THURSDAY'S SCORES
Southeast Missouri 77, @Central Arkansas 73
@Western Illinois 73, Monmouth College (Ill.) 46
@Valparaiso 77,
Lindenwood 64
@Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 81,
UT Martin 77
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 77, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 73 (OT)
CONWAY, Ark. - BJ Ward scored 19 points and nailed a big 3-pointer in the closing minute of overtime to send Southeast Missouri (2-3) to a 77-73 victory over Central Arkansas (1-4) Thursday night at the Farris Center.
Cole McCormick split two free throws making his second shot to cut SEMO's lead to one when Ward drained a long 3-pointer to put the Redhawks ahead, 76-71, with 26 seconds remaining.
Nine seconds later, TJ Biel made a free throw to keep SEMO's lead at five.
A pair of free throws by Brayden Fagbemi later trimmed the Redhawks lead to 76-73 before Marqueas Bell's free throw finished off the Bears.
Neither team led by more than six points in a tight see-saw battle that featured 19 ties and 15 lead changes.
Tied, 66-66, in the final 20 seconds of regulation, UCA had a chance to get ahead twice when Elias Cato and Michael Evbagharu each missed the front end of a one-and-one.
SEMO had an opportunity to win it, but Teddy Washington, Jr's jumper came off the rim sending the game to overtime.
Down, 12-6, SEMO made a 3-poiner on three-straight possessions to get its first lead of the game.
After starting the contest 0-of-8 from long range, Damarion Walkup knocked down a pair of treys and Troy Cole, Jr. added one. Walkup's second three in that stretch put the Redhawks ahead, 15-12, with 10:07 remaining in the first half.
SEMO continued to add to its lead when Brendan Terry drove the lane for a dunk and BJ Ward buried a 3-pointer pushing the Redhawks margin to 20-14 with 8:38 left.
The Redhawks held a 31-26 cushion following a 3-pointer by Teddy Washington, Jr. before UCA scored the next five points to tie the game. Taylor Lane's 3-pointer knotted the score at 31-31 with 1:43 to go.
Elias Cato's layup regained a three-point edge for UCA, but Walkup splashed in a deep 3-pointer as time expired to make it a 34-34 game at the half.
SEMO heated up to shoot 60 percent (6-of-10) from 3-point range in the final 10:47 of the first half.
Ward, who scored double figures for the fifth-straight game this season, led SEMO with seven of his team's 11 points in overtime. For the night, he shot 6-of-13 from the field with four 3-pointers and a perfect 3-of-3 free throws.
Washington, Jr. also had 19 points for the Redhawks. He added eight rebounds and two assists.
Rob Martin and Walkup followed with 11 points apiece, while Elliot Lowndes contributed eight boards in his first career start.
As a team, SEMO made 11 three-pointers. It was the third time in five games where the Redhawks finished with 10 or more threes. Additionally, the Redhawks held a 36-22 advantage over the Bears in the paint.
Fagbemi and Cato topped UCA with 20 points apiece. UCA outscored SEMO, 22-11, at the free throw line, but missed some key free throws down the stretch.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 73, MONMOUTH COLLEGE 46
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois Men's basketball earned a decisive 73-46 victory over Monmouth (IL) at Western Hall on Thursday night, using a combination of balanced scoring, defensive dominance, and strong rebounding to secure their third win of the season.
The Leathernecks started strong, leading 30-14 at halftime, and carried their momentum into the second half, where they outscored Monmouth 43-32. Western Illinois shot 44% (24-of-55) from the field, including nine three-pointers on 27 attempts, while limiting Monmouth to just 31% shooting overall. They also showcased their efficiency at the free-throw line, converting 16-of-19 attempts.
Ryan Myers lead all scorers with 19 points, fueled by a sharp 5-of-11 shooting display from beyond the arc. Marko Maletic contributed significantly off the bench with 14 points, including three triples of his own. Julius Rollins chipped in with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Kayden Carter added nine points and dominated the glass with nine boards. Tay Knox played a critical role on both ends, scoring six points, grabbing nine rebounds, and recording three blocks.
The Leathernecks' defense was stifling, forcing 14 Monmouth turnovers, which they converted into 13 points. They also recorded eight steals and five blocks, with contributions from Knox, Sean Smith, and others. In addition, Western Illinois dominated the boards, out-rebounding Monmouth 45-27, including 18 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points.
The bench was a major factor for Western Illinois, contributing 37 points, showcasing the team's depth. Their ability to score in transition was another key to victory, as they tallied 17 points on fast breaks.
