TUESDAY'S SCORES
Gardner-Webb 81,
UT Martin 64 (Playa Del Carmn, Mexico)
Murray State 69, Weber State 68 (Estero, Fla.)
@William & Mary 95,
Morehead State 84
@Eastern Washington 87,
Belmont 82
@Pacific 78,
SIUE 50
GARDNER-WEBB 81, UT MARTIN 64
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team could not protect a halftime lead today against Gardner-Webb as the Skyhawks fell by an 81-64 margin in the 2019 Cancun Challenge opener held at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
UT Martin (2-4) led by as many as nine points in the first half before settling for a 42-36 advantage at the break. However, the Skyhawks struggled on both ends in the final 20 minutes – shooting 20 percent (6-of-30) from the field while the Runnin’ Bulldogs converted 65.4 percent (17-for-26) of their field goal tries.
Parker Stewart continued his scoring surge as the Union City, Tenn. native piled up a game-high 25 points for UT Martin. He knocked down five 3-pointers and also grabbed six rebounds. Quintin Dove (18 points) and Derek Hawthorne, Jr. (11 points, team-high seven rebounds) also guided the Skyhawks today.
Gardner-Webb, who returned 10 players from last season’s NCAA Tournament squad, was led in scoring by Jaheam Cornwall’s 24 points. Kareem Reid (13 points) and Ludovic Dufeal (10 points) also scored in double figures while Jose Perez flirted with a triple-double of nine points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Stewart scored six of UT Martin’s first eight points before the Skyhawks took their first lead of the day after the initial media timeout. Back-to-back three-pointers by Craig Randall II and Hawthorne nudged UT Martin ahead before two straight buckets by Dove extended the Skyhawk advantage out to 20-11 at the 11:37 mark. The Runnin’ Bulldogs later went on a 13-4 run to briefly take a one-point lead but Stewart reeled off eight consecutive points for UT Martin over a 1:41 stretch right before the break.
The Skyhawks were led by Stewart’s 17 first-half points while Cornwall’s 18 points paced Gardner-Webb.
The second half began with an 11-2 Runnin’ Bulldog run but Hawthorne and Randall canned jumpers on back-to-back UT Martin possessions to result in a 48-47 Skyhawk lead. However, that would be the last time that UT Martin would hold the advantage as Gardner-Webb scored 24 of the game’s next 29 points. Dove scored six of the Skyhawks’ last nine points but ultimately it wasn’t enough down the stretch.
MURRAY STATE 69, WEBER STATE 68
ESTERO, Fla. - The Murray State Racers picked themselves off the deck in the final 100 seconds with a 4-0 run to defeat the Weber State Wildcats 69-68 in the second round of the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida.
The Racers (4-2) meet the Drake Bulldogs in their final game of the event on Wednesday (Nov. 27) with a 12:30 p.m. tip off.
The situation for the Racers was dire after their six-point lead with 4:41 remaining had slipped away and a Wildcats' three-point play put MSU behind 68-65 at 1:40. The Racers winning formula started with a shot-fake from the 3-point line from Tevin Brown and a drive to the basket where he hit a hotly contested layup at 45 seconds, to cut the lead to 68-67. WSU stepped out of bounds on the ensuing possession and it allowed Brown to make a drive and be fouled with 15 seconds left. He went to the free throw line and made both to put MSU in front 69-68. WSU got two shots at the win, but both missed and the Racers held on for the one-point win.
The Racers won the first half 36-28 after a brilliant performance by KJ Williams with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Williams ended the day with a career-high 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Brown tallied 19 points and led the Racers with six rebounds. Chico Carter, Jr., and Anthony Smith each added 10 points to the MSU offensive attack that hit 61 percent on the day on 28-of-46 from the field and 7-of-13 from the 3-point line. MSU kicked in six made free throws in nine attempts.
WILLIAM & MARY 95, MOREHEAD STATE 84
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - If one were to look at Tuesday night's box score for the Morehead State men's basketball team, one would probably take a look at the key stats and assume a victory for the Eagles. MSU shot 51 percent and only turned the ball over a season-low four times. But the host Tribe connected on 60 percent of their field goals, including 13 triples, as they raced past MSU 95-84 in an offensive shootout at Kaplan Arena.
It marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Morehead State slipped to 4-3 in 2019-20, while W&M moved to 5-1.
