SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 70, @IUPUI 59
@Mercer 79,
Morehead State 52
@Jacksonville State 72,
Little Rock 62
UT Martin 75, @Bowling Green 67
@Lindenwood 77, Knox College 42
@Tennessee State 99, Bryan College 78
Western Carolina 75,
@Tennessee Tech 65
@Iowa 106,
Southeast Missouri 75
EASTERN ILLINOIS 70, IUPUI 59
INDIANAPOLIS - Eastern Illinois shot 62 percent in the second half on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers turned a two-point halftime deficit into an 11-point road win at IUPUI.
Yaakema Rose Jr., scored a career high 27 points as the Panthers improved to 3-9 on the season with a 70-59 win at IUPUI.
Trailing 28-26 at the half, it was key contributions off the bench by Nick Ellington and Cameron Haffner that sparked a 9-2 run by the Panthers giving them a 41-34 lead with 11:57 left in the game. Haffner had five points during the run scoring seven total off the bench. Ellington finished the game with five points.
EIU had a total of 22 points from its bench with Jermaine Hamlin providing five of his eight points early in the first half as EIU jumped out to a 22-16 lead with 5:59 to play. Rose scored ten of his points in the opening half as he reached the 1,000 career point for his collegiate career including three seasons at Missouri St. Louis.
IUPUI closed the first half with a 12-2 run to take the lead at the break. Vincent Brady II had ten first half points. He would finish with 16, one of three Jaguars in double figures. Chris Osten had 15 while Jlynn Counter added 11.
Caleb Donaldson had 14 points as EIU’s second double figure scorer in the game. EIU’s defense was again big in the contest forcing 22 IUPUI turnovers which were converted into 31 points.
IUPUI fell to 2-9 on the season.
MERCER 79, MOREHEAD STATE 52
MACON, Ga. - The Morehead State men's basketball team got a 23-point performance from the bench, but fell 79-52 to the Mercer Bears on the road Saturday.
Starter Jake Wolfe helped out with 10 points to lead the Eagles, who fell to 6-6 in 2022-23. It was Wolfe's second straight double-figure scoring game. Jalen Hawkins came off the bench with eight points. Drew Thelwell also tacked on six points.
Morehead State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 41-25 heading into halftime.
Mercer kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 51-32 advantage before Morehead State went on a 9-0 run, finished off by Hawkins' jumper, to shrink the deficit to 51-41 with 11:37 to go in the contest. Mercer responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 79-52. Morehead State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 15 of its 27 total points.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 72, LITTLE ROCK 62
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Little Rock held a first half lead and battled Jacksonville State for the majority of the first half. But extended scoring droughts in both the first and second halves allowed the Gamecocks to take control in a 72-62 loss at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The loss came despite another strong effort from Myron Gardner, who led the team with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three point range, with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Gardner was also 3-for-4 from the free throw line for his second 20-point performance of the year.
Jordan Jefferson continues to come on strong, scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from the free throw line, with three rebounds.
But they were the only two Trojans to finish in double figures as DeAntoni Gordon notched nine points with four rebounds. Ethan Speaker added eight points and a team-high five rebounds off the bench.
Little Rock ended the game shooting 40.0% from the floor (20-of-50), while making just 5-of-22 from three point range (22.7%). The Trojans were efficient from the free throw line, knocking down 17-of-21 (81.0%).
But Jacksonville State dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Trojans 40-25 with a 14-5 edge in offensive boards, leading to a 19-11 edge in second chance points. The Gamecocks shot 44.8% from the game but were just 23.8% from three point range (5-of-21) as Little Rock was able to limit Jacksonville State's strength.
As in similar games this season, Jacksonville State raced out quickly, scoring the first six points of the game to take the early advantage. Trailing by five at 10-5 at the 15:14 mark, Little Rock put together a 10-2 run, including back-to-back threes from Gardner, to claim its first lead of the game at 15-12 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
It was a tightly contested first half for the majority after that as the Trojans and Gamecocks combined for five ties and four lead changes. Six-straight points for Jefferson over a minute and a half span gave Little Rock the 23-21 lead with 5:55 to play.
