SATURDAY'S SCORES
@South Carolina State 90,
Tennessee State 88 (OT)
@Wright State 72,
Tennessee Tech 63
@Vanderbilt 77,
Austin Peay 51
@Western Illinois 71,
Eastern Illinois 54
@Belmont 115, Bethel (Ind.) 86
@Morehead State 87, Alice Lloyd 47
@Pepperdine 83,
Southeast Missouri 77
@Murray State 87, Chattanooga 76
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 90, TENNESSEE STATE 88 (OT)
ORANGESBURG, S.C. - Tennessee State fell in overtime at South Carolina State, 90-88.
The Tigers held an eight-point advantage to open the game but the Bulldogs responded with a run to take a 13-point lead. South Carolina State dominated most of the half as they cashed in 51.5% from the field, including 7-of-13 (53.8%) from deep.
In the second half, Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. rattled off a handful of points to rally the Tigers. With 14:43 remaining, Dedric Boyd drained a three-pointer to cut the deficit to single-digits, 54-46. South Carolina State reached the double-bonus with 11:33 left in the game. TSU cut the lead to two points, 65-63, with seven minutes remaining. Fitzgerald Jr. continued to fill up the bucket as he drained multiple long-range jumpers throughout the half.
Boyd recorded a three-pointer to tie the game at 71. Shakem Johnson gave the Tigers their first lead, 73-71, since the opening minutes with less than three minutes remaining. Kenny Cooper extended the lead with a layup through contact, 75-72. With 1:07 left, the Bulldogs tallied a free-throw to bring the lead within two, 75-73. South Carolina State forced a miss and tied the game on a layup by Rahsaan Edwards. In the final seconds, Kenny Cooper attempted a contested layup which was not successful.
South Carolina State's Edwards drained a three-pointer to kickstart the extra period. The Bulldogs' Cameron Jones extended the lead to six with a three-ball. After a basket by Fitzgerald Jr., Edwards converted an "and-one" four-point play. Cooper made his way to the charity stripe with an "and-one" of his own. TSU forced a charge with 2:24 remaining. Down by five, 85-80, Johnson cut the deficit to one possession with a basket in the paint. Cooper made two at the free-throw line to bring the game within one, 85-84. After a basket by SCST, Cooper drew a foul and spilt a pair at the stripe, 87-85.
Fitzgerald Jr. led the team with 19 points, all of which came in the second half/overtime. Kassim Nicholson posted his fourth double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Jackson, Miss. native matched his season-high with six offensive rebounds.
WRIGHT STATE 72, TENNESSEE TECH 63
DAYTON, Ohio - A tough second half offensively proved too much to overcome for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team Saturday, as the Golden Eagles fell on the road to Wright State, 72-63.
Leading at the half and as late as nine minutes to play in the game, Tech saw the lead slip away after a pair of tough calls and couldn't quite finish a late comeback bid against the Raiders.
Up by four, Diante Wood seemed to give the Golden Eagles a six-point advantage on a floater in the lane with what appeared to be goaltending, but the block was called clean and the home squad answered with a 3-pointer. Down the stretch, Tech got several opportunities around the bucket, corralling 10 offensive boards in the contest, but was only able to convert six second-chance points.
Wright State shot 52.2 percent from the field in the second half and used a decisive advantage at the charity stripe to do a good chunk of its damage down the stretch. The Raiders hit 12-of-13 tries over the final 20 minutes, finishing 17-for-22 for the game. Tech attempted just five shots from the free-throw line, making two.
The Golden Eagles were held to just 37.1 percent from the floor in the second half, including a 2-for-10 mark from beyond the arc. Tech hit 5-of-11 tries from deep in the opening stanza.
Returning freshman Kenny White Jr. shined in the loss, exploding for a career-high 24 points to lead all scorers. The forward hit 10-of-12 opportunities from the floor and all three of his tries from beyond the arc.
Mamoudou Diarra added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 2-of-3 from distance. Shandon Goldman added eight points and five boards to the mix.
VANDERBILT 77, AUSTIN PEAY 51
NASHVILLE - Wrapping up road non-conference play the Austin Peay men's basketball team fell to in-state foe Vanderbilt, 71-55 inside Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
The Govs were led by the duo of redshirt freshman Caleb Stone-Carrawell and junior Cameron Copeland, who each scored in double figures and accounted for over half the Govs total points. Stone-Carrawell led the way with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field with three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. It's the seventh game this season Stone-Carrawell has scored in double figures.
Behind Stone-Carrawell in double figures was Copeland with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field with two rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes. Off the bench, senior Corbin Merritt scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field with all three field goals coming from behind the three-point line. Merritt also had five rebounds in 16 minutes.
Also contributing off the bench was junior Alec Woodard with five points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field with one three-pointer. Woodard corralled four rebounds off the bench while securing one assist and one steal. Leading the way on the glass was freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett with nine rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass. Hutchins-Everett also had six points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field.
As a team, the Govs shot 35.8 percent from the field while going 6-of-26 from behind the three-point line. APSU was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, shooting 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the second half. Vanderbilt outrebounded Austin Peay, 41-30 with an 18-11 advantage on the offensive glass en route to 26-second chance points for the Commodores.
