TUESDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 80, Long Beach 43 (Naples, Fla.)
@Tennessee Tech 88, Lipscomb 77
@Nebraska 79,
Tennessee State 73
MURRAY STATE 80, LONG BEACH STATE 43
NAPLES, Fla. - The Murray State Racers broke from the gate against the Long Beach State Beach and never slowed on their way to an 80-43 victory in their second game at the Naples Invitational at the Community School of Naples Fieldhouse in Naples, Florida.
The Racers (4-1) bounced back from a game one loss to East Tennessee and claimed a win in their first meeting against LBSU in program history.
KJ Williams scored a game-high 29 points for the Racers, while Tevin Brown added 16 points as 11 different MSU players made a dent in the scoring column. Williams and Brown were particularly accurate against the Beach in combining for 45 points on 19-of-28 from the field for 67 percent and 8-of-14 from the 3-point line for 57 percent. Nicholas McMullen led the Racers with five rebounds and Brown led the team with five assists.
The Racers hit the Beach with a 12-4 start only four minutes into the contest with Brown and Williams each getting early baskets. The Racers kept their forward momentum going when Williams missed a 3-pointer, but secured his own rebound and scored. Carter Collins and Jordan Skipper-Brown added a 3-pointer and a slam dunk to put the Racers in front 19-4 at 11:43. The lead went to 20 at the 5:06 mark when Justice Hill hit one of nine 3-pointers for the Racers in the first half for a 30-10 lead at 5:06 before halftime. Brown and Williams each hit another 3-pointer and the Racers finished out the first twenty minutes with a 43-16 lead.
The Racers cruised from there for their fourth win in five games to start the season.
MSU scored 31 points off 26 LBSU turnovers and the Racers assisted 16 times on their 30 field goals. MSU shot 50 percent from the field (30-of-60) and were 12-of-26 from the 3-point line for 46 percent.
TENNESSEE TECH 88, LIPSCOMB 73
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Incredible fight, tenacious defense, and a hot finish lifted the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to a thrilling, 88-77 victory over in-state rival Lipscomb Tuesday evening at the Hooper Eblen Center. The Golden Eagles (2-3) took down a Bisons squad off to their best start since 2018-19, producing a massive second half that saw the home team outscore the visitors 52-36.
Despite one of its best offensive showings of the year, it was the defense that really stood out for the purple and gold, forcing a whopping 22 turnovers by Lipscomb (4-2). Tech still needed a strong offensive showing as well, as the Bisons shot 64.4 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from 3-point range.
The Golden Eagles got off to a tough start on the offensive end during the night, starting 0-for-6 from distance one game after finishing 0-for-21 from deep against UNC Asheville. Lipscomb used the cold stretch to take as large as a 14-point advantage, but Tech never gave in.
Ball security and hot shooting down the stretch proved to be the biggest difference-maker for the purple and gold. After making eight turnovers over the first 20 minutes, and two more on the first two possession of the second half, Tech went the remaining 19 minutes of action without another one.
Following their 0-for-6 start from 3-point range, the Golden Eagles completed the night 10-for-15 the rest of the way, paced by an incredible performance by graduate forward Shandon Goldman. The big man hit 5-of-6 tries from beyond the arc on his way to 15 points, putting his team ahead for the first time and for good at the 7:02 mark with his third triple of the night. He added a team-high eight rebounds as well.
Goldman was one of several recipients of one of the more incredible performances by a duo in Tech history, as veteran guards and team captains Jr. Clay and Keishawn Davidson were like distribution machines. The two combined for an eye-popping 19 assists with making a single turnover between the pair.
Davidson picked up his third career double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 dimes, shooting a career-best 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Clay produced 12 points and nine helpers, tying his own career-high of five steals. He also passed Brent Jolly for 17th on the program's all-time career scoring list, sitting at 1,300 so far.
Leading the Golden Eagles in scoring on the night was junior transfer Mamoudou Diarra, pouring in a career-high 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting. The forward corralled seven rebounds as well, playing 33 minutes, the most of his career. Fellow transfer Diante Wood added nine points to the mix.
NEBRASKA 79, TENNESSEE STATE 73
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Tennessee State men's basketball team suffered a hard-fought loss at Nebraska on Tuesday evening, 79-73.
Nebraska scored the first basket of the game on a jumper by Tennessee transfer, Derrick Walker. Kassim Nicholson tallied the opening bucket for TSU with a three-pointer. After the Cornhuskers opened up a 13-3 lead, the Tigers went on a 9-0 run as four different players registered a basket. TSU took their first lead of the ballgame, 14-13, following consecutive three-pointers from Dedric Boyd.
The game went on a "see-saw" throughout the middle part of the half, as the lead flip-flopped, and Tennessee State took a 23-22 lead with a long-range jumper from Kenny Cooper. Cooper evened the score at 26 with his second three-pointer of the evening. At the 2:18 mark, Boyd converted an "and-one" four-point play to give TSU a 36-32 advantage. Boyd, a transfer from Illinois State, splashed another three-pointer with two seconds remaining to give Tennessee State an edge heading into the locker room.
In the second half, Nebraska went on a 7-0 run to begin the half and secured a four-point lead, 45-41. Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. recorded consecutive baskets for TSU to trim the deficit. Nicholson scored on back-to-back mid-range jumpers to take the lead, 50-49. NU rattled off a 10-2 scoring stretch midway through the half; however, Carlos Marshall Jr. ended the run with a three-pointer to cut the deficit within two, 61-59.
With 6:06 remaining, the Cornhuskers went on a 9-1 run to extend the lead to double digits, 72-62, as Verge Jr. and Walker combined for all nine points. Boyd stopped the drought with consecutive baskets, totaling five points to keep the Tigers within striking distance. Nebraska's five-star freshman, Bryce McGowens, sealed the deal for NU with five free-throws down the stretch.
Boyd led the team with 23 points on 8-of-15 from the field and 6-of-11 from long-range.