FRIDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 77, @UTSA 60
@Wake Forest 81,
Morehead State 65
@Charlotte 70,
Tennessee Tech 65
@Iowa 77,
Western Illinois 58
@Eastern Illinois 65, Nicholls 57
@Missouri 89,
Southeast Missouri 84
VMI 78,
@Southern Indiana 74
SIUE 77, UTSA 60
SAN ANTONIO - Ring Maltih scored 20 points and Jo Valrie grabbed 10 rebounds to lead SIUE men's basketball to a 77-60 win Friday at UTSA and a 2-0 start to the season for the first time since 2016.
UTSA fell to 1-1 with the loss.
The Cougars overcame an early seven-point deficit and didn't take their first lead until 3:50 left in the first half when Myles Thompson knocked down a pair of free throws to put SIUE in front 27-26. The free throws spurred a 7-0 run and made it 32-26 SIUE.
The Cougars took possession after a missed layup and called timeout with nine seconds left before the half. Thompson drove inside the arc, and hit a turnaround off the right elbow put SIUE up 34-29 at the break.
The Cougars stretched their lead to eight and then 11 on back-to-back baskets by Darrion Baker, first a driving layup and then a three-pointer which made it 53-42 with 13:00 to play in the game.
Malith knocked down a pair of free throws with1:24 to play to stretch the lead to 75-60
Jack Campion delivered a lob pass for an alley oop dunk by Malith for the exclamation point with just eight seconds left.
For Malith, the game marked his fourth career 20-point outing and 14 of his points came in the second half. He added nine rebounds, an assist and a steal. Valrie scored seven points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Thompson scored 13 points, all coming before halftime. Jordan Pickett scored nine points.
SIUE connected on 55 percent of its shots in the second half and 48 percent (28-58) for the game. The Cougars knocked down five-seven three-pointers (71 percent) in the second half.
SIUE outrebounded UTSA 49-41 for the game.
The Roadrunners had four players score in double figures led by Jamir Simpson's 16 points.
WAKE FOREST 81, MOREHEAD STATE 65
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Morehead State Men's Basketball came up short at Wake Forest Friday night, falling 81-65, but senior guard George Marshall scored a career-high 26 points.
The Eagles slipped to 1-1 on the season as they hung tight with the Atlantic Coast Conference Demon Deacons (2-0) in the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Marshall hit a season-high eight field goals, including his final bucket at the final buzzer as he topped his previous career-best of 24 set at Eastern Illinois last January. Marshall also led the team with a career-high four steals. Morehead State also saw point guard Josiah LeGree reach double digits with 11 points. Fellow point man Chase Dawson scored eight and dished out a team-best four assists.
Marshall's 26 was the third highest point total by an Eagle against a Power 4 Conference team since 2020-21.
But, the Eagles ran into foul trouble, being whistled for 25 on the night, and Wake took 30 free throws. However, the Deacons only hit 18, shooting just 60 percent. MSU was a much better percentage at the line, hitting 14-of-17 for 82 percent. The Eagles, however, were out-rebounded 53-34, with the home team corralling 23 offensive boards and cashing that into 20 points.
Juke Harris led all players with a career-best 29 points for WFU. Trevion Spiller had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Morehead State got a plethora of good opportunities to hit buckets but finished at only 35 percent (22-of-63) for the evening, while Wake managed to shoot 40 percent (28-of-70). Neither team was particularly efficient from outside the three-point arc either with both hitting seven. The Eagles were 7-of-31.
MSU shot out of the gate with an early lead and held a 12-5 advantage with 15:49 left in the opening half following LeGree's basket. However, a 13-4 Wake flurry in the next five minutes turned the tide. Marquis Marion's jumper with 9:56 left in the half gave the hosts a 21-19 cushion they never relinquished. WFU led 44-31 at the half.
Wake increased its lead to as much as 18 three times before MSU trimmed it near the end of the contest. MSU cut it down to 10 on two occasions but never managed to get any closer.
Jon Carroll led the Eagles with six rebounds and also had three of MSU's six blocked shots.
CHARLOTTE 70, TENNESSEE TECH 65
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tennessee Tech men's basketball rallied with an 11-0 run but could not complete the comeback, falling 70-65 at Charlotte Friday.
The Golden Eagles (0-2, 0-0) drop to 0-2 on the season with the loss at the 49ers (2-0, 0-0) in the second of two straight road games to begin the 2025-26 season. Tech trailed by as much as 14 in the second half, but an 11-0 run pulled it to within three late in the game.
Ja'Quavian Florence led Tech with 17 points on 7-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. Mekhi Cameron recorded his second straight game in double digits with 16 points on 6-of-8 from the field.
Tech outscored Charlotte 43-37 in the second half, while shooting 55.2 percent (16-29) from the field. Florence shot 63.6 percent from the field, made 2-of-3 beyond the arc, dished out three assists, and grabbed three steals. He capped the 11-0 run to get back to a three-point deficit with a thunderous dunk.
Cameron shot 75.0 percent from the field, notching his second straight game in double figures (GM1: 13; GM2: 16), while making 1-of-2 from three-point range, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The Golden Eagles trailed by as much as 18 before mounting a comeback. Dani Pounds made it a one-possession game once again after Florence connected with him for a powerful dunk.
Pounds added eight total points on 2-of-5 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. Brandon Muntu chipped in with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting with a team-leading five rebounds.
JaJuan Nicholls notched five points, Jacobe Whitted posted four points, and C.J. McPherson recorded three points, making 1-of-2 from beyond the arc.