But those would be the last points the Trojans would score in the opening half, going scoreless over the final six minutes and missing their last seven shots as Jacksonville State used a 9-0 run to take a 30-23 lead into intermission.
Both teams struggled from three point range, going a combined 3-for-23, as Little Rock was 2-of-12 beyond the arc while hitting 36.0% of its shots in the first half, limiting Jacksonville State to 1-of-11 from three-point range.
Gardner and Jefferson combined for 17 of Little Rock's 23 first half points with Gardner leading the Trojans with nine. Gordon added four points while Speaker pulled down a team-best five rebounds.
Smith ended the scoring drought early in the second half with a three off a steal, cutting the deficit to four at 30-26, but Jacksonville State responded with six-straight points which jump started a 12-2 run over the next four minutes as the Gamecocks built a 14-point lead at 42-28 with 15 minutes to go.
After Jacksonville State extended its lead to 17 at 50-33, Little Rock responded with a 7-0 run to trim the lead to 10 at 50-40, then again at 54-44 as Gardner had four during that stretch. Free throws kept Little Rock in the game in the second half, making six-straight to cut the deficit to nine on a pair of occasions, including at 57-48 with 8:20 remaining.
But the Trojans were unable to cut into the deficit any further as the Gamecocks kept the lead above double digits for the remainder of the game, holding off a final late Little Rock charge that cut the final deficit to 10. Both teams shot better in the second half as Little Rock hit 44.0% from the floor, contrasted by 50.0% for Jacksonville State.
Gardner scored 11 of his 20 points over the final 20 minutes while Jefferson and Speaker each added six in the second half. But the Gamecocks' Skyelar Potter scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half for Jacksonville State, helping the Gamecocks pull away for the victory.
UT MARTIN 75, BOWLING GREEN 67
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team never trailed today, building up a 19-point lead before hanging on down the stretch for an impressive 75-67 victory at Bowling Green.
A 12-0 run and a hard-nosed defensive effort helped the Skyhawks take a 39-23 advantage into the locker room at the halftime break. The Falcons clawed back to get within two points with nine minutes remaining in the contest but UT Martin fended off the hosts and posted its first road victory of the season in the process.
Jordan Sears tied a season-high with 18 points today to lead all scorers. The sophomore guard out of Daytona Beach, Fla. added five rebounds, a team-high four assists and season-best three steals in 30 minutes for the Skyhawks (7-5).
Backcourt teammates Desmond Williams (season-high 15 points on five 3-pointers) and KJ Simon (12 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks) also reached double figures in the scoring column for UT Martin. Chris Nix grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to help the Skyhawks win the battle on the glass by a 44-39 margin.
Bowling Green (4-7) was led by 15 points apiece from Leon Ayers III and Willie Lightfoot. Kaden Metheny’s 12 points and Samari Curtis’ 10 points completed the double-digit scorers for the Falcons, who were held to 37.9 percent (22-of-58) shooting and 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) from three-point land.
Simon got the offense going with a jumper 18 seconds into the game. He would add a dunk – sandwiched between a layup and three-pointer from Sears – to help UT Martin to a 9-2 advantage at the first media timeout.
Seven different Skyhawks accounted for the squad’s next 17 points as the aforementioned 12 unanswered points resulted in a 26-11 UT Martin lead. A steal and fast break layup from Sears at the 5:26 mark of the opening half extended the Skyhawk advantage out to 26-11.
Williams canned a pair of trifectas in a span of 1:16 in the waning stages of the first half. Sears knocked down a triple with under a minute to go in the first half to stretch UT Martin’s lead out to 18 points before the Skyhawks settled for a 39-23 edge after 20 minutes of play.
