Ohio Valley Conference

FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Air Force 77, SIUE 63
@ETSU 77, Morehead State 62
Coastal Carolina 84, @Western Illinois 64
@Texas State 65, Little Rock 56
 

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AIR FORCE 77, SIUE 63
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Three SIUE players scored in double figures Friday, but it came in a losing cause as SIUE men's basketball fell to host Air Force 77-63 in its first game at the Air Force Classic.

Except for an early 3-2 advantage, the Cougars trailed throughout and fell to 3-3 with the loss. Air Force improved to 2-4 with the win.

The Falcons shot 48 percent (13-27) from the field in the first half and led 36-27 at the break.

The Cougars got out to an 11-4 start to open the second half and cut the Air Force lead to two at 40-38 after a Ring Malith three-pointer with 16:11 left in the game.

Air Force used the help of five SIUE turnovers to go on a 12-0 run to push the lead out to 55-40. The Falcons eventually stretched the lead to 17 twice late in the second half.

Malith led SIUE with 17 points. Myles Thompson and Jack Campion each scored 10 points for the Cougars, who shot just 39 percent (21-54) from the field for the game. The Cougars were just 5-20 (25 percent) from three-point range.

Eli Robinson scored 17 points to lead five Falcons in double figures. Caleb Walker scored 16. Lucas Hobin scored 12 points. Wesley Celichowski and Ethan Greenberg each added 10 points.

The Falcons were 23-for-54 shooting (43 percent) for the game and outrebounded SIUE 41-33.

ETSU 77, MOREHEAD STATE 62
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Junior guard Davion Cunningham produced a season-high 21 points, including 11 made free throws, but the Morehead State Men's Basketball team saw host ETSU use a 10-0 run late in the first half to catapult it past the Eagles 77-62 Friday at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tenn.

Cunningham was one of two Eagles (2-4) in double figures, the other being fellow guard Josiah LeGree. He had 13 before fouling out. But, the Bucs' first half run allowed them to take a 38-31 halftime lead. And, then the Eagles rallied in the second half but an 8-0 run midway through the final half surged ETSU into a lead it never relinquished. MSU led 47-45 with 10:52 left in the game after a pair of Cunningham free tosses, but the Eagles went scoreless for three minutes.

Cunningham also added four rebounds and a team-best three assists. His 11 charity tosses were one shy of his career-high set at USC-Aiken.

ETSU pushed its cushion out to as high as 19 (77-58) in the waning moments.

MSU limited the Bucs to only 2-of-16 three-point accuracy, but the home team outscored MSU 25-17 from the free throw line and out-rebounded it 36-33. MSU also was only credited with seven assists on 20 made buckets.

Shooting percentages were virtually deadlocked (ETSU 44 percent, MSU 43 percent), but the Eagles were caught with 18 floor miscues to just nine for the Southern Conference homestanding squad.

COASTAL CAROLINA 84, WESTERN ILLINOIS 64
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois fell 84–64 to Coastal Carolina on Friday night at Western Hall, unable to slow down a Chanticleer offense that found its rhythm early and never let go. Coastal built its cushion in the first half behind six made threes and a 22–16 rebounding advantage, creating extra possessions that kept WIU playing from behind. The Leathernecks stayed within range by scoring 12 points in the paint and going 8-for-10 at the free-throw line, but Coastal took a 44–36 lead into the break and carried that control into the second half.

Karyiek Dixon came off the bench and delivered one of Western's strongest outings, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds. Francis Okwuosah matched him with 16 points of his own, including three makes from deep, keeping the offense steady throughout the night.

Tyran Cook added eight points and two assists, while Isaiah Griffin chipped in four points and three rebounds. Lucas Lorenzen and Makai Kvamme combined for 10 points, and Goanar Biliew added two blocks as WIU tried to battle back.

Western Illinois shot 23-of-62 from the field and finished with 15 made free throws, but Coastal's 14 threes and 27 bench points proved too much to overcome.

TEXAS STATE 65, LITTLE ROCK 56
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Little Rock showed plenty of grit on the road Friday night, pushing Texas State for 40 minutes before coming up just short in a 65–56 battle at Strahan Arena.

The Trojans (2–4) clawed their way to a 28-26 halftime margin and traded punches with the Bobcats throughout a tight second half, taking leads on multiple occasions and staying within one possession deep into the final minutes. Little Rock's defensive pressure kept the game inside a narrow window all night, forcing 17 Texas State turnovers and turning them into 14 Trojan points.

Offensively, Cameron Wallace led the way with 14 points and added five rebounds. TuongthachGatkek totaled 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal.

Braxton Bayless totaled 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists in a high-energy 36-minute performance. Johnathan Lawson added 10 points of his own.

Little Rock's frontcourt battled all night, helping the Trojans outscore Texas State 40-30 in the paint while also blocking five shots as a team and collecting 11 steals. The Trojans also finished with 12 offensive rebounds, generating extra opportunities to keep momentum within reach.

Texas State (5–2) closed strong in the final two minutes, hitting key shots late to hold off the Trojans after Little Rock had tied or led on six different occasions. The Bobcats were paced by a pair of 13-point performances from Franck Emmou and Mark Drone.