It was a tough shooting start for the Govs as Vanderbilt jumped out to an 8-0 lead just four minutes into the game. Stone-Carrawell got the Govs on the board and scored four of the six points for APSU as Vanderbilt held a 17-6 advantage at the 11-minute mark. The Commodores widened their lead to double-digits midway through the first half as Vanderbilt made three straight field goals to take a 21-10 lead.
Freshman Elijah Hutchins-Everett rattled off four straight points to cut into the Vanderbilt lead, but the Commodore's offense continued to stay hot, making five of their next six field goals. Trailing 33-17 with less than four minutes remaining, senior Corbin Merritt got hot off the bench, knocking down back-to-back threes to trim the Vanderbilt lead down to 33-23.
To end the half, Vanderbilt made just one of its final seven field goals as the Govs trailed 37-23 heading into the locker room. In the first half, the Govs shot 41.7 percent from the field and was just 2-of-12 from long distance.
Starting off the second half, neither team scored a point during the first three minutes of action before Stone-Carrawell scored a wide-open lay-up off an out-of-bounds play. Stone-Carrawell scored the first five points for the Govs in the second half as APSU trailed 42-28 with 15:10 remaining. That was as close as the Govs got in the second half as Vanderbilt embarked on a 16-3 run over three minutes to widen its lead.
With eight minutes remaining the Govs embarked on an 8-0 run of its own to cut the Vanderbilt lead down to 60-42. However, the Commodore offense responded quickly with a 12-0 run to gain a 72-42 lead with 4:17 remaining. The Govs were unable to get any closer down the stretch in a 77-51 loss inside Memorial Gymnasium.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 71, EASTERN ILLINOIS 54
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois hit ten 3-pointers on Saturday afternoon as the Leathernecks snapped a five-game win streak by Eastern Illinois in the Old Railsplitter Axe Rivalry Game as WIU won 71-54 at Western Hall.
EIU fell to 2-10 on the season. WIU improved to 9-2 on the year.
WIU shot 50 percent in the opening half as they built a 39-29 lead. The Leathernecks connected on 6-of-13 from 3-point range in the opening half with Will Carius scoring 14 of his game-high 25 points in the opening half.
EIU dumped the ball inside for its first half offense with Sammy Friday IV scoring eight points and Jermaine Hamlin scoring six. Hamlin would finish the game with a season high 14 points going 6-of-12 from the floor.
The Panthers were able to get to within seven points early in the second half on a Dan Luers 3-pointer with 19:07 left in the game. WIU would respond a 6-0 run to push their lead back to double figures.
EIU would get the lead back to single digits several more times the last on a Kashawn Charles three point play with 8:37 to get EIU to within eight points with 8:37 remaining, the closest EIU would get the remainder of the game. Carius would answer for WIU to end the Panthers threat knocking down a jumper and a 3-pointer two of the next three Leatherneck possessions.
Henry Abraham finished with 10 assists, six rebounds and five points playing the entire game for EIU.
Trenton Messner and Luka Barisic both finished in double figures for WIU. Messner had 18 points while Barisic added 11. After opening the first half 6-of-13 from 3-point range, WIU was 4-of-12 on 3-pointers in the second half.
BELMONT 115, BETHEL 86
NASHVILLE - Behind a season-high 21 points from Luke Smith, Belmont University men's basketball defeated Bethel (Ind.), 115-86, Saturday from the Curb Event Center.
Smith led six Bruins in double figures.
Even Brauns had a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals as Belmont established a new Curb Event Center single-game scoring record.
Bethel (Ind.), a perennial nationally-ranked NAIA school coached by Belmont Hall of Famer Steve Drabyn, made six of its first eight shots - including four from 3-point distance - to lead 20-10 five minutes in.
But opportunistic defense and the inside presence of Brauns allowed Belmont to gain control. Five points from Will Richard gave Belmont a 51-44 halftime lead.
The all-courts games of Richard, Ben Sheppard and Grayson Murphy, along with timely shooting from Smith sparked Belmont to a 64-point second half.
Belmont (10-3) went over the century mark with four minutes remaining, and Derek Sabin punctuated a 27-8 run with a layin to make the score 107-78.
All told, Belmont shot 56 percent (38-of-68) from the field - including 13-of-30 from 3-point distance.
Richard had 19 points, seven assists and three steals while Sheppard scored 18. JaCobi Wood scored 11 points and Sabin had a career-high 10.
Zac Owens and Jared DeHart led Bethel (Ind.) with 21 points.
MOREHEAD STATE 87, ALICE LLOYD 47
MOREHEAD, Ky. - It may have pouring down real rain drops outside, but inside Johnson Arena Saturday the Morehead State men's basketball team rained in 15 three-pointers, including 10 in the second half, as the Eagles raced past Alice Lloyd (Ky.) 87-47.
