MONDAY'S SCORES
@#9 Tennessee 80,
Tennessee Tech 42
@Dayton 63,
SIUE 47
@UT Martin 104, Champion Christian 76
@UTSA 78,
Western Illinois 68 (OT)
@Little Rock 71, Texas State 66
@#25 Illinois 80,
Eastern Illinois 52
@#24 Alabama 105,
Morehead State 73
@Nebraska 84,
Lindenwood 52
@Saint Louis 75,
Southern Indiana 63
@Tennessee State 76, Fisk 61
@Grand Canyon 88,
Southeast Missouri 67
#9 TENNESSEE 80, TENNESSEE TECH 42
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A strained first half on offense was too much for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to overcome Monday evening, as the Golden Eagles fell in their 2023-24 season opener against No. 9 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, 80-42.
Squaring off against their highest-ranked opponent since visiting No. 7 North Carolina in the 2018-19 season, the purple and gold used an impressive showing on the defensive side early in the opening stanza to stay in the hunt. By the second media break of the contest, the scoreboard read a 7-2 lead for the home team.
Even at 16-6 with less than eight minutes to go in the first half, the Cookeville crew found itself well within reach. Tech couldn't hold the UT offense quiet forever, however, as the Volunteers found their rhythm, particularly from distance, to pull away.
Tennessee fired at a 51.6 percent clip over the first 20 minutes of action, sinking 7-of-15 tries from distance to open a 41-12 advantage heading into the locker room. Tech was held to just 15.4 percent shooting with four field goals, including a 1-for-6 mark from 3-point range.
The Golden Eagles made some noticeable adjustments in the second half, eclipsing their first-half output on offense by the 10:50 mark. Tech held the nation's No. 9 team to just six points over the first eight minutes of the second half, including a scoring drought of nearly four minutes.
After making 10 turnovers in the first half, the purple and gold turned it over just six times in the second, using the extra possessions to their advantage. The Golden Eagles shot 43.5 percent over the final 20 minutes, producing 30 points.
Sophomore guard Josiah Davis led the purple and gold offensively, scoring 13 points with three boards in his first official game with the Golden Eagles. Junior guard David Early chipped in nine points while leading the Tech crew with four assists.
Rodney Johnson Jr. turned in eight points and six rebounds in his Tech debut, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Senior veteran Diante Wood paced the Golden Eagles with seven rebounds while adding four points. Making their collegiate debuts were rookies Kyle Layton, scoring two points with an assist, and Rylee Samons, hauling in a pair of boards.
DAYTON 63, SIUE 47
DAYTON, Ohio - SIUE men's basketball dropped its season opener Monday, falling 63-47 in front of a crowd of 13,407 at Dayton.
Dayton turned the tide with a late run in the first half. The Cougars built an eight-point advantage with a 5-0 run capped by a running layup by Ray'Sean Taylor to make it 24-16 with 3:38 to play. The Flyers answered with an 11-0 run of their own and led 27-24 at halftime.
SIUE started the second half strong and led 33-32 after a three-pointer from Ray'Sean Taylor with 15:20 to play. Dayton scored the next five and never trailed again.
SIUE connected on 32 percent (16-50) of its shots for the game. The Cougars were 5-12 from three-point range.
Ray'Sean Taylor led the way with 14 points. Lamar Wright scored eight points, all coming in the second half. He was 6-8 at the free throw line. Damarco Minor scored seven points and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds. Desmond Polk scored seven points.
Dayton was 20-48 (42 percent) from the field and hit 5-23 shots from three.
Daron Holmes II led the Flyers with 19 points. He was 11-12 from the free throw line and hit his first 11 points before he missed. Nate Santos led Dayton with 14 rebounds.
Dayton outrebounded SIUE 37-30.
UT MARTIN 104, CHAMPION CHRISTIAN 76
MARTIN, Tenn. - Jalen Myers turned in his second double-double in a University of Tennessee at Martin uniform this evening to pace a well-balanced scoring attack in a 104-76 win in the men’s basketball season opener over Champion Christian.
Myers secured 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes tonight, helping the Skyhawks to a 57-35 advantage on the glass while outscoring the visiting Tigers by a 64-24 margin in the paint.
Justus Jackson scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting while Jacob Crews (16 points, three treys) and Issa Muhammad (15 points, seven rebounds) also enjoyed successful UT Martin debuts. Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference honorees Jordan Sears (14 points, five rebounds, game-high five assists) and KK Curry (11 points on 5-for-5 shooting, eight rebounds) rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Skyhawks, who shot 50.6 percent (42-of-83) from the floor and 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the free throw line.
