WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
Georgia State 93,
@Little Rock 90 (OT)
Tennessee Tech 79, @Presbyterian 75
@UT Martin 105, North Alabama 103 (2OT)
@Morehead State 94, Midway 53
GEORGIA STATE 93, LITTLE ROCK 90 (OT)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Little Rock men's basketball team lost 93-90 in overtime to Georgia State at The Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans had four athletes in double-figures in the loss.
KK Robinson led all scorers with a career-high 26 points going 8-of-14 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He also recorded a game high seven assists and contributed seven rebounds.
Jamir Chaplin recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while DeAntoni Gordon recorded 19 points going 7-of-11 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Cougar Downing recorded a season-high 20 points .
Little Rock overcame an eight point deficit in the first half shooting 57.1 percent from the field to take a 45-37 half time lead.
The Trojans started strong the second half taking their largest lead of 17 points at the 14.22 mark on two made free throws by Gordon. Back-to-back three pointers by Georgia State cut the Trojan lead to 11.
Georgia State continued to etch at the Little Rock lead. A Panther jumper at the 7:24 mark sparked a 7-0 run giving the Trojans just a one-point lead.
The lead stayed to no more than four points as two free throws by the Panthers with 15 seconds remaining tied the score and a missed Trojan layup sent the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Trojans took the early two point lead on free throws by Chaplin. A three-pointer by the Panthers at the 3:40 mark sparked an 11-2 run to lead 92-88.
After two free throws by Downing cut the lead to two, Georgia State took a three point lead on two made free throws with four seconds left. A last second three-point shot by the Trojans missed as the team lost 93-90.
TENNESSEE TECH 79, PRESBYTERIAN 75
CLINTON, S.C. - Not one, but two gritty rallies lifted the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to an impressive, road win Wednesday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles edged Presbyterian in overtime, 79-75, at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C.
The purple and gold faced its fair share of challenges in the opening stanza, trailing by as many as 15 points to a Blue Hose squad (5-2) that knocked off Vanderbilt in their season opener in Nashville earlier this season. Presbyterian built a 40-28 halftime advantage on superior shooting and ball movement.
Tech (2-4) was held without an assist over the first 20 minutes of action on the day and was forced into eight turnovers. The Golden Eagles were also limited to just 41.7 percent shooting from the floor and an 0-for-4 mark from distance.
At the break, Tech head coach John Pelphrey and his staff pressed all the right buttons in their halftime adjustments, as the Cookeville crew erupted out of the gates to open the second half. Beginning with an old-fashioned, 3-point play converted by junior guard David Early with seven seconds left in the first stanza, the purple and gold delivered an 18-0 run.
After eliminating its deficit and taking as much as a four-point lead of its own, Tech saw the Blue Hose respond in kind. Following a miserable opening five minutes for the Blue Hose, the home team bounced back for a spell by building an 18-3 of its own.
Trailing by 11 with just over eight minutes to play, the Golden Eagles went back to work, slowly trimming the Presbyterian advantage away until the contest was squared once more at 61-61 with three minutes left on the clock. Tech took a two-point lead with a minute to play, but Blue Hose guard Kobe Stewart drained a clutch triple at the 50-second mark to put his squad back on top.
Golden Eagle senior guard Jayvis Harvey produced in the clutch as well, hitting a turn-around, fade-away from the paint to retake the lead with just 25 seconds in the contest. Presbyterian drew a foul on its next possession but was only able to convert one of the two free-throw attempts. Tech's final look at a potential winning shot just missed at the buzzer, sending the ball game to overtime.
The Tech crew was much more efficient over the second half, shooting 53.6 percent from the floor while holding the Blue Hose to just 30 percent from the field and 4-of-12 from downtown. The Golden Eagles moved the ball significantly better as well, racking up 10 dimes to just three turnovers.
The overtime period was mostly controlled by the purple and gold, as junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. buried one of his team-high three triples to kickstart the session. Blue Hose forward Jonah Pierce looked to take over in OT, making back-to-back layups, plus a free throw, to put his squad back in charge at 72-70.
He had the opportunity to stretch the lead even further, drawing a foul with 2:15 on the clock, but a pair of misses at the charity stripe kept the deficit at two as Tech took back control. Early returned the favor with a couple of hard-nosed buckets, pushing the Golden Eagles back out front at 74-72.
Harvey made it a four-point advantage with just 23 seconds to play, sinking another impressive step-back jumper in the paint to all but solidify the victory.
Presbyterian knocked down one last triple to make it a one-point game with just under 20 seconds on the clock, but the Golden Eagles knocked down 3-of-4 free-throw attempts down the stretch while sophomore forward Daniel Egbuniwe drew a clutch charge call to end the Blue Hose comeback bid.
Despite the tough first half, Tech ended the day with a better shooting percentage than the Blue Hose, finishing 48.3 percent from the floor to Presbyterian's 40.9 percent mark. The Golden Eagles also earned a slight edge on the boards, securing 39 rebounds to the Blue Hose's 37.
