THURSDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 80, @Southeast Missouri 60
Tennessee Tech 77, @Little Rock 75
Morehead State 67, @SIUE 58
@Tennessee State 78, Eastern Illinois 74
Southern Indiana 81, @Lindenwood 65
UT MARTIN 80, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 60
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team came out hot at Southeast Missouri and never looked back, soaring to an 80-60 triumph over the Redhawks at the Show Me Center.
This evening’s victory completed the Skyhawks’ season sweep of Southeast Missouri, accomplishing that feat for just the sixth time since joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 1992. Tonight’s win was also the largest margin of victory for UT Martin in the Show Me Center in a series that started in 1962.
The Skyhawks improved to 12-8 overall and 4-3 in league play following a sound performance on both ends of the floor. UT Martin shot 55.8 percent (29-of-52) – its highest mark against a NCAA Division I opponent this season – including a blazing 65.2 percent clip (15-of-23) in the second half. On the flipside, the Skyhawks held the Redhawks to 31.7 percent (20-for-63) shooting, including a 3-of-22 mark (13.6 percent) from long distance.
Jordan Sears led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting while distributing a game-high four assists with four rebounds. Parker Stewart collected 16 points and five rebounds while KJ Simon posted 14 points and equaled a career-high with five steals. Desmond Williams completed UT Martin’s double-digit scorers with 11 points while Jalen Myers hauled in a career-high eight rebounds in his first start as a Skyhawk – helping the squad win the battle on the glass by a commanding 38-24 margin.
Southeast Missouri (9-11, 4-3 OVC) was paced by Chris Harris’ 16 points. Dylan Branson was the Redhawks’ only other double-digit scorer as he was responsible for 10 points.
A Stewart stepback three-pointer 36 seconds into the game put the Skyhawks on the scoreboard. Sears scored UT Martin’s next four points before four straight points by Simon resulted in a 13-5 Skyhawk lead at the 12:52 mark of the first half.
UT Martin soon scored 10 unanswered points – keyed by Simon. The senior lefty tossed in the final six points of the Skyhawk run as his strong take to the hoop gave UT Martin a 27-14 advantage with 4:41 to go before the halftime break.
Williams swished a straightaway three-pointer that pushed the Skyhawk lead out to 14 points at the under-4-minute media timeout.
Stewart then took over, pouring in UT Martin’s final eight points of the half. The Union City, Tenn. native canned a pair of three-pointers and added two free throws in a span of 2:49, sending the Skyhawks into the locker room with a 38-24 lead.
Both Stewart (11 points) and Simon (10) reached double figures in the scoring column by halftime for UT Martin, who put on a defensive clinic in the first 20 minutes. Southeast Missouri shot just 22.6 percent (7-of-31) in the first half, including an 8.3-percent effort (1-for-12) from beyond the three-point line. Harris’ eight points ranked as a team-high for the Redhawks.
Sears began the second half on a torrid stretch, generating nine of the Skyhawks’ first 13 points. That included a 32-second sequence where he swished a deep stepback three-pointer and scored on a driving layup to push UT Martin’s advantage out to 51-34 with just under 14 minutes remaining.
Southeast Missouri immediately followed with a 9-2 run to climb back within 10 points (53-43) at the 9:21 mark. Stewart stepped up with big plays on back-to-back trips down the floor, nailing a three-pointer om the left corner before a backdown turnaround jumper in the post to take away the Redhawk momentum.
A little over a minute later, Chris Nix successfully converted an old-fashioned three-point play to make the score 63-47 with 7:14 left to play. Trifectas on consecutive possessions by Williams and Josh Endicott extended the Skyhawk advantage out to 69-51.
Williams and Sears each provided five points apiece during a 10-3 run to close out the contest as a Sears fast break dunk with 29 seconds remaining gave UT Martin its biggest lead of the night at 80-60 – the final scoring margin.
TENNESSEE TECH 77, LITTLE ROCK 75
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Efficient offensive play and sheer will propelled the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to its second road victory of the season Thursday evening, as the Golden Eagles outlasted Little Rock in their first-ever match-up, 77-75.
Tech (9-11, 5-2) earned its fifth straight Ohio Valley Conference win for the first time since the 2006-07 season, moving into a tie with SIUE for first place in the league standings following the Cougars' loss. It also represented the Golden Eagles' first five-game winning streak of any kind since taking home six consecutive victories in non-conference action in 2017-18.
The purple and gold used superior shooting from the start to build an early lead and hold off a late run by the Trojans (5-15, 1-6). After trailing by five early in the contest, Tech caught fire and shot better than 50 percent across the end of the first half.
Leading by seven at the break, 37-30, the Golden Eagles fended off a furious comeback bid by the home squad down the stretch thanks to highly efficient shooting in the second half. Tech extended its advantage to as much as 12 at one point in the second stanza and carried an eight-point lead with just 56 seconds to play.
Little Rock mounted a remarkable rally in the final minute, gathering two, old-fashioned, three-point plays and a timely triple to just miss out on the comeback. Tech hit just enough free throws as the contest came to a close, even after the Trojans cut the deficit to a single point with five seconds.