Sears had 10 points at the intermission but the story was UT Martin’s swarming defense. The Skyhawks limited Bowling Green to a paltry 27.6 percent (8-of-29) shooting percentage, including 18.2 percent (2-for-11) from beyond the three-point arc. Ayers’ 12 points paced the Falcons in the first half.
UT Martin endured many Bowling Green surges in crunch time to emerge victorious. The Falcons scored eight of the first 11 points of the second half before a Simon three-pointer sparked a 10-3 Skyhawk run. Sears had five points during that stretch as his layup with 14:56 remaining made the score 52-34 in UT Martin’s favor.
A pair of free throws from David Kamwanga opened up a 19-point lead for the Skyhawks with 14 minutes to go – their biggest advantage of the afternoon.
Bowling Green hit back-to-back three-pointers over a 10-second stretch and eventually used a 13-0 run to pull within a single possession (56-54) at the 9:12 mark. Williams buried a huge three-pointer on UT Martin’s next trip down the floor and drilled another trey with 7:39 to go to stretch the Skyhawk lead out to 64-57.
A thunderous dunk by Curry nudged UT Martin’s advantage to 66-57 with a little under six minutes to go and the Falcons never got within five points the rest of the way.
LINDENWOOD 77, KNOX COLLEGE 42
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood men's basketball team (5-6) earned a convincing 77-42 win over Knox College (2-9) on Saturday afternoon inside Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
Lindenwood hit a pair of three pointers early in the game to take a 6-3 lead at the 17:35 mark. The Lions were nails on the defensive end, keeping the Prairie Fire from scoring points for more than seven minutes. Kevin Caldwell Jr. knocked down a three-point bucket at the 15:43 mark to put the Lions ahead 11-3. Knox made a jumper in the paint at the 11:01 mark to make it a 20-5 Lindenwood advantage.
The Lions continued to feed the boys in the paint, as Keenon Cole made a layup with six minutes to go in the half to secure a 28-9 lead. Cam Burrell gave Lindenwood a 21-point lead as the half came close to an end. Caldwell Jr. ended the first 20 minutes of play with a driving layup, resulting in a 41-15 halftime lead. Lindenwood held Knox to 20.8 percent shooting from the field, and forced the Prairie Fire into 10 turnovers.
Lindenwood kept its stout defense rolling into the second half, as Burrell registered a steal and went the length of the court to throw down a one-handed dunk. Lindenwood maintained a 20-plus point advantage through the first half of the second frame. At the eight-minute mark, Chris Childs registered a steal and found Burrell for the dunk, making it 66-34 in favor of the Lions. Less than two minutes later, Burrell dropped the ball off for Cole as he joined the dunk party.
Jacob Tracey knocked down a three-point bucket at the 5:52 mark to give Lindenwood a 33-point lead. Lindenwood closed out the game by holding the Prairie Fire scoreless in the final three minutes, securing the final home non-conference win of the season. Burrell registered a double-double on Saturday, as he efficiently shot 5-of-10 from the field, and pulled down six offensive boards.
Cole and Childs each registered 12 points, as Cole hit 6-of-8 from the floor, making all six of his shots from inside the arc. Tommie Williams led the team with 14 points, as he was 5-of-6 from the field. Lindenwood shared the ball well, totaling 14 assists, while the Lions played lock-down defense by collecting 16 steals and forcing Knox into 21 turnovers.
TENNESSEE STATE 99, BRYAN COLLEGE 78
NASHVILLE - Dedric Boyd scored 29 points and tied the Tennessee State University single-game record with nine made 3-pointer in a 99-78 win over Bryan at the Gentry Center on Saturday afternoon,
The Tigers (7-5) had four players score in double figures. Fitzgerald Jr. tacked on 21 points, six assists, and three steals and Christian Brown helped out with 16 points.
The Tennessee State offense made hay from beyond the arc, making 15 threes on 38 attempts. Boyd hit nine treys for the Tigers in the contest.
Tennessee State forced 16 Bryan turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Saturday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 22 points on the offensive end of the floor. Fitzgerald Jr.'s three steals led the way for Tennessee State.