A National Christian College Athletic Association program located in Hot Springs, Ark., Champion Christian (2-1) was led by AJ Williams’ 22 points, five assists and four steals. KJ Younge also collected 20 points for the Tigers, who were forced into 21 turnovers.
The Skyhawks led from the tip, racing out to an 11-0 lead following seven quick points from Sears. Crews swished three trifectas in a 52-second span to build UT Martin’s lead out to 20-5 with 15:45 to go in the first half.
Ten consecutive Skyhawk buckets were layups or dunks over a six-minute stretch before a Muhammad three-pointer snapped that streak and made the score 49-24 at the 4:22 mark of the opening half.
Yet another driving layup from Sears with three seconds remaining in the first half led to a 53-28 halftime advantage for UT Martin. Muhammad accounted for game-highs in points (11) and rebounds (four) at the break as the Skyhawks held Champion Christian to 31.4 percent shooting (11-for-35).
An alley-oop fast break dunk from Crews to Sears at the 18:31 mark extended the UT Martin advantage to 61-31.
The Skyhawks knocked down four straight three-pointers to race out to their biggest lead of the evening – 79-44 with a little under 13 minutes to go. Jackson hit two of the four treys while Sebastian Mendoza and Myers were on target for the other three-balls.
A driving layup by Koby Jeffries at the 1:47 mark nudged UT Martin over the century mark on the scoreboard as the Skyhawks put the finishing touches on a dominant victory.
UTSA 78, WESTERN ILLINOIS 68 (OT)
SAN ANTONIO - The Western Illinois men went on the road and dropped a heartbreaker, falling in overtime to Texas-San Antonio 78-68 on Monday night. The Leathernecks (0-1) are next in action on Wednesday, traveling to Dallas to take on Southern Methodist at 6 p.m.
Western Illinois trailed by three with six seconds remaining, inbounding the ball under their own basket. James Dent Jr. (20 points, seven rebounds) would tie the game and force overtime though, making a three-pointer from 30 feet away with 2.1 remaining.
In the extra session though, it was all UTSA as the Roadrunners outscored the Leathernecks 13-3.
The game had a slow start as neither team could get going offensively. After a defensive-dominated start, the two squads went into halftime tied, 28-28.
In the second half, UTSA led the bulk of the way but the Leathernecks did not fade, hanging around until going on a 6-1 run in the final :28 to force the extra session.
Dent Jr. led the way while Shay Davis came off the bench to add 12 points. Jesiah West finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. Drew Cisse chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds before fouling out while Ryan Myers added eight points. Tay Knox was big on defense, finishing with nine rebounds and four blocks.
As a team, the Leathernecks went 24-75 (32 percent) from the field, 6-28 (21.4 percent) from three and 14-25 (56 percent) from the line. Western Illinois outrebounded UTSA 56-47 while grabbing 21 offensive rebounds which led to 17 second-chance points.
Fouls and free throws were the difference though as the Leathernecks were whistled for 25 and UTSA 16, leading to the Roadrunners going 26-35 from the line. The Roadrunners also turned 12 Leatherneck turnovers into 14. WIU's bench played a big part in the game, outscoring UTSA's reserves 25-15.
LITTLE ROCK 71, TEXAS STATE 66
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Little Rock men's basketball team opened the 2023-24 campaign with a 77-61 victory over Texas State at The Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans were led by Senior KK Robinson who scored a career-high 24 points to lead all players.
Robinson went 5-of-12 from the field and 14-of-18 from the free throw line, including clutch ones down the stretch. He also recorded career highs of five steals and two blocks, while tying his career high with four assists.
DeAntoni Gordon contributed 17 points and a team high eight rebounds, while Jamir Chaplin knocked down 16 points in the victory.
The game was a series of runs with both teams capitalizing off of turnovers. The Trojans forced 22 Bobcat turnovers, while scoring 25 points off of them.
Little Rock held a 38-34 lead at the half before extending the advantage to 11 points in the second half.
After the Trojan lead had been narrowed to six points, Texas State scored seven-straight point sparked by a three-pointer to take their first lead of the half with 3:11 remaining on the clock.
A three-point play by Chaplin regained the two point lead for Little Rock. Robinson and Chaplin then knocked down four straight-free throws for the 66-60 advantage.
The Bobcats pulled within three with three second on the clock, before two free throws by Robinson secured the win.
#25 ILLINOIS 80, EASTERN ILLINOIS 52
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois men’s basketball held the lead over No. 25 Illinois for the first eight minutes of the contest before the Fighting Illini closed the first half with a 10-0 run as they pulled away for an 80-52 win.