Senior guard Jordan Walker led Morehead State with 23 points and a season-high seven assists while also nabbing a team-best three steals.
Morehead State trailed by as many as 20 in the first half but cut the deficit to less than double digits. The Eagles could not counter the Tribe's hot hand, including 28 points and 12 rebounds from 6-10 forward Nathan Knight. Luke Loewe also hurt MSU as he exploded for 26 points, a career high.
EASTERN WASHINGTON 87, BELMONT 82
CHENEY, Wash. - Despite a career-high 30 points from sophomore Nick Muszynski, Belmont University men's basketball dropped an 87-82 decision at Eastern Washington Tuesday.
A meeting between two preseason conference favorites - Belmont in the OVC and Eastern Washington in the Big Sky - predicated on uptempo, team basketball and 3-point shooting from all five positions presented compelling theatre.
Belmont roared out of the gates, with senior Michael Benkert capping a 7-0 run in the opening 84 seconds to prompt an Eastern Washington timeout. From there, a seesaw affair would ensue, with 11 ties and nine lead changes. Consecutive baskets from sophomore Adam Kunkel and Muszynski gave Belmont a 27-22 lead with 6:55 left in the first half.
The Bruins would stretch the lead to six points twice more before Mason Peatling capped an Eastern Washington run which enabled the Eagles to take a 38-37 lead. But a 3-pointer from sophomore Grayson Murphy and a putback basket from graduate student Tyler Scanlon gave Belmont a 42-40 halftime lead.
Belmont shot 53 percent (17-for-32) from the field in the opening 20 minutes, and limited the Eastern Washington top scoring duo of Jacob Davison and Kim Aiken to only seven combined points. But 10 first half turnovers hurt the cause.
In the second half, Belmont continued to establish Muszynski, who delivered efficiently with a myriad of post moves. A Kunkel transition slam and a Murphy basket increased the lead to 51-44 with 17:29 remaining. But just as the foundation of working margin was being laid, Eastern Washington would respond.
First, it was five quick points from Chasson Rouse that cut the margin to two points, before the reserve post brothers of Tanner and Jacob Groves provided a wave of offensive production midway through the second half to neutralize Muszynski's scoring. Amidst the fast-paced, end-to-end action, there was a chaotic sequence early in the second half, where Eastern Washington point guard Ellis Magnuson was credited with a conventional 3-point play. After the official scorer and scoreboard operator had credited Eastern Washington with five points on the play, the teams resumed play for several minutes before the situation was rectified.
At one point Muszynski scored 11 consecutive points in a five-minute span as Belmont maintained the lead.
Trailing 83-77 with 2:12 left, Belmont got a clutch 3-pointer from Scanlon and a basket from Muszynski to get within one point with 1:24 to go. After a defensive stop, junior Nick Hopkins missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 49 seconds left.
Then following an Eastern Washington missed shot and a rebounding foul, Murphy had a bonus free throw opportunity to tie or give Belmont the lead with 21 seconds left. But his front end of the 1-and-1 rimmed off, and Eastern Washington made four free throws in the final 14 seconds to provide the final score.
Belmont limited the hosts to two made field goals the final 6:45 of regulation, but the Eagles worked their way to the free throw line for 11 attempts down the stretch.
Muszynski went 13-for-18 from the field and added seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Scanlon had a season-high 17 points.
Mason Peatling led Eastern Washington (4-2) with 17 points.
PACIFIC 78, SIUE 50
STOCKTON, Calif. - SIUE went down big in the first half and couldn't recover, falling to Pacific 78-50 Tuesday night.
Pacific raced out to a 20-3 lead before a media timeout at 11:09 and the Tigers never looked back. Pacific led 49-17 at halftime.
The Cougars shot just 28 percent (7-25) from the field in the first 20 minute and went 0-11 from three-point range. Pacific was 19-30 (63.3 percent) in the half and 5-10 from long distance.
The Cougars fared much better in the second half, connecting on 13-28 (46.4 percent) of their attempts from the field and outscored Pacific 33-29, but they had fallen behind by too much.
Tyresse Williford led SIUE with 11 points and four rebounds. He added four assists and a career-high five steals. Zeke Moore added nine points for SIUE.
Pacific's Broc Finstuen scored 12 points to lead all scorers. Jahbril Price-Noel scored 10.