SUNDAY'S SCORES
@SIUE 60, Kansas City 56
Tennessee State 73, @Lipscomb 65
SIUE 60, KANSAS CITY 56
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE men's basketball improved to 3-0 at home Sunday, outlasting Kansas City 60-56 for its second consecutive win.
The Cougars moved to 5-6 overall. Kansas City dropped to 5-5.
Like Wednesday's win over Purdue Fort Wayne, SIUE opened the game with a run and led nearly the rest of the way. SIUE scored the game's first six points and led until an Anderson Kopp three-pointer gave Kansas City a 19-18 lead with 3:31 to play in the first half. The Cougars responded with an 8-0 run to close the half and carried a 26-19 lead to halftime.
The Cougars extended the run to 10 with a Shamar Wright layup to start the second half and give SIUE its largest lead of the game at 28-19.
While SIUE never trailed in the second half, Kansas City kept the game close. The Roos got within two points (41-39) after a free throw with 10:22 to play and were within three points on several occasions.
SIUE led 57-56 when a DeeJuan Pruitt attempt missed, and the rebound was pushed out of bounds. SIUE called a timeout with 19 seconds to play. Shaun Doss, Jr. triggered in from the baseline to Shamar Wright streaking in from the foul line. Wright then finished with a reverse layup to give SIUE a 59-56 lead.
Doss sealed the win with a free throw with seven second to play for the final margin.
SIUE shot only 39 percent (19-49) from the field. The Cougars out rebounded Kansas Coty 39-33 and scored 13 second-chance points.
Pruitt recorded his first career double-double, tying his career high with 13 points and setting a new career best with 11 rebounds. He was one of four SIUE players to finish in double figures scoring. Ray'Sean Taylor scored 14 to lead SIUE. He has scored in double figures in all 11 games he had played in. Shamar Wright added 13 points for SIUE and Doss scored 11, marking the ninth time in games that he has been in double figures.
Evan Gilyard scored 19 points to lead Kansas City. Alick and Kopp each scored 14 points.
SIUE which came into the game leading the Ohio Valley Conference in field goal percent defense, held the Roos to just 35 percent (17-48) for the game.
TENNESSEE STATE 73, LIPSCOMB 65
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State men's basketball team secured their second-straight victory with an impressive result over Lipscomb, 73-65.
Kassim Nicholson registered the initial basket of the game on a second-chance layup, after both teams went scoreless over the first minute of action. The opening 10 minutes saw multiple lead changes. Christian Brown led a scoring stretch for TSU, as the Tigers went on a 16-1 run to gain a significant lead. Tennessee State extended the lead to 39-24, following a basket from Carlos Marshall Jr. to force a Lipscomb timeout.
TSU opened the second half with four unanswered points to carry the momentum out of the locker room. Midway through the half, the Tigers held a 17-point advantage following consecutive buckets from Brown. With five minutes remaining, Lipscomb went on a run on their own. The Bison generated an 8-0 scoring stretch to cut the lead to single digits. TSU was able to fend off the late push from Lipscomb and Kenny Cooper, a graduate transfer from LU, sealed the game with a steal in the closing seconds.
Christian Brown recorded a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 from the field. His previous high of 18 points came against Fisk earlier this season.
Kenny Cooper flirted with a double-double in his return to Allen Arena, as the Nashville native posted 12 points and nine rebounds.
Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., a Nashville native and Pearl-Cohn graduate, swiped a career-high four steals against the rival team.
TSU dominated inside as they out-rebounded Lipscomb, 36-27, and out-scored the Bison in the paint, 44-22.