Leading the effort for the Golden Eagles on Wednesday was Harvey, who dropped a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds and three assists. The Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team selection finished 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line, finishing just two points shy of his career-high in scoring while playing 41 minutes.
Capturing his third-straight performance of at least 18 points, Johnson was remarkably efficient on his way to a career-high 21 points. The JUCO transfer was 6-for-8 from the floor, a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Joining the 20-point club with his own career-high showing was Early, who contributed 20 minutes and six boards in 42 minutes of action on the floor. The Marshall transfer shot 50 percent from the field while knocking down a pair of triples.
Sophomore guard Josiah Davis chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, and a team-high six dimes to the effort while Egbuniwe added four points and four rebounds.
UT MARTIN 105, NORTH ALABAMA 103 (2OT)
MARTIN, Tenn. - Jordan Sears tossed in a career-high 34 points – including the last six down the stretch – to navigate the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team to a gutsy 105-103 double overtime victory over North Alabama at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
The Skyhawks (4-2) only led for 6:38 of clock time today, continually chipping away at a 13-point first-half deficit in the first double overtime contest since a 93-87 triumph over Evansville on Dec. 2, 2020. Issa Muhammad also played a big role in UT Martin’s victory as the 6-9, 245-pound forward had eight of the Skyhawks’ nine points in the first overtime period.
Sears’ 34 points came on 13-of-23 shooting while the junior from Daytona Beach, Fla. also dished out a career-best seven assists. Muhammad had a monster performance of 18 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and two blocks while Jacob Crews (14 points, 10 rebounds, career-best four steals) accumulated his third double-double in the last four games to help UT Martin outrebound the Lions by a 52-36 margin.
Koby Jeffries (12 points) and Sebastian Mendoza (11 points) additionally scored in double figures for the Skyhawks, who tied a season-high with 11 three-pointers on 24 tries (45.8 percent) and outscored North Alabama 22-7 in fastbreak points.
The Lions (3-2) also placed five scorers in double digits, led by KJ Johnson’s 27 points. Jacari Lane (19 points), Marco Foster (14), Tim Smith, Jr. (12) and Damian Forrest (10) added notable scoring performances for North Alabama, who was limited to a combined 23.5 percent (4-for-17) shooting in the two overtime periods.
Jeffries opened the game’s scoring with a fast break layup but the Lions responded with a 9-0 run and eventually led by a 19-8 margin with 12:37 remaining before the halftime break.
The Skyhawk deficit reached a dozen (27-15) at the 6:44 mark of the opening half but a three-point barrage got UT Martin back in the contest. Jeffries swished a pair of treys while Sears and Jalen Myers added trifectas in the final 4:06 of the first half to trim the Skyhawk deficit to 39-36 at the half.
Sears’ nine points led UT Martin while Johnson had 15 points in the first 20 minutes for North Alabama.
The first two Skyhawk buckets of the second half were Muhammad dunks before a Crews three-pointer evened the score at 49-all at the 15:28 mark of regulation.
UT Martin briefly led when Sears scored on a driving layup to make the score 56-55 with 13:30 to go in the second half but the Lions answered with a 7-1 run. North Alabama extended its lead out to 72-65 before a Crews three-ball capped off a 10-2 Skyhawk surge and gave the home team a 75-74 advantage at the 6:32 mark.
The Lions led by an 86-82 margin with two minutes remaining in regulation but Sears (pull-up jumper) and Muhammad (two free throws) stepped up to send the contest into overtime.
Neither side led by more than three points during the first overtime stanza. Muhammad converted a tough layup in traffic at the 1:14 mark to snap a 93-93 tie but North Alabama tied the game on the next trip down the floor, resulting in five more minutes of play.
With the score knotted at 99-all in double overtime, Sears was responsible for an old-fashioned three-point play. Following a defensive stop, Sears smoothly knocked down a stepback mid-range jumper to give UT Martin a 104-99 edge with 1:22 to go. The Lions would eventually have a chance to tie the game but a floater in the lane rimmed out and fell into the hands of Crews for the rebound as time expired.
MOREHEAD STATE 94, MIDWAY 53
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Riley Minix, Eddie Ricks III and Dieonte Miles each recorded a double-double and Jordan Lathon scored 27 points to help lead the Morehead State men's basketball team past the Midway Eagles 94-53 at home Wednesday.
The Eagles (4-3) had four players score in double figures, led by Jordan Lathon's 27 (6/10 from three). Minix added a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds and Ricks III chipped in as well with a double-double from the bench with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Miles pulled down seven offensive rebounds to pace the Morehead State offense which grabbed 24 offensive boards and turned them into 35 second chance points.
Morehead State did a great job disrupting Midway shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Ricks III's four rejections led the way individually for the Eagles.
After falling behind 5-3, Morehead State went on an 8-0 run with 17:17 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Minix, to take an 11-5 lead. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 36-33 advantage. Morehead State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 36 points.
Following intermission, Morehead State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 54-44 before going on a 19-0 run, finished off by Trent Scott's three, to grow the lead to 73-44 with 7:24 to go in the contest. The Eagles kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 94-53 win. Morehead State shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting nine shots from deep to score 27 of its 58 points.