SATURDAY'S SCORES
Western Illinois 69, @North Dakota 66 (OT)
@Tennessee Tech 101, Bethel 69
Tennessee State 63, UNLV 60 (Henderson, Nev.)
WESTERN ILLINOIS 69, NORTH DAKOTA 66 (OT)
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Western Illinois men's basketball delivered a resilient performance on Saturday afternoon, earning a 69–66 overtime victory over North Dakota at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
The Leathernecks forced overtime after a tightly contested regulation period and then took control in the extra session with defensive stops, rebounding and timely execution to secure the road win.
Western Illinois carried a 32–28 lead into halftime, leaning on physical play in the paint and second-chance opportunities to build the advantage. The Leathernecks controlled the glass early and consistently created high-percentage looks inside.
North Dakota responded in the second half, outscoring WIU 32–28 to send the game into overtime. Neither team was able to create separation in the final minutes of regulation as the contest remained deadlocked at the end of 40 minutes.
In overtime, Western Illinois elevated its play on both ends, limiting the Fighting Hawks to just six points while scoring nine of its own. The Leathernecks capitalized on stops, rebounds and trips to the free-throw line to close out the win.
Karyiek Dixon anchored the effort with a double-double, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Isaiah Griffin led Western Illinois with 18 points, while Lucas Lorenzen added 14 points and converted key free throws during the extra period.
Western Illinois finished with a 51–39 rebounding advantage and scored 34 points in the paint, using physicality to counter North Dakota's perimeter attack. The Leathernecks also forced 17 turnovers, turning defense into offense in a game that featured seven ties and eight lead changes.
Eli King and Greyson Uelmen led North Dakota with 13 points apiece.
TENNESSEE TECH 101, BETHEL 69
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech men's basketball, led by a career-high 22 points from Brandon Muntu, rolls past Bethel (Tenn.) 101-69 on Saturday at Eblen Center.
Brandon Muntu made six of the Golden Eagles' 10 three-pointers to lead the team to a 32-point victory, closing non-conference play in style. Tech improves to 5-6 overall and records 100-plus points for the second time this season, after shooting 55.0 percent as a team from the field in the 101-69 win over Bethel.
Muntu made 6-of-8 from three and 8-of-10 overall from the field to lead the Golden Eagles with 22 points, marking a new career high and surpassing his previous best of 18 points (2x). He made six of the team's 10 three-pointers on 23 attempts from distance in the game. Muntu led the team in scoring for the second time this season, posting his fifth game in double digits.
The Golden Eagles came out hot from the field, shooting 55.2 percent from the field with 16-of-29 scoring to put up 51 first-half points and hold the lead 51-27 at the halftime break. Muntu scored 11 of his 22 points in the first 20 minutes of play, marking one of two Golden Eagles in double-digits at the half.
Dani Pounds made 4-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line to lead the team with 13 points at halftime. Pounds finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
10 of 12 players who saw minutes in the first half recorded at least two points as the distribution of scoring went throughout the lineup. The defense tightened its grip in the first 20 minutes to help gain a lead, only allowing 12 made shots from the field and grabbing 17 defensive rebounds for a total of 21 boards in the first 20 minutes.
The Golden Eagles did not relinquish the lead in the second half, using 11 more points from Muntu on 4-of-5 from the field (3-4 3FG) and 54.8 percent shooting overall, with key contributions from C.J. McPherson, nine second-half points, Mekhi Turner and Ja'Quavian Florence with seven second-half points to lead the team to the win.
Tech finished with four players in double figures, with McPherson (12 pts) and Florence (12 pts) each working into double digits, and Turner and JaJuan Nicholls knocking on the door with nine points apiece, leading a balanced attack on the afternoon.
The bench chipped in with 42 of the 101 points by the Golden Eagles, helping secure the victory. Tech took advantage of an aggressive attacking style offense, scoring 31 points on the fastbreak, and used its size to its advantage with 46 points in the paint. TTU forced 18 turnovers and scored 15 points.
TTU's largest lead was 39 points with 10:07 left in the game (81-42), its largest run was 9-0, and it held the lead for pretty much the entirety of the game (37:37). Bethel never led as the game was tied twice early in the contest.
Tech's defense held Bethel to just two players in double figures, with Alo Rhodes and Joe Wimberly managing 10 points.
TENNESSEE STATE 63, UNLV 60
HENDERSON, Nev. - The Tennessee State men's basketball team defeated UNLV 63-60 on Saturday evening at Lee's Family Forum in the Jack Jones Classic.
The Tigers (6-4) had three players score in double figures, led by Aaron Nkrumah, who had 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Travis Harper II added 12 points and two steals while knocking down a pair of key shots in the second half, and Carlous Williams helped out with 10 points from the bench, providing energy and physicality in the paint.
Led by Jalen Pitre's four offensive rebounds, Tennessee State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 13 boards that resulted in 16 second chance points. The Tigers consistently extended possessions and capitalized on extra opportunities, scoring timely baskets that helped swing momentum in the second half.
Tennessee State's defense held UNLV to only 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 37.3 percent from the field. The Tigers were active defensively all night, forcing 18 turnovers and converting them into 15 points while limiting the Rebels to just 27 points after halftime.
After falling behind 29-20, Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run with 3:56 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Travis Harper II, to narrow its deficit to 29-27. The Tigers leaned on their defense and offensive rebounding to close the gap, creating multiple second-chance opportunities. UNLV answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Tigers down 33-29 entering halftime.
UNLV kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 36-31 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run, finished off by Nkrumah's three, to seize a 38-36 lead with 15:43 to go in the contest. Tennessee State continued to apply pressure on both ends, scoring efficiently in the paint and getting key contributions from its bench. The Tigers withstood several UNLV rallies down the stretch and made the necessary defensive stops late to secure the 63-60 win. Tennessee State took care of business in the paint, recording 20 of its 34 points in the lane.