both teams combine for 51 fouls—or a whistle every 45 seconds, give or take—it was a war of attrition ultimately won by the Governors thanks to better ball control, better rebounding and taking advantage of opportunities when they arose.
The Govs started hot and didn’t let up, racing out to a 10-2 lead. In a new wrinkle for this one, Austin Peay (4-4) was able to run some things through the high post, letting the big men like Ivan Cucak and Terry Taylor use their height to find cutters or kick the ball out when the defense collapsed on them.
And when they weren’t doing that, run outs were leading to easy buckets. By halftime, Austin Peay was hitting 50.0 percent from the floor and had staked a 40-23 lead.
Austin Peay was a little sluggish to start the second half and the Bulldogs pulled to within four at one point. But the Governors were continually able to exploit matchups, getting Alabama A&M (0-8) caught out in rotation numerous times for buckets and if that didn’t work, they could drive the lane and count on the Bulldogs to foul; the hosts were gracious in this regard, committing 31 fouls, which lead to a 27-of-43 night for the Govs at the line (season-highs for free-throws made and attempted and opponent fouls against the Govs).
With just over five minutes to go in the contest, Gerron Scissum hit a free-throw to cut the Austin Peay lead to six points. A quick 7-2 run brought on by four points from Zach Glotta pushed the lead back to double digits for good.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 88, TENNESSEE STATE 74
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Tennessee State men’s basketball team closed its Saturday night game in E.A. Diddle Arena with a loss to Western Kentucky, 88-74.
Redshirt junior Kamar McKnight led the game with a career-best 30 points. One-of-two eligible seniors on the roster, Stokley Chaffee, Jr. recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points, 10 rebounds, while also leading the Tigers in blocks with two.
This marks the second game with a significant difference between the number of trips TSU took to the courtesy line, when compared to its opponents. Big Blue had 34 personal fouls, allowing WKU a chance at 45 free throws on the night; the Hilltoppers shot for 80 percent from the line.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 70, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 63
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Skyler Hogan registered a career-high 18 points and Sage Tolbert recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds as Southeast Missouri men's basketball (4-4) fell to Western Illinois (4-4), 70-63, Saturday night at the Show Me Center. Alex Caldwell added 11 points off the bench.
Hogan opened the contest with a three at 19:46 in the first half before the Leathernecks took their largest lead in the game of 12, 17-5, on a jumper by Kobe Webster at 14:39.
Gabe McGlothan and Hogan each knocked down back-to-back three-point baskets to cut the deficit to six, 17-11, with 10:50 left in the half.
Southeast would pull ahead, 19-17, after Tolbert converted his layup at 7:39.
The Leathernecks then reclaimed the lead before Mark Laros drained a three to bring Southeast within a point, 25-24.
Caldwell chipped in a three with 1:03 left in the first half to tie the game at 27-27 as both teams went to their respective locker rooms at the break.
The Redhawks shot 31.3 percent in the opening frame and were five-for-16 from three-point range.
The second half started like the end of the first as a back-and-forth affair. Tolbert hit a three early in the stanza to cut the Leathernecks lead to one, 33-32.
Hogan then tied the contest at 34-34 with a basket and threes from Ledarrius Brewer and Isaiah Gable propelled the Redhawks to their largest margin in the game of four, 40-36, with 15:44 left in regulation.
Caldwell added a lay-in off the glass to put SEMO up two, 45-43, at 12:20 in the second half.
Western Illinois responded with three straight three-pointers from Jeremiah Usiosefe and Ben Pyle (2) to take a seven-point advantage, 52-45, with 9:25 left in the non-conference meeting.
A layup from Webster would extend the lead to 10, 62-52, with 1:02 to play as Southeast came as close as five points on a three from Gable with 14 seconds left in the game.
Isaac Johnson then added two free throws to seal the win for Western Illinois, 70-63.
Southeast shot 34.8 percent in the game behind a 13-for-34 second half.
The Redhawks relied heavily on their bench, which totaled 25 points.
Pyle and Johnson led WIU with 18 points each. Pyle converted four of six three-point attempts and added 11 rebounds for the double-double outing. Webster chipped in 16 points.
MURRAY STATE 83, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 67
MURRAY, Ky. - A strong second half meant the Murray State Racers ran away with an 83-67 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers Saturday at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
The win for the Racers (4-1) pushes their home winning streak to 13 as they head out on the road with their next game Saturday (Dec. 8) at Middle Tennessee.
Ja Morant scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half to go with a team-high nine rebounds and six assists. The Racers had one of their best balanced scoring games when Shaq Buchanan added 14 and Mike Davis added 12 and Tevin Brown 10 points.
With as good as the Racers played in outscoring the Panthers 45-31, it started at the end of the first half when MSU ended the first 20 minutes with an 8-0 run for a 38-36 lead at intermission.
MSU’s lead went from two points to 10 points in less than five minutes into the final half when Morant hit on a pair of fast break baskets and MSU also got a rebound and score from Brown for a 52-42 lead at 14:48. The lead went to 16 with three minutes left on a Buchanan 3-point basket.
The Racers won the rebound battle 43-35 and had a season-low turnover total of 10 in the four NCAA D-I games they’ve played this season.
UT MARTIN 87, UNC ASHEVILLE 70
MARTIN, Tenn. - Junior forward Quintin Dove guided the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team with a game-high 22 points off the bench this evening as the Skyhawks dialed up an impressive 87-70 victory over UNC Asheville at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
A transfer out of Cuyahoga Community College, Dove sank 10 of his 12 field goal attempts and also collected game-highs of six rebounds and two blocks for the Skyhawks, who led for 33:34 of clock time. Five of Dove's six boards came on the offensive glass as he helped UT Martin's bench outscore the visiting Bulldog reserves by a 42-7 margin.
UT Martin (3-2) also saw Preston Parks and Parrish Hewitt score 13 points while Kevin Little contributed 11 points and seven assists. Delfincko Bogan was responsible for a statistical line of eight points, seven assists and a game-high five steals as the Skyhawks divvied out season-highs of 27 assists and 14 steals.
UNC Asheville (1-6) was led by the duo of Coty Jude and DeVon Baker, who posted 21 and 20 points, respectively. The Bulldogs, who captured the Big South Conference regular season championship a year ago, were forced into 21 turnovers by the stingy UT Martin defense.
The Skyhawks led by as many as 13 points in the opening half as an old-fashioned three-point play by Bogan at the 12:11 mark gave UT Martin a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way. Dove provided four points during a late 9-0 run for the Skyhawks as they took a 44-34 lead into the locker room at the break. Dove (12) and Baker (11) led their respective squads in scoring over the first 20 minutes of play.
An 8-0 Bulldog run chipped UT Martin's advantage to 46-45 with 15:43 left to play but Hewitt reeled off eight consecutive points to get the Skyhawks back on track. UNC Asheville would not get any closer than three points the rest of the way as UT Martin led by double-digits for the final 6:31 of the contest.