Kooper Jacobi scored six early points as he posted a double-double for the Panthers with ten points and 11 rebounds.
Illinois grabbed its first lead of the game with 7:16 remaining in the opening half on back-to-back baskets by Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn putting Illinois up 21-19. He would finish with 18 points to lead all scorers.
EIU’s last points of the first half came on a jumper by Jaylin Gibson with 3:03 to play as the Illinois closed the half on a 10-0 run to lead 37-27 at the break.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored five early points to open the second half as Illinois opened with a 7-0 run. Shannon had 16 points.
EIU battled on the glass most of the contest pulling down 14 offensive rebounds, finishing with 40 in the game. Tiger Booker had nine points and Nakyel Shelton added seven for the Panthers.
#24 ALABAMA 105, MOREHEAD STATE 73
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Newcomer Riley Minix scored 19 points in his Morehead State debut, but the Eagle men's basketball team could not keep up in a 105-73 loss to the No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide on the road Monday in the 2023-24 season opener.
The Eagles had three players score in double figures, led by the Southeastern (Fla.) transfer Minix, who also had a team-high five rebounds. Jordan Lathon, who sat out last season with injuries, tacked on 14 points and Drew Thelwell chipped in as well with 13 points.
The Eagles turned 13 takeaways into 18 points on the other end of the floor. Minix's two steals led the way for Morehead State. But, Alabama was nearly unstoppable shooting the basketball. The Tide finished at 56 percent (32-of-57), hit 10 three-pointers and were 31-of-38 on free throws. Grant Nelson's 24 points led the SEC team.
Morehead State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 55-35 heading into halftime.
Alabama kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing an 81-53 advantage before Morehead State went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Jerone Morton's layup, to shrink the deficit to 81-61 with 7:54 to go in the contest. Alabama responded and outscored the Eagles the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 105-73. Morehead State capitalized on six Alabama turnovers in the second period, collecting 11 points off those turnovers.
NEBRASKA 84, LINDENWOOD 52
LINCOLN, Neb. - Lindenwood men's basketball (0-1, 0-0 OVC) dropped their opening game of the 2023-24 season to Big Ten opponent Nebraska (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) by a final score of 84-52. The Lions were held to 32.4 shooting percentage (22-68 FG) in the game.
Keenon Cole scored the Lions' first points of the season after a over the shoulder layup to begin the game. Cole scored six of Lindenwood's first eight points on Monday. Nebraska would go on a 9-0 run after the first media timeout to extend their lead to 20-8.
Nebraska was lights out from the three-point line in the first half shooting 9-19 which helped them go up 30-13 with 6:51 left in the first half. Lindenwood was held to just 10-33 shooting in the first 20 minutes of play.
Cole was an offensive factor in the first half after scoring eight of his 14 points. Colin Ruffin scored five points in the first half making his debut. Nathan Johnson Jr. also scored five in the first half. Nebraska would lead 51-24 at the break.
Lindenwood's offense improved coming out of halftime as they shot 12-35 fom the field. The Lions' defense also got after it holding Nebraska to just a 38.5 shooting percentage in the second half including 2-11 from downtown.
Jeremiah Talton was a spark on offense for the Lions coming off the bench with 10 points in his first career game as a Lion. Tarlton was the second leading scorer on the team shooting 4-11 from the field with two three-pointers.
Nebraska only forced Lindenwood to12 turnovers while LU's defense came up with nine including four steals, two by David Ware. Ware was also the leading rebounder for the Lions with seven. Lindenwood had 13 offensive rebounds in the game to just eight by the Cornhuskers.
Other contributors on Monday evening were forward Jaylon McDaniel who scored six points and grabbed six rebounds. Darius Beane also scored six points to go along with four rebounds.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 75, SAINT LOUIS 63
ST. LOUIS - University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball ran out of time in the season-opener and fell to Saint Louis University, 75-63, Monday evening in St. Louis, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles start the year 0-1, while SlU begins 2023-24, 1-0.
The Eagles and Billikens were neck and neck through the first 10 minutes of the game before SLU went on 10-2 run to lead 29-17 with 4:06 left in the opening half. The Billikens took a 37-25 lead into the locker room at the break after leading by as many as 14 in the opening half.
USI junior guard Jordan Tillmon (Pine Bluff, Arkansas) paced the Eagles in the opening 20 minutes with nine points, while sophomore guard Jack Campion (Milton, Wisconsin) followed with six points.
