THURSDAY'S SCORES
Little Rock 79, @SIUE 74
Tennessee Tech 82, @Southern Indiana 79
Tennessee State 88, @UT Martin 82
@Lindenwood 105, Southeast Missouri 102 (2OT)
LITTLE ROCK 79, SIUE 74
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Five Trojans finished in double figures as Little Rock maintained control throughout the second half to defeat SIU Edwardsville 79-74 at First Community Arena Thursday evening.
That sets up another "game seven" showdown with Lindenwood Saturday as the Lions rallied from 20 points down to defeat Southeast Missouri 105-102 in double overtime. The do-or-die showdown will help determine the number eight seed in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in Evansville, Indiana.
The Trojans were led by a 19-point performance from CJ White, who went 8-of-12 from the floor, while Myron Gardner added his OVC-best 15th double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds with four assists and three blocks. The 15 double-doubles is tied for the second-most in a season in program history, one shy of Ruot Monyyong's 16 in 2019-20.
DeAntoni Gordon had another double-figure night, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting with four rebounds and a pair of steals. D.J. Smith and Isaiah Palermo each added 11 points with Smth going 4-for-5 from the floor with a game-high six assists and three steals while Palermo was a clutch 7-for-8 from the free throw line with four rebounds and three steals.
Little Rock shot an even 50% for the game, making 28-of-56 from the floor, while knocking down 4-of-13 from three point range and 19-of-25 (76.0%) from the free throw line. That was contrasted by SIUE's 45.3% shooting (24-of-53) while the Cougars hit 7-of-14 from beyond the arc and 19-of-27 from the line (70.4%).
SIUE held a slight 32-31 rebounding edge, including a 10-8 edge in both offensive boards and second chance points. Little Rock held a slight 34-32 advantage in the paint while the Cougars outscored the Trojans 21-16 on fast breaks in a tightly contested game.
Playing for its postseason lives once again, Little Rock and SIUE battled back and forth for the first 18 minutes of the game, combining for 11 ties and six lead changes as neither team led by more than six points.
An 8-0 run for the Cougars at the midway point of the first half turned a 15-11 Trojan lead into a 19-15 SIUE advantage with 9:40 remaining. With the game tied at 24-24, Little Rock used a 6-0 run to build a six-point advantage at 30-24 with just over four minutes to go in the half.
SIUE fought back to tie the game at 32-32 with just under two minutes remaining, but the Trojans closed the half on an 8-0 run to take a 40-32 edge into halftime. Gordon and White each had 10 points for Little Rock in the first half with Palermo adding seven as the Trojans shot 13-of-26 from the floor.
It was a lead Little Rock would never relinquish in the second half, leading by as many as 14 at the 11:31 mark at 61-47 off back-to-back layups from White. The Trojans maintained a near-double digit lead for the duration, pulling in front by 10 at 73-63 with 4:13 to go off a pair of free throws from Palermo.
SIUE had one final run in it, using an 8-0 run to pull to within two at 73-71 with 1:55 remaining. But the Trojans made some key stops over the final two minutes and made enough free throws to put the game away, outscoring the Cougars 6-3 over the final two minutes to secure the win.
TENNESSEE TECH 82, SOUTHERN INDIANA 79
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Toughness down the stretch, both mental and physical, lifted the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to a critical Ohio Valley Conference victory Thursday night, as the Golden Eagles edged Southern Indiana at Screaming Eagles Arena in Evansville, Ind., 82-79.
Tech (14-16, 10-7) used scorching-hot shooting from beyond the arc to take as much as a 12-point lead in the opening half, fending off an 11-0 run by the Screaming Eagles (15-15, 8-9) to earn a 10-point advantage at the break. Over the game's first 20 minutes, the purple and gold drained 9-fo-14 attempts from distance.
Southern Indiana clawed back in the second half, taking advantage of an ice-cold stretch by the Tech offense to take a four-point lead with 9:27 to play. The Golden Eagles shot just 1-for-11 during a 16-2 run by the Screaming Eagles, but never let the home squad pull further away.
Reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week Brett Thompson buried a triple on the next possession to cut the deficit to one. USI answered with a triple of its own, but neither side would score again until rookie Grant Strong delivered a monster make from downtown with 5:42 to pull Tech back to within one.
The Screaming Eagles put forth one more push on offense, extending their lead back to four with just over four minutes to play, but the Tech veterans stepped up down the stretch. Junior guard Jayvis Harvey drilled a trey to once again pull the purple and gold within a point.
On the next possession, a pair of offensive rebounds gave the Golden Eagles a lift, as graduate guard Jaylen Sebree hauled in one off the glass and delivered a go-ahead layup. Both sides traded the lead until a floater in the paint by Sebree gave Tech the lead for good with 1:45 on the clock.
USI trimmed the Golden Eagle advantage to one with a minute to go, but graduate guard Ty Perry delivered the biggest shot of the night, dropping a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 33 seconds to play. On the other end of the floor, the Apopka, Fla. native hauled in a defensive board and drew a foul with 18 seconds left in the game.
The point guard calmly converted a pair of free throws, pushing the Tech advantage out to six. It proved critical, as the Screaming Eagles would gather a pivotal three with 11 seconds on the clock to cut it back to a one-possession game.
Tech head coach John Pelphrey and his staff drew up a beautiful, inbounds play during USI's timeout after the bucket, and the Golden Eagles ran it to perfection. Thompson broke free from his defender and raced down the court as Sebree found him wide open on a baseball-style pass about three-quarters of the length of the floor.
Thompson found the bucket and turned in a layup to put the purple and gold back up by five. The Golden Eagles allowed just a single bucket the rest of the way and secured the important win with massive playoff implications.
