THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 82, Austin Peay 80
Murray State 71, @Morehead State 52
@SIUE 76, Tennessee Tech 68
Belmont 112, @UT Martin 67
@Southeast Missouri 89, Tennessee State 74
Jacksonville State 89, @Eastern Illinois 84 (2OT)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 82, AUSTIN PEAY 80
RICHMOND, Ky. - Nick Mayo hit two free throws with 5.7 seconds left in the game to give the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team a crucial 82-80 win over visiting Austin Peay State University on Thursday at McBrayer Arena.
The Colonels (13-17, 6-11 OVC) trailed by five, 73-68, after Isaiah Hart hit two free throws for the Governors with 5:17 left in the game. However, Eastern rolled off seven unanswered to go in front by two. Jomaru Brown got it started with a jumper and a free throw. Mayo put back a missed shot to tie the game. Trey King’s free throws with 3:35 on the clock put the home squad on top 75-73.
A three-pointer by Antwuan Butler from the top of the key gave APSU (21-9, 13-3 OVC) a one-point advantage, 78-77, with 2:04 to go. Mayo answered at the other end with a triple from the right wing with 1:50 remaining. Chris Porter-Bunton tied it, 80-80, with a pair from the charity stripe at the 1:26 mark.
With the game still tied, EKU took possession with 15.3 seconds left. Mayo drove to the basket and was fouled with just under six ticks to go. After his two free throws, Terry Taylor missed on a long three-point attempt for the win.
Mayo finished with 31 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Brown had 17 points. King finished with 10 points and six boards.
Taylor led all players with 37 points and 15 rebounds for Austin Peay.
Eastern shot 53 percent from the field for the game while limiting the Govs to 39 percent shooting. The Colonels connected on 11-of-22 (50 percent) from long range.
MURRAY STATE 71, MOREHEAD STATE 52
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Murray State Racers got a triple-double from Ja Morant and stifled the Morehead State Eagles 71-52 Thursday at Johnson Arena.
The Racers (24-4, 15-2 OVC) won for the eighth-straight time and stayed in a first place deadlock with Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference. Murray State hosts Austin Peay Saturday at the CFSB Center and can grab a share of the regular season championship with a win on Senior Day.
Morant’s triple-double is his second this season and third in two season at Murray State. He finished the night with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Morant and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ are the only NCAA D-I players with more than one triple-double this season.
The Racers had a balanced attack against the Eagles as nine players scored. Tevin Brown and Darnell Cowart added 11 points each and KJ Williams scored 10 points. Jaiveon Eaves played 22 productive minutes with nine points.
Morant’s historic night aside, the big story was the Racers’ defense that completely shut down the Eagles’ offense.
The game turned in the first half when the Racers hit the Eagles with a huge burst of lockdown defense and great shooting. From the 15:31 mark to the 7:10 mark on the first half clock, the Racers hit 11-of 14 from the field and the Eagles went 1-of-18. The result was a 28-4 run for the Racers to lead 37-12. The Racers held the Eagles to only four field goals in the opening half and enjoyed a 40-14 lead.
SIUE 76, TENNESSEE TECH 68
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - SIUE used a powerful second half to defeat Tennessee Tech 76-68 Thursday at the Vadalabene Center and maintain its quest to qualify for next week's Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament.
The Cougars put five players in double figures, benefited from a pair of second-half sprees and a strong defensive stand to improve to 10-19 overall and 6-11 in the OVC. The Golden Eagles fell to 7-23 and 3-14 in losing their ninth consecutive game.
While the Cougars got going with the first eight points of the second half to grab a 38-30 advantage, the Golden Eagles couldn't solve the SIUE defense. Tennessee Tech made only one basket in nearly the first 5.5 minutes of the second half and dropped behind 40-32.
SIUE then went on a 12-2 spree after Tennessee Tech sliced the Cougars' lead to 40-37. By the midway point of the second half, SIUE led 57-42.
The offense also percolated. Junior Brandon Jackson led the way, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes. He also had six rebounds. Jackson now has scored 60 points in his last three games. He has tallied 633 points in his SIUE career, putting him at No. 50 on the all-time scoring list.
His teammates joined in on the fun. Tyresse Williford also scored 16 points and contributed six assists. Cameron Williams and David McFarland both pitched in 13 points, while Anselm Uzuegbunem proved effective with 11 points and eight rebounds. He made 4 of 6 shots and 3 of 4 free throws. McFarland, a senior, now has scored 643 points, putting him at No. 45 on the SIUE scoring chart.
The diverse attack marked the first time since Nov. 25 against Incarnate Word that the Cougars have had five players score in double figures. SIUE also got some redemption from a 78-69 overtime loss at Tennessee Tech on Jan. 10.
The Cougars made 27 of 58 shots and hit 5 of 18 from three-point land. They sank 17 of 28 free throws, were outrebounded 44-41, but accumulated 19 assists, or nine more than the Golden Eagles.
BELMONT 112, UT MARTIN 67
MARTIN, Tenn. - Behind 32 points and 12 rebounds from senior All-America candidate Dylan Windler, Belmont University men's basketball defeated UT Martin, 112-67, Thursday night.
In one of the most impressive performances in recent memory, Belmont rode the strong post play of freshman Nick Muszynski and unified team defense from the start.
Belmont limited UT Martin to two field goals in the first 10 and a half minutes, seizing a 28-4 lead on a 3-pointer from sophomore Nick Hopkins. Windler secured his 32nd career double-double in the first half, as Belmont shot 63 percent in the opening 20 minutes to lead 59-23 at halftime.