In the second half, SLU quickly extended the margin to 20 points with an 18-6 run to lead, 55-33, with 14:35 to play. The Billikens pushed their lead to as many as 24, 57-33, with 13:18 on the clock when the Eagles began to push back.
USI used a 24-14 run to cut the deficit to 14 points, 71-57, with 5:16 left. The run included contributions from six different Eagles, including a pair of three-pointers by junior forward Jack Mielke (Downers Grove, Illinois).
After trading a few baskets, USI continued to narrow the gap in the final minutes. The Eagles closed the margin to 12 points, 75-63, on a lay-up by junior guard Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio) before the final buzzer sounded.
The second half saw the Eagles and Billikens even at 38-38 each. Sophomore forward Kiyron Powell (Evansville, Indiana) led the team during the second half with eight points.
Overall, Tillmon led USI in the scoring column with 15 points, the only Eagle to reach double-digits, and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Campion followed in the scoring column with nine points and a team-high four assists.
TENNESSEE STATE 76, FISK 61
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State men's basketball team kept Fisk to just 33.9 percent shooting from the field on the way to a 76-61 win against the Bulldogs at home Monday.
The Tigers (1-0) had three players score in double figures, led by Christian Brown, who had 16 points. Kinyon Hodges tacked on 14 points and six rebounds and Jason Jitoboh chipped in as well with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
The Tennessee State offense was very productive from three point land, making nine threes on 23 attempts. Michael Shanks was the most prolific shooter for the Tigers, draining two treys in the contest.
Tennessee State forced 15 Fisk turnovers while committing only seven themselves in Monday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 21 points on the offensive end of the floor. Jaylen Jones led the way individually with two steals.
After jumping out to a 27-24 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 9-0 run with 3:59 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Brown, to increase its lead to 36-24. The Tigers then added four points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 43-27 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 43 points.
Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Hodges' layup, to grow the lead to 72-50 with 4:38 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 76-61 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 14 of its 33 total points.
GRAND CANYON 88, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 67
PHOENIX, Ariz. - In a contest that came down to the wire, University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball opened its 2023-24 season with a 67-63 win at Screaming Eagles Arena against Wright State University on Monday night.
Southern Indiana (1-0) looked to begin the new basketball season and a three-game homestand on the right foot against Wright State (0-1). In USI's first possession of the game, graduate guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) made a dribble-drive pull-up jumper to score the Screaming Eagles' first points of the season. Midway into the first, Wright State went ahead by three, 6-3, before USI answered with a straightaway three-pointer from senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) to tie the game. With just under five minutes left in the first period, the Raiders went up by five, 14-9, but the Eagles responded with five unanswered points to even the game at 14 to close out the opening quarter.
At the start of the second quarter, USI received a boost off the bench from senior guard Lexie Green (Indianapolis, Indiana), who scored five points in the first couple of minutes. The scoring came to a lull in the middle of the second, as the defense picked up. Then USI went on an 8-0 run, surging to a 29-21 advantage. Junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) tallied a pair of baskets during the run, including a baseline reverse layup. Wright State closed the gap to four before junior guard Takiya Howard (Chicago, Illinois) drained a triple in the final seconds before halftime, giving Southern Indiana a 34-27 lead at the intermission.
The Eagles came out of halftime with a fast start, especially down low in the post. Senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) made back-to-back buckets for USI, impressing in her Screaming Eagles debut. Southern Indiana's lead grew as large as 15, 49-34, in the middle of the third after another bucket by Webb and another three by Howard. Late in the third period, Wright State knocked down two threes to pull within nine, 53-44, heading into the final quarter.
The Raiders continued to chip away in the early minutes of the fourth period. Wright State utilized the three-point shot and a 14-3 run in the middle of the fourth to come back and tie the game at 58. As the two sides battled down the stretch, Handley canned a three from the corner to put USI up by four, 63-59, with under three minutes remaining. Wright State then hit another three to bring it back within one, 63-62. With a minute left and the game tied after a free throw by the Raiders, Raley made a big layup to give USI the two-point lead, 65-63. Southern Indiana made two late free throws to close out the 67-63 season-opening victory.
For the game, the Eagles shot nearly 45 percent from the floor (26-58), 6-11 from beyond the arc (6-11), and just over 64 percent at the charity stripe (9-14). Wright State finished with 38 percent shooting overall (24-63), 37 percent from three (10-27), and nearly 36 percent at the foul line (5-14). USI outrebounded Wright State 45-31. Individually, Webb led USI with 13 points in her USI debut while also grabbing eight rebounds. Howard and Raley each scored nine points, and Shafford totaled eight points with nine rebounds. Wright State had three players score in double figures.