WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@North Alabama 82,
Tennessee Tech 59
@Marshall 80,
Morehead State 77
@Lindenwood 102, East-West University 45
@Little Rock 63, Central Arkansas 57
@Western Illinois 97, St. Ambrose 64
NORTH ALABAMA 82, TENNESSEE TECH 59
FLORENCE, Ala. - Sluggish starts on offense to both halves of Wednesday's contest proved too costly for the Tennessee Tech basketball team to overcome, as the Golden Eagles fell to North Alabama, 82-59, at CB&S Bank Arena in Florence, Ala.
It was a cold start to the evening for the visitors from Cookeville, as Tech (4-5) opened things just 1-of-7 from the floor. The Golden Eagles picked things up by making four of their next five attempts from the field, but the defense struggled to contain a Lions squad (6-4) that got the job done both inside and out of the paint.
The Lions shot 51.4 percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes, sinking six attempts from downtown. Tech drained seven, but the Lions' 22-13 advantage on the glass allowed the home team to attempt 10 more shots in the first half.
It was much of the same for the purple and gold in the second half, firing just 1-for-11 from the floor to open the stanza. Tech made its next four shots, but the damage had been done as North Alabama held a comfortable margin for the remainder of the contest.
While the Lions shot less efficiently in the second half, the Golden Eagles struggled even more to find a steady flow of offense, shooting just 42.1 percent and 2-of-13 from distance. The purple and gold were held scoreless for a five-minute stretch as well, allowing the home team to seal the deal.
For the game, Tech was held to just 38.2 percent accuracy and a 9-for-30 display from distance. North Alabama used a decisive, 43-29 lead on the glass, including a 14-6 edge on the offensive boards, to put up 15 second-chance points and 52 total points in the paint.
Junior forward Daniel Egbuniwe led Tech with 12 points, chipping in five rebounds on the night. Sophomore guard Kyle Layton turned in 11 points, all in the first half, sinking three triples with two dimes.
Junior guard Ray Glasgow chipped in 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting off the bench while fellow junior guard Jaylon Johnson led the team with five assists, mixing in six points and four boards as well. Senior forward Rodney Johnson Jr. tacked on eight points and a team-high seven boards.
MARSHALL 80, MOREHEAD STATE 77
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Morehead State Men's Basketball battled to the final horn and put together a massive second-half rally but ended up falling 80-77 at regional rival Marshall Wednesday night at the Cam Henderson Center.
The 'Herd (5-3) used an 11-0 run in the middle of the first half to pull away. Marshall has now won the last four meetings in the long-running Ellis T. Johnson Trophy series.
MSU (3-5) was led by guard Tyler Brelsford with a season-high 19 points, one short of his college career best. Guard George Marshall had a big game off the bench, scoring a career-high 18 points. Kenny White, Jr., also had 17 points - his seventh double-figure game in his first Eagle season.
A triple by the Eagles' Marshall with 11:17 left in the first half had MSU within 19-18, but the home team put together the 11-0 run henceforth and pushed ahead 30-18. Marshall eventually held a 45-35 halftime advantage.
Marshall was able to push its cushion to as much as 14 on two occasions in the second half, but a couple of runs and defensive stops by the Eagles saw them cut it back to within seven, including 72-65 with 6:28 left on a put-back dunk. A lay-in by Brelsford trimmed the margin down to five (78-73) with 2:37 remaining. Brelsford nailed another charity toss at the 1:15 mark as MSU made it 78-74.
Trent Scott's driving layup with 30 seconds left, however, was blocked away and Marshall saved it in and made a couple of free throws to effectively ice the victory. Brelsford did nail a triple at 18 seconds to cut it to its lowest deficit at 80-77. White's three-ball at the buzzer just rimmed out as Marshall held on.
The 'Hard was paced by Obinna Anochilli-Killen and Dezayne Mingo with 17 points.
MSU ended up shooting 44 percent, while Marshall was at 47 percent. MSU also out-rebounded MU 42-31. White, Jr. had his first MSU double-double with 10 rebounds, while Anouar Mellouk pulled down 10 boards too.
LINDENWOOD 102, EAST-WEST 45
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood men's basketball (3-5, 0-0 OVC) picked up their third win of the season after a 102-45 victory over East-West University (0-6) on Wednesday evening inside Hyland Arena. The Lions had five double-digit scorers in the win while making a season-high 12 threes. It is their most made threes in a single game since February 25, 2023 vs. Little Rock.
"I think it is good to get a win after a really tough stretch of our schedule," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman. "You need those games like tonight that if you play the right way you should feel really good about yourself individually and as a team and leave with a lot of confidence and we did that."
Lindenwood was led by Anias Futrell who scored 15 points in the win while shooting 6-10 from the field. Three of his made field-goals came from behind the three-point line. He also chipped in five rebounds and a season-high four assists. Futrell also led the team in steals with five.
Freshman Clayton Jackson scored 14 points in his first career start. Jackson shot 5-9 from the floor, making two threes. Jalen Boucknight (13 points) and Colin Ruffin (12 points) also scored in double-figures off the bench. Grad student Markeith Browning II had eight points while dishing out a team-high nine assists. As a team, Lindenwood dished out 20 assists marking the second time this season LU has had over 20 assists.