The Bruins maintained their focus and purpose, as Windler and Muszynski combined on 18 points in the first six and a half minutes of the second half, leading 85-31 with 13:34 remaining. A 3-pointer from senior Kevin McClain made the score 94-36 with 11:34 left as Belmont reserves played much of the second half.
Muszynski had 19 points and three blocked shots, while junior Michael Benkert added 12. Freshman Grayson Murphy established a new Belmont NCAA Division I era single-game record with 16 assists.
Belmont handed out 31 assists on 42 made field goals.
Craig Randall II led UT Martin (10-18, 5-12 OVC) with 17 points.
Belmont's (24-4, 15-2, OVC) 112 points represents the most points scored by a Belmont team in regulation in the NCAA Division I era.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 89, TENNESSEE STATE 74
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (10-20, 5-12) shot a season-high 73.7 percent from 3-point range and never fell behind in an 89-74 win over Tennessee State (9-20, 6-11) Thursday night at the Show Me Center.
SEMO matched a season-best 14 three-pointers made on 19 attempts from long range. Five different Redhawks knocked down multiple treys for the night.
The Redhawks started hot making seven of their first 7-of-8 field goals. SEMO put together a 14-3 run in the first 4:12 of the contest and didn't let up. Nygal Russell and Skyler Hogan each buried a 3-pointer to cap the surge.
Isaiah Gable's 3-pointer stretched SEMO's lead to 41-27 with 3:39 left to play in the first half and the Redhawks later led, 46-34, at the half.
SEMO shot 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from the field in the first half and would follow that up with a higher percentage in the game's final 20 minutes.
The Redhawks hit 55.6 percent (10-of-18) of their field goals and missed just twice (7-of-9) from beyond the arc in the second half.
TSU narrowed SEMO's lead to three on five occasions, but the Redhawks answered every time the Tigers were in striking distance.
Gable drained a 3-pointer after Amani Chaney made a layup to cut SEMO's lead to 48-45 at the 15:25 mark. Jonathan Dalton answered a Michael Littlejohn 3-pointer with a trifecta of his own to make it a 54-48 game with 14:05 remaining.
Skyler Hogan hit a 3-pointer to extend SEMO's lead to 59-53 after Chaney's two free throws had the Tigers within three with 12:07 to go.
After Russell's free throw increased the Redhawks margin to 76-66, SEMO didn't let its lead fall below double figures the rest of the way.
Five Redhawks finished with double-digits in the scoring column led by Hogan's 15 points and six rebounds. Gable followed with 14 points off the bench and made 4-of-5 three-pointers. Dalton, who went over 100 assists in a season for the second-straight year added 13 points and five dishes, while Brewer and Sage Tolbert each chipped in 10 points.
SEMO wound up shooting 54.5 percent (24-of-44) from the field and made a season-best 27 free throws. Additionally, the Redhawks had 19 assists on their 24 made field goals.
Littlejohn led the Tigers with 18 points. TSU outscored SEMO, 38-8, inside the paint.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 89, EASTERN ILLINOIS 84 (2OT)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team gutted out a second-straight double overtime win Thursday night, topping Eastern Illinois 89-84 in 50 minutes of nail-biting action at EIU's Lantz Arena.
Freshman De'Torrion Ware put on a tremendous second-half and overtime performance off the bench to give the Gamecocks (22-8, 14-3 OVC) a much-needed spark. The Hopkinsville, Ky., native scored 12 in the second half and five in the two overtime periods en route to tying his single-game best of 20 points.
A 3-pointer and four made free throws within the final five minutes of regulation from Ware brought the game down to one possession, and senior Jason Burnell tied the game 66-66 to send it to overtime.
Eastern Illinois (14-16, 7-10 OVC) found itself up again with eight seconds remaining in the first overtime period, but junior point guard Ty Hudson was able to maneuver his way to a layup with three seconds left to tie the game 75-75, sending the Gamecocks to their second double-OT situation in as many games.
JSU pulled away in the last moments of the second overtime period to claim the five-point victory. With EIU ahead by two with 2:57 left, Jacksonville State outscored the Panthers 11-4 through the remainder of the game.
All 11 points came on free throws. Detrick Mostella was 5-for-6 during the run, while Burnell was 4-for-4.
Burnell finished with a game-best 26 points and 14 rebounds for his team-leading 14th double-double of the year. His 14 boards pushed his single-season total to 276, making him Jacksonville State's new single-season rebounding leader. The senior surpassed fellow senior Christian Cunningham for the record, set in 2016-17 with 275 rebounds.
Eastern Illinois got off to a hot start through the first four minutes of the game, going ahead 11-2 on 4-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Following a jump ball to stop the clock, Harper subbed out four of five starters, leaving just Burnell on the court.
With Derek St. Hilaire, Jacara Cross, Maurice Dunlap and Mostella on the floor, the next four minutes looked much different. The Gamecocks outscored the Panthers 12-5 over the stretch, and the defense kept the home team to 2-for-5 shooting.
Following a Josiah Wallace jumper to give EIU a two-point lead, and break a 27-27 tie with 13 seconds left in the first half, Jacksonville State answered right back to take a one-point advantage to the locker room. St. Hilaire dished to Ware in the far corner, who banged a 3-pointer to put JSU up 30-29 at the end of the first 20 minutes.
Eastern Illinois had two score in the 20s; Mack Smith totaling 24, while Wallace finished with 23. Smith hit nine of his 15 shot attempts, including four 3-pointers.