MSU improved to 7-5 on the season and won its 13th consecutive home game. Alice Lloyd, an NAIA program from southeastern Kentucky, entered the game undefeated at 13-0 and counted the game as an exhibition. The second half proved to a difference-maker as MSU outscored ALC 53-25 after leading 34-22 at the halfway point.
Junior guard Skyelar Potter and grad transfer guard Tray Hollowell both nailed four triples each, with Potter leading five Eagles in double-figure scoring with 15. Hollowell contributed 12 points. Potter also dished out a career-high eight assists.
Second-year center Johni Broome posted his third consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Off the bench, second-year freshman guard Drew Thelwell knocked in a trio of three-pointers and scored 11, while junior forward Jaylen Sebree was 2-of-3 on long range shots and notched 10 points. Center LJ Bryan came off the bench for a season-high eight points and seven rebounds as the Eagles out-board the visiting Eagles 40-23.
MSU's ball movement turned into 25 assists, one short of a season-high, on 31 made buckets. The home Eagles also shot 52 percent overall and hit 15-of-35 on three-pointers.
Morehead State's largest lead came at 42 late in the contest.
PEPPERDINE 83, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 77
MALIBU, Calif. - Phillip Russell scored a career-high 25 points and Nygal Russell added a double-double 15 points and 10 rebounds as Southeast Missouri (5-7) came up short in an 83-77 loss to Pepperdine (5-8) Saturday night at Firestone Fieldhouse.
P. Russell, who scored 20 of his points in the second half alone, finished with over 20 points for the third time this season. N. Russell turned in his team-best second double-double of the 2021-22 campaign.
Down 35-30 at halftime, SEMO scored on its first seven possessions of the second half and used a 16-2 run to build a 46-37 lead, its largest of the night.
Dylan Branson made the first of his two second-half threes to begin the ferocious surge. Sam Thompson added four points and P. Russell scored five to also help key the surge that ended on Russell's own jumper with 16:33 remaining.
After SEMO led, 52-47, following a 3-pointer by N. Russell, the Waves responded with a 19-2 run that proved to be the difference in the end.
Mike Mitchell Jr. tied the game at 52-52 with a second chance 3-pointer and PU later regained a two-point edge after Darryl Polk Jr. made a pair of free throws. Jan Zidek's layup off a turnover finished off the run as the Waves pulled ahead, 64-54, at the 7:43 mark.
In the final 1:09 of the contest, SEMO was within two possessions a total of seven times, but couldn't catch PU.
P. Russell's 3-pointer and N. Russell's free throws each closed the Waves' lead to four in that stretch, but that was as close as the Redhawks would get.
SEMO had a more difficult time getting shots to fall from long range missing seven of its first 3-point field goal attempts.
The Redhawks led for just 1:16 of the first half and fell behind by 10 on two occasions. PU used a 6-0 jaunt to take a 29-19 lead with just under six minutes left and went up, 35-25, on Ohio Obioha's layup at the 2:05 mark.
SEMO held the Waves scoreless for the final 2:05 of the opening stanza and managed got within five when N.Russell buried a 3-pointer off a pass from Chris Harris to make it a 35-30 game at the intermission.
Two areas that loomed large for SEMO in the end were turnovers and offensive rebounds. The Redhawks committed a season-high 21 miscues and were outrebounds by 10 (15-5) on the offensive glass.
Other than that, SEMO gave PU all it could handle.
P. Russell shot 9-of-14 from the field, 4-of-6 from distance and 3-of-5 at the free throw line to lead three Redhawks in double figures. He finished with double-digits for the fourth-straight game and 10th time in 12 starts.
N. Russell hit 5-of-9 field goals and followed with three 3-pointers. Russell, SEMO's top rebounder, pulled down 10 or more rebounds for the third time this year.
Thompson, who missed the last eight games with a sprained ankle, made a nice return. He scored 13 points on a near-perfect 6-of-7 field goals to go along with three boards in 12 minutes off the bench.
As a team, SEMO shot 52.6 percent (30-of-57) from the field for the game and a blazing 60 percent (18-of-30) in the final 20 minutes. Additionally, the Redhawks made eight of their 10 threes in the second half.
SEMO and PU met for the first time in their basketball histories. The Waves marked the 13th different NCAA Division I California school the Readhawks have faced.
MURRAY STATE 87, CHATTANOOGA 76
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers pushed past the Chattanooga Mocs with a 53-point second half and turned it into an 87-76 victory for their 22nd consecutive non-conference win at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
The Racers (10-1) have won seven in a row overall and at home this season as they travel to play the Auburn Tigers (Dec. 22).
Murray State’s Tevin Brown scored a career-high 33 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. The Racers also got 18 points from Justice Hill and 11 from Trae Hannibal.
In a battle of two top-50 NCAA Net Ranking teams (UTC was No. 8 and the Racers No. 10 in the College Insider Poll) the game was a close all the way. After the Mocs (9-3) led 37-34 at halftime, the Racers tied it 57-57 with 9:48 remaining and took the lead for good 13 seconds later 60-58 on a 3-point basket by Brown. From there, the Racers put the game away with a 13-2 run for an 80-68 lead with 1:46 left.