Tech was outrebounded 31-27, but outshot Charlotte 51.1% (24-47) to 48.9% (23-47). The offensive rebounds were tied 10-10, but Charlotte held a 21-17 advantage in defensive rebounds.
IOWA 77, WESTERN ILLINOIS 58
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Western Illinois hung tough early against a Big Ten opponent Friday night, but the Leathernecks ultimately fell 77–58 to Iowa inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Graduate forward Isaiah Griffin led Western Illinois with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, while adding five rebounds. Tyran Cook scored 10 points and dished out two assists, and Antwaun Massey and Francis Okwuosah each contributed eight points apiece.
The Leathernecks came out strong, jumping ahead 7–3 in the opening minutes with early buckets from Cook and Griffin. But Iowa quickly found its rhythm, answering with a 10–0 run to seize control and carry a 41–33 lead into halftime
Western Illinois couldn't find the same rhythm after the break, shooting just 27 percent in the second half as Iowa's defense forced turnovers and disrupted the Leathernecks flow. The Hawkeyes stretched their lead into double digits and never looked back. Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz paced Iowa with 24 points and seven assists, while Alvaro Folgueiras added 13 points and five boards.
The Leathernecks were outrebounded 29–26 and committed 14 turnovers, leading to 24 Iowa points.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 65, NICHOLLS 57
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois used a key 11-0 run in the opening half to build a 25-16 lead. The Panthers extended that to as high as 18 points in the second half before posting a 65-57 win over Nicholls in the second game of the BBN United Tipoff Classic.
Nicholls opened the game with a run of their own posting a nine point early lead. EIU answered with an 11-0 run of their own with five straight baskets. Kooper Jacobi played a factor in all five scoring two and assisting on the other three. He finished with nine points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Zion Fruster triggered the Panthers offense most of the night scoring 12 in the opening half and finishing with a game-high 25 points.
In the second half the Panthers used a second 11-0 run to build an 18-point lead at 42-24 with 11:16 to play. Andrew Austin started the run with a pair of free throws and Fruster ended the run at the line. EIU went 22-of-29 from the stripe in the contest.
Nicholls would not go away using the outside shooting of Zae Hamoda to knock down a pair of 3-pointers with Jaylen Searles bringing the Colonels within three with free throws with 7:57 left in the game.
Meechie White pushed the lead back to five with free throws before Nicholls cut the lead to three points one additional time on a Searles lay-up. Searles led Nicholls with 20 points. Trae English added 17 for Nicholls which fell to 0-2.
A jumper by Jacobi and 3-pointer by Fruster pushed the lead back to a comfortable margin as EIU improved to 1-1 on the season. Terrry McMorris just missed his second straight double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
MISSOURI 89, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 84
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Braxton Stacker scored a career-high 26 points and Luke Almodovar added 24 as Southeast Missouri (0-2) gave Missouri (2-0) a scare in a close 89-84 loss Friday night.
MU, which missed 12 free throws, made six free throws in the final 47 seconds to fend off the Redhawks.
SEMO went scoreless for the game's opening 5:06 and fell behind, 12-0.
Once the Redhawks settled in, they used a gutsy effort that gave the Tigers fits the rest of the way.
BJ Ward's jumper ended the early drought with 14:54 remaining in the first half.
After that, the SEMO did a nice job of making extra passes to create scoring opportunities that enabled itself to build a halftime advantage.
Down, 34-27, SEMO tied things up with a 7-0 run.
Marqueas Bell made two free throws and Landren Blocker scored on a tip-in before Stacker was fouled and made a free throw to complete a 3-point play bringing the game to a 34-34 deadlock with 6:25 left.
Stacker followed that up with two more free throws to give SEMO its first lead of the night. Bell later made a layup to put the Redhawks up, 42-37, at the 2:54 mark.
Another two free throws by Stacker gave SEMO a second five-point cushion and Blocker's 3-pointer with three seconds on the clock sent the Redhawks into the intermission with a 51-46 lead.
The Redhawks shot a scorching 59.4 percent (19-of-32) from the field behind Stacker and Almodovar's big offensive surge. Stacker led the way with 17 points and Almodovar followed with 12 first-half points. Bell, too, reached double figures with 10 points off the bench.
Troy Cole, Jr. made two free throws to grab SEMO its largest lead of the night at 55-46 with 18:55 left to play in the second half.
MU pieced together a 12-0 run to regain the lead midway through the second stanza.
Mark Mitchell's jumper on a fast break gave the Tigers a 59-58 edge.
Jevon Porter then knocked down a free throw to finish off the run putting MU up, 62-58, at the 12:23 mark.
Almodovar and Stacker each buried a 3-pointer to give SEMO a two-point lead before Stacker's jumper put the Redhawks ahead (75-74) for the last time with 4:45 on the clock.
Tied, 76-76, with 3:45 to go, MU scored 13 of the final 21 points to pull away.
Stacker shot 8-of-14 from the field, made three 3-pointers and went a perfect 7-of-7 at the free throw line. He also pulled down a team-high six rebounds, dished out two assists and had two steals.
Almodovar made 9-of-20 field goals with five of his makes beyond the arc. He had four rebounds, three steals and two assists, as well.
Bell chipped in 13 points for his second-straight double-digit performance.
SEMO outrebounded MU, 33-30, and had 13 offensive boards. Defensively, the Redhawks forced 19 turnovers and finished with 11 steals.
Mitchell led all scorers with a game-high 29 points. The Tigers shot 59.3 percent (32-of-54) from the field for the night.
VMI 78, SOUTHERN INDIANA 74
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Recap coming soon.