SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee Tech 95, Milligan 75
@Southeast Missouri 88, Westminster 39
TENNESSEE TECH 95, MILLIGAN 75
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Spectacular shooting and an elite, individual performance from Rodney Johnson Jr. was plenty for the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team to claim a 95-75 victory over Milligan Sunday afternoon, the purple and gold's first tilt in the Hooper Eblen Center in more than a month.
The Golden Eagles (6-7) overcame a sluggish start to the day, one that saw the visiting Buffaloes (8-7) roll off an 18-3 run for an 11-point lead with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half. Tech was just 1-for-7 from the floor during that stretch, with Milligan boasting a 14-6 advantage on the glass.
The Cookeville crew flipped the script following the second media break of the contest, cutting into the deficit and controlling the ball game the rest of the way. The Golden Eagles closed out the second half on a 30-11 run, knocking down eight triples for a 43-35 lead heading into the locker room.
Johnson Jr. paced the comeback, securing 17 of his 20 first-half points following the 12-minute timeout. The senior forward continued his career performance into the second stanza, locking down 13 more points over the opening 12 minutes before subbing out for good.
The Bryan, Texas native completed the day with a career-high 33 points, the most by a Golden Eagle since Torrance Rowe dropped 35 against Jackson State on Nov. 24, 2015. Johnson Jr. did it with one of the most efficient performances in school history, sinking 14-of-16 attempts from the floor and a 3-for-4 showing from downtown. He added five boards and two dimes for good measure, all in just 21 minutes of action.
Tech rolled in the second half as a unit, rocking the scoreboard for 52 points with 13 assists. All 12 Golden Eagles that saw the floor in the contest scored and hauled in at least one rebound in the second period.
Joining Johnson Jr. in double figures on the day, sophomore guard Kyle Layton scored 11 points with five assists. Junior guard Ray Glasgow chipped in 10 points off the bench on 4-for-7 efficiency, along with three dimes.
Sophomore forward JaJuan Nicholls led the purple and gold with eight rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench, adding seven points to the mix. Coming back from injury, junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe mixed in seven points and six boards in 20 minutes of action.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 88, WESTMINSTER 39
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Rob Martin scored 17 points and tied a career-high seven rebounds as Southeast Missouri (7-6) steamrolled Westminster College, 88-39, Sunday afternoon at the Show Me Center.
SEMO wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a bashing of the Blue Jays in the first-ever meeting between the Missouri schools. The 51-point win was the Redhawks largest of the season.
The Redhawks recorded their fourth-straight victory and matched their longest winning streak under Head Coach Brad Korn. Korn also earned his 60th career victory at the helm.
For the third game in a row, SEMO never trailed.
The Redhawks started strong out of the gate scoring on six of their first seven possessions. SEMO quickly took a double-digit lead in the opening 3:42 of the contest.
Braxton Stacker, in his first start of the season, knocked down a 3-pointer and later scored on a driving layup to put SEMO ahead, 13-2, with 16:18 remaining.
The Redhawks turned their hot start into a 23-4 run that ended on a 3-pointer by Damarion Walkup with 11:24 left to play.
Walkup's third 3-pointer in a six-minute span widened SEMO's lead to 20 (26-6) at the 10:38 mark.
The Redhawks used a 10-0 surge and took a 40-12 advantage on Elliot Lowndes' tip-in with 4:01 to go.
Martin's fastbreak layup gave SEMO a 30-point lead at 44-14 before the Redhawks headed into the intermission up 48-16.
The Redhawks shot 56 percent from the field in the first half behind Martin and Stacker who each scored double figures. SEMO held WC to just 16 first-half points, the fewest in a first half since Lyon College had 13 on Nov. 12, 2022.
SEMO continued to punish WC in the second half outscoring the Blue Jays, 36-19.
Walkup's 3-pointer gave the Redhawks their biggest lead of the day at 84-33 with 3:52 on the clock.
Every SEMO player scored. Stacker (16), Walkup (14), Brendan Terry (10) and Marqueas Bell (10) joined Martin with double-digit points. Walkup had four of the Redhawks eight 3-pointers, while Stacker added seven rebounds.
The Redhawks shot over 50 percent from the field for the second time in three games. SEMO hit 51.5 percent (35-of-68) of its shots. SEMO man-handled WC, 50-14, in the paint and outrebounded the Blue Jays by a +19 margin (47-28).
SEMO improved to 6-1 at home this season.