Jaylon McDaniel scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds while shooting 4-7 from the field. Nine different Lions had at least three rebounds in the game as Lindenwood out-rebounded the Phantoms 46-36. East-West did have 15 offensive rebounds compared to 12 by the Lions.
Lindenwood created 22 turnovers against the Phantoms and scored 22 points off of those. The Lions' were active on defense collecting 12 steals and a season-high 10 blocks. It was the first time in Lindenwood's Division I era that they had double-digit blocks and the first time since the 2020-21 season against Missouri S&T. Jordan Wildy had three of LU's 10 blocks.
The Lions dominated in the paint scoring 48 of their 102 points inside the painted area. Lindenwood also scored 18 points off of second chance opportunities and had 29 fast break points. LU also had a productive day from their bench with 48 bench points including nine from Nathan Johnson Jr.
Lindenwood went into the locker room at the half leading 47-14, marking the second time LU has held a team under 15 points in a half (UHSP on Nov. 7). The offense had a strong first half shooting 18-35 from the field (51.4%) while hitting seven three pointers.
The Lions started the half on a 17-2 run including a 12-0 start. Lindenwood's biggest scoring run in the half was 15 points as they led for over 19 minutes. East-West was held to just six made field-goals while shooting 17.6% from the floor. Futrell had 13 points at the half while Browning added eight.
East-West ramped up their offense in the second half scoring 31 points, but the Lions poured on 51 points to seal the win. Lindenwood's offense shot 18-29 in the second half (62.1%) while going 14-18 from the foul line. The Phantoms shot 13-35 in the final 20 minutes, but were held to 1-12 from three.
Jackson scored 12 of his points in the second half while Boucknight added 11 of his 13 total points. Eleven different Lions scored in Wednesday's victory. The Lions are now a perfect 2-0 at home this season.
LITTLE ROCK 63, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 57
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - It wasn't easy, but the Little Rock men's basketball team pulled out a 63-57 win over in-state rival Central Arkansas in the I-40 Showdown Wednesday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
The Trojans (5-4) won their third straight home game and were able to take care of the Bears (2-6) even without senior guard Jordan Jefferson, who was a late scratch due to a back injury. Despite being short-handed, the Trojans only trailed once at the 18:32 mark of the first half and never did again the rest of the game.
Junior forward Johnathan Lawson continued to stay hot, leading all scorers with 18 points and dishing out 6 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds. Senior forward Mwani Wilkinson added 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Sophomore forward Ante Beljan chipped in 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Layne Taylor, a former Farmington High School star, and Elias Cato paced UCA with 13 points apiece.
Little Rock, who led by as many as 15 in the first half, led 32-25 at halftime.
Wilkinson pushed the lead to 12 with a three-pointer with just under 15 minutes to play in the game.
However, UCA used a 12-2 run to whittle the Trojan lead to four with 7:21 left. The Trojans kept the Bears at arm's length and when Elias Cato's free throw trimmed the lead to three with 5:39 remaining, Lawson answered with a three-pointer.
Moments later the lead grew back to seven and UCA couldn't get any closer until the final seconds of the game.
Little Rock held Taylor below his average and frustrated the freshman into 5-for-16 shooting from the field, including 3-for-11 from the three-point line. UCA shot 28.13% from the field in the second half and 31.1% for the game. The Trojans, who turned the ball over 21 times, did force 16 UCA miscues.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 97, ST. AMBROSE 64
MACOMB, Ill. - WIU Men's Basketball delivered an emphatic victory over St. Ambrose University with a final score of 97-64 at Western Hall on Wednesday night. A balanced offense and dominant defensive effort marked the Leathernecks' performance, improving their record to 5-4 for the season.
The Leathernecks set the tone early, outscoring the Fighting Bees 39-26 in the first half. Their offense was fueled by sharp shooting, with a 54.2% field goal percentage, including 13 three-pointers made on 26 attempts. Senior guard Sean Smith led the charge with a triple-double, contributing 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, showcasing his all-around game. Smith's triple-double was the first by a Leatherneck since November 7, 2022.
Western Illinois controlled the paint, scoring 42 points inside, compared to just 12 from St. Ambrose. Kayden Carter and Tay Knox made their presence felt, combining for 21 points and 13 rebounds. Knox's efforts on the boards were pivotal, as he also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Marko Maletic added a significant boost from beyond the arc, connecting on four three-pointers en route to a 21-point performance. The Leathernecks' depth was on full display, as 13 points were scored off the bench, with impactful contributions from Trey Deveaux and Massal Diouf.
Defensively, Western Illinois stifled St. Ambrose, forcing 10 turnovers and blocking five shots. The Leathernecks' ability to convert these turnovers into 20 points highlighted their efficiency in transition.
In the second half, the Leathernecks expanded their lead with a relentless offensive onslaught, scoring 58 points. Their ball movement was fluid, resulting in 19 total assists, which facilitated open shots and high-percentage opportunities.
Western Illinois also dominated the rebounding battle, securing 48 boards to St. Ambrose's 31. Their 13 offensive rebounds translated into 15 second-chance points, further solidifying their commanding presence on the court.