TUESDAY'S SCORES
@Belmont 79, Tennessee State 64
@Murray State 87, Austin Peay 57
BELMONT 79, TENNESSEE STATE 64
NASHVILLE - Behind 23 points from junior Luke Smith, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Tennessee State, 79-64, Tuesday night.
Junior Nick Muszynski added 22 points and 11 rebounds as Belmont led wire-to-wire. The 6-11 center scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, tying the Curb Event Center record with 21 free throw attempts.
Belmont (4-1) held Tennessee State to one made field goal the opening six and a half minutes in building a 14-2 lead. The lead grew to 20-6 on a free throw from sophomore Ben Sheppard before the visiting Tigers rode the play of Mark Freeman to close within 33-26 at halftime.
Behind Muszynski and the play of Smith, junior Grayson Murphy and freshman JaCobi Wood, the Bruins worked into the bonus five minutes into the second half. A Smith 3-pointer and six Muszynski points accounted for a 9-0 Belmont run to make the score 68-46 with 6:05 remaining.
All told, Belmont shot 43 percent (22-for-52) from the field - including 10-for-23 from 3-point distance. Belmont limited Tennessee State to 38 percent shooting, while outrebounding the Tigers, 43-39.
Smith and Muszynski paced four Bruins in double figures; Wood and Murphy each added 10.
Freeman led Tennessee State (0-1) with 26 points.
Belmont has won 16 of its last 17 games overall and 21 of its last 24 games vs. Tennessee State.
MURRAY STATE 87, AUSTIN PEAY 57
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers won their Ohio Valley Conference opener 87-57 over the Austin Peay Governors at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
As the OVC began its 73rd season, the Racers (3-1, 1-0) won their conference opener for a 13th straight season. The win also pushed MSU’s home winning streak in the CFSB Center to 24 (tied for the fourth-longest streak nationally).
Tevin Brown led a group of four Racers in double-figure scoring with 19 points on 5-of-10 from the 3-point line, while Chico Carter, Jr., scored 17 points on 7-of-10 from the field. KJ Williams scored 16 points as he hit all six of his shots and he pulled down seven rebounds. Brion Whitley tied his career-high with 10 points.
When APSU scored their ninth and 10th points at the 13:13 mark for a 10-9 lead, the Racers were able to turn the game in their favor with one of the best defensive segments you will ever see. At the 11:52 mark, the Racers made it a 15-10 lead off a Carter steal and finish by DaQuan Smith. MSU grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds in the next two possessions and each created points on a 3-pointer by Brown and a shot in the paint from Demond Robinson to make it 20-10. Whitley hit a pair of free throws at 7:38 for a 17-0 run and 26-10 Racer lead. Austin Peay’s scoring drought ended at 7:14 on a 3-pointer by Jordyn Adams. The Racers pushed ahead 41-18 at the halftime break by ending the first stanza with an 11-0 run. Seven minutes into the second half, the Racers pushed to a 27-point lead (54-27) on a 3-pointer by Brown.
With a convincing win, the Racers had a convincing advantage in all the key statistical areas, including shooting 60 percent on 34-of-57, while holding the Govs to 40 percent on 21-of-53. After holding APSU to only one made 3-pointer in the first half, MSU ended up hitting eight, while APSU had six. The Racers scored 23 points off turnovers, while giving up only nine points. The Racers won the rebound battle 34-25 and had 52 points in the paint, while limiting APSU to 26.
Terry Taylor netted his fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Austin Peay (3-2, 0-1 OVC). Taylor grabbed his 1,000th career rebound in the game, becoming the 17th OVC player to reach that mark. Taylor is now one of just five players in OVC history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.