Despite 16 extra attempts from the field by the Trojans, including a plus-15 mark in the second half alone, Tech held on behind incredible shooting over the final 20 minutes. The Golden Eagles fired at a 61.9 percent clip from the floor and a much-needed 6-for-8 showing (75 percent) from beyond the arc.
Graduate forward Jaylen Sebree led all scorers in the contest, dropping team-highs of 21 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 8-for-14 shooting. He scored 17 in the second half alone, firing at a 6-for-9 clip.
Junior guard Brett Thompson made the most of his 25 minutes of action off the bench, finishing the night 5-for-6 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from deep on his way to 15 points. Joining his teammates in double figures, junior Jayvis Harvey hit 5-of-9 tries from the field for 14 points.
Big man Nolan Causwell played a season-high 29 minutes off the bench, turning in a career-high seven boards with seven points. Graduate guard Ty Perry and freshman guard Grant Strong also contributed seven points each.
DeAntoni Gordon paced the Trojans with 16 points while CJ White posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, as well as eight assists. D.J Smith chipped in 13 points while Isaiah Palermo notched 15. Jordan Jefferson rounded out the mix with 10 points.
MOREHEAD STATE 67, SIUE 58
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Five Eagles scored in double digits and Morehead State's men's basketball squad knocked off the OVC first-place SIUE Cougars 67-58 on the road Thursday.
The Eagles (11-9, 4-3 OVC ) were led by Mark Freeman, who had 15 points, four assists and two steals. Jake Wolfe added 13 points and Kalil Thomas helped out with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds - his first career Eagle double-double. Branden Maughmer added 11 points and Drew Thelwell reached double digits for the eighth straight gae with 10.
The Morehead State offense was impressive from three-point land, pouring in nine threes on 19 attempts. Thomas hit three treys for the Eagles in the contest. MSU also hit 14 of 17 free throws, including 8-of-8 in the final 45 seconds to thwart a Cougar comeback attempt.
The Morehead State defense was a problem in Thursday's game, forcing 15 SIU Edwardsville (14-6, 5-2 OVC) turnovers while committing 13. Those takeaways turned into 21 points on the other end of the floor. Freeman's two steals led the way individually for the Eagles.
After jumping out to a 17-16 advantage, Morehead State went on a 12-0 run with 8:33 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Maughmer, to increase its lead to 29-16. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 36-26 advantage. Morehead State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 36 points.
Morehead State kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run to grow the lead to 63-52 with 33 seconds to go in the contest. The Cougars narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over cutting it down to a six-point deficit, but the Eagles still cruised the rest of the way for the 67-58 win. Morehead State capitalized on eight SIUE turnovers in the period, collecting 11 points off those turnovers.
TENNESSEE STATE 78, EASTERN ILLINOIS 74
NASHVILLE - -Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. collected 26 points to help lead the Tennessee State men's basketball team over Eastern Illinois, 78-74, on Thursday evening at the Gentry Center.
Fitzgerald Jr. added four assists to his 26-point game to lead the Tigers (11-9, 3-4). Jr. Clay helped out with 18 points and Adong Makuoi chipped in with nine points and six rebounds.
Tennessee State pulled down 33 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Eastern Illinois' 32, led by six boards from David Acosta.
After jumping out to a 17-8 advantage, Tennessee State went on an 8-0 run with 7:51 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Dedric Boyd, to increase its lead to 25-8. The Tigers then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 40-20 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down eight shots to account for 24 of its 40 points.
Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Clay's three, to grow the lead to 55-42 with 10:48 to go in the contest. The Panthers narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still held on for the 78-74 win.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 81, LINDENWOOD 65
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball outscored Lindenwood University by 17 in the second half and rolled to an 81-65 victory Thursday evening in St. Charles, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles go to 11-9 overall and 4-3 in the OVC, while Lions are 7-13, 2-5 OVC.
With the victory, USI is in a four-way tie for third in the OVC standings at 4-3 in the league play and one game out of first behind Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Tennessee Tech University, which are tied for first with 5-2 records.
USI had the early momentum in the opening 20 minutes, surging to a 6-0 lead to start the game. Lindenwood had a surge of its own, taking its first lead at 10-9 and would build its own six-point lead, 21-15, midway through the half.
The Eagles battled back to knot the game up at 28-28 with 4:07 on the clock on a three-pointer by senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio). The Lion, however, would regain the lead, 31-28, and managed to take a one-point lead into the intermission, 33-32.
Simmons was in command of the first half with 15 points on six-of-nine from the field, three-of-four from beyond the arc.
The second half started off in USI's favor as the Eagles rallied to take a 10-point lead, 46-36, on a 14-3 run in the first five minutes. Senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) led the charge to take the lead with seven points as USI was six-of-nine from the field to start the second 20 minutes.
After the Lions shrank the Eagles' margin to three, 46-43, USI took total command by outscoring Lindenwood, 35-22, in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. Graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) and sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) led the attack with 15 points and 11 points, respectively
As a team, USI was a blistering 12-of-15 from the field during the final 12 minutes, including nine-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The Eagles were led for the game by Simmons and Lakes, who combined for 45 of the 81 points. Simmons added nine second half points and end with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-14 from the field and four-of-six from long range.
Lakes concluded the win with 21 points on seven-of-12 from the field, seven-of-11 from beyond the arc. Swope rounded out the double-digit scorers with 16 points and had a team-high four assists.