VALPARAISO 77, LINDENWOOD 64
VALPARAISO, Ind. - Lindenwood men's basketball (2-4, 0-0 OVC) fell on Thursday evening to Valparaiso (2-2, 0-0 MVC) by a final score of 77-64. Lindenwood had three double-figure scorers in the game including a season-high 20 points from guard Markeith Browning II.
The Lions shot 42.6% from the field on Thursday including 30.4% from behind the three-point line. Browning was the Lions' leading scorer with 20 points on a season-high 9-16 shooting (56.2 FG%). Browning hit two of Lindenwood's seven threes. He also grabbed three rebounds and added two steals.
Jadis Jones was one rebound shy of a double-double after scoring a season-high 17 points on 7-15 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds. Jones also led the team in steals on Thursday with four. Anias Futrell was the third Lions' double-digit scorer with 10 points.
Valparaiso capitalized on Lindenwood's 17 turnovers scoring 20 points on those compared to just nine by Lindenwood. The Beacons bench also provided a spark scoring 21 points. Lindenwood's bench was held to just eight points in Indiana on Thursday.
Both teams were even in terms of field-goal percentage as Valpo only shot 45.6% from the field. The Beacons were able to score in many ways including at the foul line where they outscored Lindenwood 19-5. The Beacons made 22 trips to the line compared to just 11 by the Lions.
Lindenwood held the lead for the majority of the first half in-part to Browning's nine early points. Reggie Bass also scored all of his nine points in the first 20 minutes of action. The Lions led by as many as five points in the first half with 9:20 left to play.
The final four minutes of action saw the Beacons go on a 11-4 run to go up 39-32 at the half. Lindenwood shot 48.1% from the field including four triples. Valpo was held to just above 40% from the field but went 9-10 at the foul line.
The Lions cut the lead to five points early in the second half but the Beacons pulled away as they shot 52.0% from the field during the final 20 minutes while LU was held to 38.2%. Browning (11) and Jones (10) scored in double figures down the stretch but the Lions fell short.
Both teams battled on the glass the entire night as Valparaiso held the slight edge 34-44. Both teams also had 10 offensive rebounds. Lindenwood was held to seven assists on the night compared to 14 by the Beacons. Cooper Schwieger was the game's high scorer with 22 points.
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 81, UT MARTIN 77
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - In a contest that featured 19 lead changes and eight tie scores, the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team came up just short in an 81-77 decision at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Skyhawks held a two-point halftime advantage and opened up an eight-point lead just under five minutes into the second half. However, the host Islanders immediately responded with a 17-4 run. UT Martin then trimmed a double-digit advantage down to a single possession late in the game before Texas A&M-Corpus Christi held on for the win.
Tarence Guinyard produced a game-high 19 points for the Skyhawks (2-3), doing most of his damage from the free throw line with eight makes in 11 attempts. Josué Grullon followed right behind with 18 points and a game-high two steals in 27 minutes off the bench while Afan Trnka added 11 points for UT Martin. Vladimer Salaridze (nine points, career-best 14 rebounds, four assists) and Lamine Niang (eight rebounds) helped the Skyhawks outrebound the hosts by a 39-35 margin.
The Islanders (2-3) placed five scorers in double figures, headed by Jordan Roberts’ 16 points. Garry Clark added 15 points while Owen Dease (13 points), Sheldon Williams (13) and Aaron Potter (11) also helped Texas A&M-Corpus Christi complete the comeback win.
UT Martin’s balance was on full display early as seven different Skyhawks accounted for the squad’s first 16 points. After an early 7-2 Islander run, UT Martin reclaimed a lead at 16-15 following an AJ Hopkins three-pointer at the 12:08 mark.
Following a Filip Radakovic layup, Trnka and Guinyard each knocked down three-pointers in the span of 28 seconds to extend the Skyhawk advantage out to 24-18.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi followed with a 14-4 run but UT Martin took a 41-39 lead into the locker room after Grullon beat the halftime buzzer by swishing a right-wing triple on a perfectly executed play out of a Skyhawk timeout.
Grullon was responsible for a team-best 11 points in the opening half while Roberts accounted for a game-high 15 points to pace the Islanders.
Guinyard tossed in nine of UT Martin’s first 16 points to begin the second half as his free throw with 15:10 remaining gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the evening at 55-47. However, the Islanders answered right back with their aforementioned run to go on top 64-59.
A second-chance bucket by Lamine Niang and a driving leaner from Grullon whittled UT Martin’s deficit down to one point with 6:25 to go but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi unreeled the next 10 points of the contest for its biggest lead of the night (74-63 with 3:33 remaining).
The Skyhawks kept battling. Facing a 10-point deficit with 1:36 to go, UT Martin produced eight of the next nine points to pull within three points after a Grullon trifecta with two ticks left. The Islanders were able to successfully inbound the ball and make one free throw to seal the win.