THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Little Rock 79, Tennessee Tech 75
Tennessee State 66, @Eastern Illinois 49
@Lindenwood 73, Morehead State 60
UT Martin 76, @SIUE 71
@Western Illinois 87, Southern Indiana 62
LITTLE ROCK 79, TENNESSEE TECH 75
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - With upset-minded Tennessee Tech shooting lights out and up by double figures in the second half, Little Rock was in danger of enduring a second straight home defeat. However, the Trojans responded with a big run midway through the second half to preserve a 79-75 win Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
Five Trojans scored in double figures led by Isaiah Lewis, Tuongthach Gatkek and Mwani Wilkinson, who all scored 17 points. Wilkinson added nine rebounds and four steals and Gatkek grabbed six rebounds. Jordan Jefferson celebrated his 23rd birthday with 12 points.
Little Rock shot 49% from the field for the game and only committed 6 turnovers compared to Tech's 15 that the Trojans scored 21 points off. The numbers were in stark contrast to the cold shooting and 18 miscues that were detrimental in a loss to Southeast Missouri State Tuesday night.
Rodney Johnson Jr.'s bucket with 13:30 to play gave the Golden Eagles, who led 43-38 at halftime, a 57-47 lead.
Walker called a timeout, and with the quicker lineup began to chip away. Lawson hit a pull-up jumper with 11:49 remaining to cut the lead to 59-55. Gatkek's whirling layup made it 61-59 game. Moments later Lawson drilled a three-pointer to give Little Rock its first lead (62-61) since 11:25 in the second half.
When the smoke cleared it was a 22-4 run, and the Trojans seized 69-61 advantage with 7:14 to play in the game.
However, John Pelphrey's bunch wasn't done yet, and cut led to 69-67 with 3:17 remaining bon a jumper by Johnson Jr.
Jefferson responded with a short jumper in the paint to move the margin back to four at the 1:57 mark. TTU scored five points in 10 seconds to cut the led to 78-75 with four seconds remaining but Jefferson hit one of two free throws to end the threat as time ran out.
And the Trojans got some help in the standings as UT Martin upset SIUE on its home court so now Little Rock is in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with SIUE in third.
TENNESSEE STATE 66, EASTERN ILLINOIS 49
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Tennessee State men's basketball team finished with three players in double figures and pulled away in the second half en route to a 66-49 win and season sweep over Eastern Illinois on Thursday evening.
The Tigers (13-13, 9-6 OVC) were led by Travis Harper II, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. Aaron Nkrumah tacked on 13 points and six rebounds and Josh Ogundele helped out with 10 points.
Tennessee State pulled down 42 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Eastern Illinois' 35, led by Harper II's seven boards.
Tennessee State's defense held Eastern Illinois to only 14.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 27.6 percent from the field.
TSU held Eastern Illinois to just 14.3 percent from deep in a 3-for-21 shooting performance
After falling behind 18-17, Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run with 4:29 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Carlous Williams, to take a 23-18 lead. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 23-21 advantage. Tennessee State took advantage of six offensive rebounds to score four second chance points out of 23 total in the period
Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Justus Jackson's three, to grow the lead to 46-35 with 10:12 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 66-49 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 43 total points.
LINDENWOOD 73, MOREHEAD STATE 60
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood men's basketball (12-14, 7-8 OVC) picked up their 10th win inside Hyland Arena as they defeated Morehead State (14-12, 9-6 OVC) by a final score of 73-60. This marked the first win in program history over the Eagles and moves LU to 12-14 on the season. Lindenwood also set their record in the Division I era in wins (12) and Ohio Valley Conference wins (7).
Reggie Bass had his best game of the season scoring a season-high 30 points while shooting 6-10 from the floor, including three threes, while going 15-17 at the foul line. This marked the most free throws attempted and made in a single game in LU's Division I history and the most since Romelo Burrell went 15-18 during the 2021-22 season. Bass also added six rebounds and two steals in the win.
Jadis Jones scored 16 points going almost perfect from the field as he shot 7-8 from the field. Jones was tied for the team-lead in rebounds with six. Bass and Anias Futrell both had six rebounds. Futrell also scored 13-points while adding two threes and three assists. As a team, LU had 10 assists including five from Markeith Browning II.
Lindenwood shot over 50.0% from the floor going 24-45 (53.5% FG) while shooting 19-29 from the foul line. Morehead State was held to 34.5% from the field while going 7-21 from long range. The Eagles did secure the rebounding battle leading LU 35-32. Lindenwood out-scored Morehead State 32-24 in the paint.
It was a hot offensive start for the Lions as they led 11-2 at the first media timeout (16:10). Futrell and Jones both started the game with a perfect 2-2 from the floor while Lindenwood was 5-6. Morehead State was only 1-5 from the field through the first four minutes.