The victory provided the purple and gold a great path to the No. 2 seed, and an automatic double-bye into the semifinals, in next week's OVC Tournament. A Tech win at Eastern Illinois on Saturday and UT Martin loss at Morehead State would give the Golden Eagles their highest seed at the league's postseason event since claiming the No. 1 overall seed at the 2005 tournament.
Harvey led the purple and gold offensively on the night, providing a team-high 19 points on 5-for-7 efficiency from downtown. He added six rebounds to the mix as well. Sebree turned in 17 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year and second in a row. He also dished out three assists.
Perry finished the contest with 16 points, six boards, and a team-high four assists, hitting 4-of-9 attempts from distance. Thompson rounded out Tech's double-digit scorers, producing 14 points and a season-high eight rebounds. He also contributed a pair of assists. Off the bench, Strong delivered eight clutch points and a trio of boards.
Southern Indiana's Isaiah Swope led all scorers with 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting and a 4-for-8 night from downtown. Jacob Polakovich registered a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds while Jeremiah Hernandez scored 12 points. Trevor Lakes produced 11 points and Gary Solomon chipped in 10.
TENNESSEE STATE 88, UT MARTIN 82
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Tennessee State men's basketball team held UT Martin to just 20 percent from 3-point range in a 3-for-15 shooting performance on the way to an 88-82 win against the Skyhawks on the road Thursday evening at the Elam Center.
With a win on Saturday, TSU clinches at minium at top four-seed and will play on Thursday in the upcoming OVC Tournament. TSU can also finish in the top 4 with a loss to USI and losses by Tennessee Tech and SEMO.
The Tigers (18-12, 10-7) had four players score in double figures, led by Zion Griffin, who had 19 points. Adong Makuoi tacked on 16 points and eight rebounds and Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. helped out with 15 points.
Tennessee State grabbed 37 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to UT Martin's 34, led by eight boards from Makuoi. The Tigers also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 11 rebounds into 15 second chance points.
Tennessee State's defense held UT Martin to only 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Skyhawks did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with eight offensive rebounds and managed seven second chance points while Tennessee State cleared 26 defensive rebounds.
After jumping out to a 30-21 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 9-0 run with 5:57 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Griffin, to increase its lead to 39-21. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 41-33 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 41 points.
The Tigers then held on for the victory in the second half. Tennessee State made the most of seven offensive rebounds to tack on 11 second chance points out of 47 total in the period.
LINDENWOOD 105, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 102 (2OT)
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood men's basketball team (10-20, 5-12 OVC) outlasted Southeast Missouri State (15-15, 10-7 OVC) by a final of 105-102 in a double-overtime thriller on Thursday night from Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The Lions were down by as many as 20 points in the second half, and roared back to keep their OVC Tournament hopes alive.
SEMO was hot to start the game, taking a 13-2 lead at the 16:26 mark of the opening frame. Lindenwood pulled within six points after a few trips down the court, but the Redhawks continued their strong shooting performance in the first half. After SEMO built an 18-point lead, the Lions scrapped their way to a 36-25 deficit with less than five minutes remaining in the opening 20 minutes. Cole hit a pair of free throws to make it a 45-32 hole at the break.
The Redhawks shot 56.3 percent in the half, including five makes from three-point range. Lindenwood stayed in the game by making 12-of-14 from the charity stripe, and collected nine steals through the first half. Brandon Trimble led the squad with 10 points, and had a pair of steals.
Like the first half, SEMO hit its shots early to hold a 20-point advantage with 14:55 on the clock. After the media time out just one minute later, Lindenwood began to chip away with consecutive buckets and quality defense. Chris Childs knocked down a three-pointer with 11:30 remaining to make it a 65-51 ballgame.
With less than 10 minutes to go in regulation, Keenon Cole threw down a dunk to get the deficit back to single digits. The Redhawks built a buffer of 73-61 with six minutes to go before Jacob Tracey drained a three pointer to generate momentum. At the five-minute mark, Cam Burrell grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to bring the Lions within seven points after his bonus free throw.
Burrell made it a 76-71 game with 3:22 on the clock, as Kevin Caldwell Jr. made it a one-possession game with a tough layup with under two minutes to go. Childs pulled up from deep to tie the game at 76-76 with 1:05 left in regulation, setting the gym in an uproar. After SEMO took a two-point lead, Childs hit back-to-back clutch free throws to send the game into overtime. Childs had 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the second half alone, while the Lions collected 18 points from the bench.
The Redhawks started the first overtime with an 82-80 lead, but the Cole hit a three-point bucket to put the Lions up by one at the halfway point. Trimble knocked down a pair of free throws with 28 seconds remaining to put Lindenwood ahead 92-86. SEMO stayed the course and scored on three-consecutive possession to tie the game at 92-92 and send the game into a second overtime.
Lindenwood fell behind to start the second overtime period, but Caldwell Jr. made a three pointer to make it 95-94 in favor of Lindenwood. The game stayed close, as both teams traded leads and saw the scored tied a few times before SEMO took a 102-101 lead with 28 seconds to go. After a huge offensive rebound, Remy Lemovou scored his first points of the game to make it a 103-102 lead for the Lions with 14 seconds on the clock. Lindenwood forced the Redhawks into a tough shot, which Childs grabbed the rebound, and hit his free throws to close out the miraculous comeback at home.
Childs led the Lions with 25 points on 6-of-12 shooting, as he made 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. Caldwell Jr. collected 18 strong points, and tallied five steals on the defensive end of the court. Trimble collected 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 8-of-12 from the free throw line. Cole went for 16 points with a team-high seven boards and two blocks. Lindenwood held off the Redhawks who had three players scoring 20 points or more. The Lions forced SEMO into 20 turnovers with the help of 17 steals.