MONDAY'S SCORES
Lipscomb 78,
@Tennessee Tech 65
La Salle 75,
Murray State 64 (Estero, Fla.)
@Austin Peay 92, South Carolina State 66
@San Diego State 62,
Tennessee State 49
LIPSCOMB 78, TENNESSEE TECH 65
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A frigid start on offense to start the second half doomed the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Monday night, as the Golden Eagles fell to in-state rival Lipscomb in the Hooper Eblen Center, 78-65.
It was during the opening 10 minutes of the second stanza where the visiting Bisons (3-4) really pulled away in a relatively close battle for much of the contest prior. During that span, the Golden Eagles (2-6) saw just three of their 18 attempts from the field fall. Lipscomb also forced five Tech turnovers during the stretch, pulling ahead by 11 points.
The Golden Eagles held its largest lead of the contest with just under four minutes to play in the first half, thanks to a hot-handed Jared Sherfield. The sophomore drained back-to-back-to-back triples on three consecutive possessions, taking Tech from a two-point deficit to a seven-point advantage heading into the final media break of the half.
Tech showed improvement in the turnover department, making just 14 on the night. The Golden Eagles also turned in a strong showing on the glass, out-rebounding the Bisons 43-36 overall and 17-7 on the offensive boards.
Junior forward Larry Kuimi, who earned his second straight start, led the effort on the boards, snaring a game-high and season-best 10 on the night. He also added a season-high seven points while finishing +4 when on the floor.
Jr. Clay paced the Golden Eagle offensive attack, channeling in for a season-high 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The sophomore guard hit four of his eight tries from downtown and made just one turnover in the contest. Sherfield joined Clay in double figures, totaling a season-best 11 points.
LA SALLE 75, MURRAY STATE 64
ESTERO, Fla. - The Murray State Racers trailed by 15 at halftime and got as close as nine points, but couldn’t avoid a 75-64 defeat to the La Salle Explorers Monday in the first of three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.
The Racers (3-2) take on the Weber State Wildcats (1-3) Tuesday in a 12:30 p.m. tip in the consolation bracket.
When the game started, Jaiveon Eaves hit a 3-pointer to keep the Racers near the Wildcats 9-7 only 4:45 into the contest. MSU took their first lead of the game at the 12:30 mark when Tevin Brown hit a 3-pointer to make it 14-11. The Explorers gained the hot hand and went on a 12-2 run to put the Racers behind 23-16 with 8:35 before half. By the time they made it to the halftime intermission, La Salle had a 41-26 lead on the strength of 8-of-16 from the 3-point line, while MSU was 2-of-11.
With 9:15 remaining in the second half, the Racers cut the La Salle lead to nine and again with 3:33 on the clock when Darnell Cowart hit a free throw. However, the Racers couldn’t get any closer in the 75-64 setback.
Brown led the Racers with 19 points on 8-of-17 from the field, while Cowart scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shots from the field. Eaves added 10 points. Brown hauled in a team-best six rebounds.
When the night ended, the Racers shot 43 percent on 26-of-60, while the Explorers were 24-of-47 for 51 percent. Ls Salle outscored the Racers 13-4 from the 3-point line and 14-8 from the free throw line.
AUSTIN PEAY 92, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 66
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - After three straight tough road losses before erasing a second-half deficit in their last contest, Austin Peay State University men's basketball team needed a win without complication--wire-to-wire, double-digits, the chance to expand the rotation and give extended minutes to reserves and get key players some rest during the long grind of the regular season.
That's just what the Govs got against South Carolina State, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back in a 92-66 victory in the Dunn Center to bring their season record back to .500 at 3-3 overall.
The Govs led 8-0 in just over three minutes of action and had grown the lead to 11 by the 11:34 mark on a Terry Taylor lay-up. However, the Bulldogs were not going to simply roll over, to pardon the expression; diligently, the visitors chipped away at the deficit, cutting the Austin Peay advantage to five with 2:30 to play in the half on a pair of Tashombe Riley free-throws.
However, as quickly as the deficit was cut down, it was regrown, culminating in a Sam DeVault buzzer-beater to send the Govs in to halftime with a 10-point, 39-29 lead over the Bulldogs (2-4).
A 10-point lead is nice, but not insurmountable; a 20-point advantage is more tangible, and the Govs reached that point with 13:25 to play on an Antwuan Butler layup to end a 23-13 run for Austin Peay. The Govs led by as many as 27 points and as few as 16 points, but were never challenged the rest of the way.
As per usual, Taylor led the way with 25 points, eight rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots. Jordyn Adams and Eli Abaev each added 10 points, while freshman Carlos Paez netted a career-high 17 points in 16 minutes of work.
SAN DIEGO STATE 62, TENNESSEE STATE 49
SAN DIEGO - Michael Littlejohn led the The Tennessee State Tigers with 21 points Monday night as the team dropped its second game of the ten-day road swing to San Diego State in the Viejas Arena, 62-49.
TSU battled through a great first-half as the Aztecs drew its lead to as much as 11 before Big Blue went on a 13-0 run to take a two-point lead. Two foul calls sent San Diego State to the charity stripe for four free-throws, giving the team who shot 94 percent from the distance its opportunity to regain the lead before heading to the locker room, 25-23.
Littlejohn went 3-for-6 from three, 5-for-10 from the floor, to serve as a monumental offensive push for Tennessee State as San Diego State caught an offensive grove, finishing 11-for-26 from the field, utilizing its bench for 17 points in the second half.