FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Florida Atlantic 75,
UT Martin 67
Belmont 97, @Kennesaw State 78
Arkansas State 72,
@Southeast Missouri 60
Niagara 70,
SIUE 60 (Youngstown, Ohio)
FLORIDA ATLANTIC 75, UT MARTIN 67
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Junior guard KJ Simon led all scorers in the University of Tennessee at Martin’s first game of the Paradise Classic but the Skyhawks fell 75-67 at Conference USA opponent Florida Atlantic this evening.
Simon scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the second half tonight, topping a trio of UT Martin players in double figures scoring. Mikel Henderson posted 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting (including three treys) while Chris Nix collected 14 points (on 6-for-8 shooting) and two blocks in his first career start. Josh Endicott hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds in only 17 minutes for the Skyhawks (1-2).
Florida Atlantic (2-2) was guided by Vladislav Goldin’s 18 points and nine rebounds. Michael Forrest (17), Everett Winchester (13) and Bitumba Baruti (10) additionally scored in double figures for the Owls, who were held to 37.9 percent shooting (11-of-29) in the second half.
The game featured 12 lead changes and five ties as it was a back-and-forth affair throughout the contest. KK Curry nailed a three-pointer at the 17:09 mark to give UT Martin a 9-4 advantage before Florida Atlantic used a 13-4 run to go on top.
Back-to-back buckets from Nix helped the Skyhawks close the gap before a trifecta from Simon with 9:23 to go in the first half made the score 25-24 in favor of UT Martin. A fast break dunk from Simon a little under two minutes later nudged the Skyhawk advantage out to 29-26.
Moments later, Darius Simmons scored four points in a row before Curry unreeled four straight points to keep UT Martin’s lead at three points (40-37) with under a minute to go before the halftime break. However, the Owls hit a pair of three-pointers late to take a 43-40 lead at the half.
Curry and Nix shared the team lead with nine points apiece as the Skyhawks torched the nets for a 54.8 percent (17-of-31) shooting effort in the first 20 minutes. Florida Atlantic placed Forrest (12) and Goldin (10) in double figures in the scoring column during the opening half.
Nix converted a layup on UT Martin’s first possession of the second half, trimming the Skyhawk deficit to 43-42. The Owls responded with seven unanswered points as part of a 15-3 run that made the score 58-45 midway through the final half.
UT Martin kept battling as a Simon jumper and Henderson three-pointer cut Florida Atlantic’s lead to 58-53 with eight minutes remaining. Nix and Simon joined forces to score seven points in a row to keep the Skyhawks in the game.
Following an Endicott layup, Simon went off for five straight points as UT Martin stayed within six points late. However, time ran out on the Skyhawks’ comeback attempt.
BELMONT 97, KENNESAW STATE 78
KENNESAW, Ga. - Behind 25 points and six rebounds from Nick Muszynski, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Kennesaw State, 97-78, Friday.
Muszynski added two blocked shots as Belmont led from the outset.
The Bruins roared from the opening tip, as a Will Richard dunk gave Belmont a 9-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. After Kennesaw State got within 23-22, Luke Smith highlighted an 8-0 Belmont run to increase the margin to 31-22. Belmont led 48-39 at halftime.
Terrell Burden made the score 50-41 with 18:17 remaining before Michael Shanks scored 13 consecutive points over a three and a half minute span to give Belmont control. Nine more Muszynski points and a Ben Sheppard 3-pointer increased the Belmont lead to 21, 79-58, with 8:25 left.
Belmont shot 53 percent (38-of-72) from the field - including 10-of-25 from 3-point distance. Muszynski led four Bruins in double figures; Richard had a career-high 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Shanks scored a career-high 16 points. Sheppard has 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Burden led Kennesaw State (2-3) with 19 points.
ARKANSAS STATE 72, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 60
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Eric Reed, Jr. scored 15 points and freshman Phillip Russell added 13 as Southeast Missouri (1-2) dropped a 72-60 decision to Arkansas State (3-1) Saturday night at Show Me Center.
Reed, Jr. scored double figures for the fourth-straight game dating back to last season, while Russell reached double-digits in the scoring column for the second game in a row.
SEMO led for just 44 seconds in the contest. DQ Nicholas (21-20) and Nate Johnson (23-22) each made layups to give the Redhawks their only leads.
ASU, after leading 39-33 at halftime, used a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach. Preseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Norchad Omir made two free throws to cap the jaunt that put the Red Wolves ahead, 56-38, with a little over 14 minutes to go.
After that, SEMO never pulled within single digits.
The Redhawks shot just 28 percent (7-of-25) from the field and went 1-of-11 from 3-point range in the second half. For the game, SEMO finished with a 36.2 percent (21-of-58) clip from the floor.
Reed, Jr. made 6-of-13 field goals and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to go along with three assists and three steals, while Russell made a near-perfect 5-of-6 free throws and drained two threes.
DQ Nicholas followed with eight points and five rebounds.
ASU shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) and made eight treys.
Omier paved the way with a double-double 18 points and 12 rebounds. Caleb Fields added 16 points, while Avery Felts buried three 3-pointers off the bench.
Additionally, the Red Wolves outrebounded the Redhawks, 45-32.
SEMO and ASU met for the first time in 10 years. The Red Wolves picked up their sixth consecutive win in the series.
NIAGARA 70, SIUE 60
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - SIUE dropped its opening game at the YSU/J. Arnold Wealth Management Company Tournament 70-60 to Niagara.
The Cougars fell to 1-3. Niagara improved to 1-2.
After falling behind 7-2 early, SIUE battled back to tie the game at seven on a three-pointer by DeeJuan Pruitt at 14:46. It was 9-8 Niagara, when the Cougars scored the next 10 points to lead 18-9 with 9:42 left in the half. A three-point play by Pruitt with 5:38 to play in the first half, gave the Cougars their largest lead at 26-13.
SIUE led 30-24 at the break. SIUE twice got the lead back to eight in the second half. It was 35-27 after a Ray'Sean Taylor layup with 17:43 left and then the Purple Eagles made their push. Niagara scored 12 of the next 15 points to lead 39-38. The Cougars briefly regained the lead at 41-39, but Niagara's Marcus Hammond hit a three-pointer with 11:26 to play to give the Purple Eagles a lead they'd never relinquish.
Niagara was 5-10 from three-point range in the second half and shot 44 percent overall for the second half. SIUE shot just 37 percent for the game and 33 percent from three-point range.
The Cougars turned the ball over nine times after halftime, following just five turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Shamar Wright led all scorers with 20 points, to tie his career high. He was 8-15 from the field and added a game-best nine rebounds.
Pruitt added 12 points and five rebounds. Ray'Sean Taylor scored 12 points, all coming in the second half, after missing most of the first half with foul trouble. Shaun Doss, Jr. scored five points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Hammond led Niagara with 16 points.