After jumping out to a 33-26 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 10-0 run with 8:04 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Boyd, to increase its lead to 43-26. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 53-37 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down nine shots to account for 27 of its 53 points.
Following intermission, Tennessee State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 68-49 before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Adong Makuoi's layup, to grow the lead to 77-49 with 10:44 to go in the contest. The Lions narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 99-78 win. Tennessee State got out on the break in the period, scoring 15 fast break points.
WESTERN CAROLINA 75, TENNESSEE TECH 65
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A back-and-forth battle for most of the day, Western Carolina pulled away late to defeat the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team, 75-65, in the Hooper Eblen Center Saturday afternoon.
The two sides played it close over the first half, with the Catamounts pulling away by as much as nine after draining three straight triples with just over three minutes on the clock. Tech cut the deficit to just seven at the break, trailing 37-30.
The Golden Eagles came out of the half on a mission, immediately cutting the deficit to one over the opening three minutes. Tech took its first lead of the second half with 14:50 to play, moving out by as much as four with 11 minutes left in the contest.
WCU answered back, retaking the lead and snapping the final tie with under eight minutes on the clock. The visitors just edged out further as the second half came to an end, expanding to as much as 11 before the 75-65 final.
Tech was more efficient on the day, shooting 44 percent from the floor, 47 percent from distance, and 78.6 percent from the charity stripe. Western Carolina, however, made six more free throws on eight more attempts and drilled two more 3-pointers.
Tech guard Jayvis Harvey turned in a career-high 19 points while sinking all six of his free-throw attempts. The junior converted three of his four tries from distance and hauled in three rebounds.
Forward Jaylen Sebree followed up his career-high 25-point outburst at Lipscomb with 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting and a 3-for-4 day from downtown. The graduate transfer from Morehead State also tied for the team lead with six rebounds.
Rookie guard Grant Strong turned in a great showing off the bench, finishing 4-for-4 from the field on his way to 10 points in 24 minutes of action. Graduate guard Ty Perry dished out a team-high six assists while center Nolan Causwell tied Sebree for the team lead of six boards.
Also a Morehead State transfer, Western Carolina's Tyzhaun Claude (former teammate of Sebree), posted a game-high 21 points. The Catamounts' Vonterius Woolbright flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
IOWA 106, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 75
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Southeast Missouri (5-7) dropped its final non-conference road game to Big Ten Conference member Iowa (8-3), 106-75, Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
SEMO, which faced a Big Ten foe for the first time in three years, was led by a season-high 19-point effort by Chris Harris. Harris came off the bench to shoot 8-of-13 from the field and knock down a pair of 3-pointers en route to his seventh game in double figures this year.
Iowa shot 57.6 percent (38-of-66) from the field and never trailed behind a trio of 20-point performances. Flip Rebraca led the way with 30 points, while Payton Sandfort and Patrick McCaffery followed with 24 and 20, respectively.
Both teams started strong out of the gate shooting 60 percent or better in the first five minutes of play. SEMO made six of its first 10 field goals for 60 percent, while Iowa hit seven of its first nine shots at a 77 percent clip.
Ahead, 31-22, the Hawkeyes got a big boost from Sandfort. Sandfort came off the bench to score 17 points in a quick 4:17 span. His layup put Iowa ahead, 48-29, with 4:03 remaining in the first half.
Iowa later headed into the locker room with a 58-41 lead.
Harris scored 14 of his points in the first half.
The Hawkeyes stayed hot in the second half to complete their eighth win of the season.
Iowa outrebounded SEMO, 47-30, and outscored the Redhawks, 54-30, in the paint. The Hawkeyes held a 21-2 advantage in fastbreak points and outscored SEMO, 22-7, at the free throw line, as well.
Three others, including Phillip Russell, Kobe Clark and Josh Earley reached double figures in the scoring column. Russell had 12 points, Clark contributed 11 and early chipped in 10.