SATURDAY'S SCORES
Lindenwood 73, @IUPUI 67
@Tennessee State 117, Boyce College 59
@Tennessee Tech 70, North Alabama 67
LINDENWOOD 73, IUPUI 67
INDIANAPOLIS - Lindenwood men's basketball (5-6, 0-0 OVC) picked up a 73-67 win at IUPUI (3-9, 0-2 HL) marking their first road win of the season. LU shot 45.1% from the field marking the fifth time this season they have shot over 45%.
Keenon Cole has now broken his own career high in back-to-back games after posting 26 points against the Jaguars. Cole shot 11-19 from the field (57.9%) and made 4-5 from the line. He was also tied for the lead on the team in rebounds with six.
The first four minutes of play saw the Lions being led by Jeremiah Talton who started out 3-3 from the floor including two threes. He scored eight of Lindenwood's first 12 points of the game.
Lindenwood kept the pressure on midway through the first half after five points from Keith Haymon II and an and-one from Darius Beane which push the lead out to 10 points at the 12:17 mark. Beane finished the game with 16 points, extending his streak to seven straight games in double-figures.
The Lions' held a seven point advantage most of the way during the first 20 minutes of action before the offense struggled from the field late. LU was held without a field goal for over three minutes of action before Cole scored a layup with 2:50 left to play. Cole had 11 points in the first half to continue his stretch of 11 straight games in double figures.
IUPUI took the first lead of the afternoon after a driving layup by the Jaguars' season leading scorer Jlynn Counter at the 2:00 mark. Beane then hit his first three of the season to give Lindenwood the lead back. Bryce Monroe's layup with under a minute remaining gave IUPUI the lead heading into halftime.
Lindenwood shot 44.4% from the floor in the opening half (12-27) including hitting three threes. IUPUI caught fire late helping them shoot 56.0% going into halftime. They were also a perfect 7-7 from the line in the first half.
Coming out of the break, Lindenwood jumped out on a 9-0 run including two buckets from Cole and a three-pointer from Colin Ruffin. Ruffin sat out most of the first half due to two fouls in the first minute of play.
The Lions' defense held IUPUI without a field goal for the first 9:53 of the half. Haymon II helped stretch the lead out for the Lions to a game high 13 points at the 9:30 mark. After shooting 2-4 from the game, Haymon finished with 11 points including going 6-6 from the foul line.
IUPUI gained momentum late in the second half by cutting the lead to six after an and one by Bryce Monroe. Lindenwood was held scoreless for nearly six minutes (9:00-3:24) before Ruffin hit a two point jumper. Ruffin's jumped had stopped a 12-0 run that tied the game for the Jaguars.
Beane's effectiveness to drive the lane created an and-one opportunity for the red-shirt senior to stretch the lead to 69-64. Cole would ice the game with two foul shots giving Lindenwood a seven point advantage. LU created a five second call to force a turnover to end the game.
Tommie Williams had just one point, but grabbed a team high six rebounds while blocking a season high three shots. Ruffin also grabbed six rebounds while also scoring five points and picking up two steals. Jaylon McDaniel scored all six of his points from the line. Counter finished with 23 to lead IUPUI.
TENNESSEE STATE 117, BOYCE COLLEGE 59
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State men's basketball team shot 54.2 percent from deep on the way to a 117-59 win over the Boyce Bulldogs at home Saturday.
The Tigers (7-5) had six players score in double figures, led by Michael Shanks, who had a career-high 31 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. tacked on 16 points and Kinyon Hodges chipped in as well with 13 points.
Tennessee State out-rebounded Boyce 48-26 in Saturday's game, led by seven boards from David Acosta. The Tigers also collected 12 offensive rebounds and scored 15 second chance points.
Tennessee State forced 16 Boyce turnovers while committing 10 themselves in Saturday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 27 points on the other end of the floor. Justin Williams led the way individually with three steals.
After jumping out to a 16-14 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 12-0 run with 12:57 left in the first half to increase its lead to 28-14. The Tigers then added eight points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 58-36 advantage. Tennessee State took advantage of six offensive rebounds to score nine second chance points out of 58 total in the period
Following intermission, Tennessee State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 65-42 before going on a 17-0 run, finished off by Knute Wood's three, to grow the lead to 82-42 with 13:18 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 117-59 win. Tennessee State took care of business in the paint, recording 34 of its 59 points in the lane.
TENNESSEE TECH 70, NORTH ALABAMA 67
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - A fierce comeback highlighted a competitive and thrilling ball game in the Hooper Eblen Center, as the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team took down visiting North Alabama, 70-67, Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles (5-7) triumphed over the Lions (6-6) behind an 11-0 run to end the day, finalizing some revenge after the Cookeville crew fell to UNA in Florence, Ala. just a few weeks prior. Veteran guards Jayvis Harvey and David Early were at the forefront of the Tech attack once again, leading the charge down the stretch.
Harvey delivered the game-winning bucket with just under a minute to play, using a dazzling spin move to find some open space in the paint before converting a layup for a 68-67 lead. Following a defensive stop on the other end of the court, Early provided the home purple and gold with a key bucket for some insurance, making his own impressive drive to the cup for a three-point advantage with 11 seconds to go.
It was a close battle throughout, with neither side able to establish more than an eight-point lead at any point. The Lions took a six-point lead into the locker room at the break, but came out on a mission and had the contest squared at 39 just two minutes into the second half.
North Alabama pushed back in front without allowing the Golden Eagles to take a lead of their own, expanding that edge out to eight with a little over four minutes on the clock. Tech head coach John Pelphrey called his final timeout of the ball game, looking to regroup his squad for one final run.
The defense stepped up in a huge way, forcing the Lions into a pair of turnovers and a 0-for-5 showing from the field. That performance paved the way for the offense to go to work, starting with a free throw by sophomore guard Josiah Davis.
Senior guard Diante Wood followed with a fast-break layup courtesy of one of the Lion turnovers. Harvey and Early alternated buckets over the next four possessions to conclude the comeback.
Early led the Golden Eagles with a game-high 21 points, finishing 7-for-11 from the field and 5-for-7 from the charity stripe. Harvey turned in 18 points with a 5-for-6 showing from the free-throw line, adding four rebounds, and four assists to the mix.
Also contributing with double figures in the scoring column, Davis chipped in 10 points while hitting six of his seven free-throw tries. Sophomore guard Daniel Egbuniwe notched nine points with four boards, two dimes, and a pair of steals.
Back in the lineup after missing the previous five games due to illness, junior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. dominated the glass for the Golden Eagles, hauling in a season-high 12 rebounds with six points. Wood rounded out his day with six points, four assists, and a pair of blocks.