Lindenwood opened up their first double-digit lead of the game at the 10:20 mark after a three by Bass. After Morehead State cut the leading to 24-13, the Lions ended the half on a 9-3 run heading into the break leading 33-16. Their 16 points at halftime was the second lowest points coring in 20 minutes against the Lions this season (East-West 14 points).
Bass led all scorers with 14 points going into the break while Morehead State's leading scorer only had four points. LU shot 54.5% from the floor during the first half while Morehead was 6-27 from the field and only 1-9 from three. LU also forced 11 Morehead State turnovers in the first half.
Both teams made adjustments in the locker room as the Lions still led by 17 with 11:48 left to play. Bass scored nine of Lindenwood's first 13 points in the second half. Lindenwood and Morehead State showed comparable stats through the first 13 minutes of the second half as both teams scored 24 points.
Morehead State got hot late in the game as they made six second-half threes, cutting the lead to 10 with 3:08 left (66-56). After that point, Jones rattled off four straight points of his own to put the Lions back up 14 points. Free throw shooting closed out the game for the Lions as they defended home court four their seventh OVC victory.
UT MARTIN 76, SIUE 71
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Four University of Tennessee at Martin scorers reached double figures this evening as the Skyhawk men’s basketball team overcame a double-digit second-half deficit in an impressive 76-71 victory over SIUE.
The win was UT Martin’s fifth consecutive triumph over the Cougars, who entered tonight with a just a half-game back of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings and with the best home record (10-1) of any team in the league.
The Skyhawks (11-15, 7-8 OVC) trailed 48-37 with 18:11 remaining but soon used a 27-7 run to go ahead by double digits (69-59) with 7:41 left to play. SIUE would not get any closer than four points the rest of the way as UT Martin made seven of its eight free throw tries over the final 47 seconds.
Tarence Guinyard led the Skyhawks in scoring for the 12th time this season, pumping in a game-high 23 points with a 4-of-9 effort from beyond the three-point line. Matija Žužic was responsible for 12 points while Josué Grullon and Afan Trnka delivered 11 and 10 points, respectively. Vladimer Salaridze (nine points, six rebounds, career-best six assists) and Filip Radakovic (game-high nine rebounds) helped UT Martin outrebound the hosts by a 43-36 margin.
The Cougars (17-9, 10-5 OVC) were led by Ring Malith’s 22 points while Brian Taylor managed 16 points. Defense was key for the Skyhawks down the stretch as UT Martin limited OVC leading scorer Ray’Sean Taylor to eight points (11.2 below his season average) and held SIUE to 0-for-15 from three-point range in the second half before two treys in the final eight seconds when the outcome was essentially already decided.
UT Martin led for 15:07 of clock time in the first half, starting the game on an 8-2 run. A little over midway into the half, back-to-back triples from Žužic and Guinyard pushed the Skyhawk advantage out to 30-23 at the under-eight-minute media timeout.
However, the Cougars ended the first half on a 12-2 run and took a 43-37 lead into the halftime break. Guinyard’s 14 points topped UT Martin while Malith had 15 points for SIUE, who shot 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from three-point land in the first 20 minutes.
Trailing by double digits with under 16 minutes remaining, Žužic scored six straight points – including a four-point play – to help trim the Skyhawk deficit. Trnka then buried back-to-back three-pointers in a 30-second span to give UT Martin a 60-54 advantage thanks to 12 unanswered points by the Skyhawks.
UT Martin did not trail over the last 13-plus minutes. A trey from Guinyard provided the Skyhawks with a double-digit lead with under eight minutes to go as the UT Martin defense held the Cougars to one made field goal in a nine-plus minute stretch. Meanwhile, Grullon (5-of-6) and Radakovic (2-for-2) closed out the victory with some clutch late shooting from the charity stripe.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 87, SOUTHERN INDIANA 62
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois Men's Basketball (9-17, 3-12 OVC) put on a commanding performance Thursday night, rolling past the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (9-16, 4-11 OVC) with an 87-62 victory at Western Hall, snapping the Leathernecks' 10 game losing streak.
From the opening tip, Western controlled the pace of the game, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. WIU used efficient shooting, strong defense, and a well-balanced attack to secure their third conference win of the season.
Western Illinois set the tone early with hot shooting from beyond the arc, led by Marko Maletic, who poured in 30 points on an impressive 10-of-15 shooting, including making his first six three-pointers, which tied the program record for most consecutive three pointers made without a miss (6). His ability to stretch the floor opened up opportunities in the paint, where Trey Deveaux contributed 17 points while also grabbing five rebounds.
The Screaming Eagles struggled to keep up with the Leathernecks' offensive efficiency. While Jayland Randall tried to keep Southern Indiana in the game with 17 points, including three three-pointers, WIU's defense forced key turnovers and limited second-chance opportunities. At the break, WIU led 45-31, shooting a blistering 51.6% from the field and hitting 6-of-10 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes of action.
The second half was much of the same, as WIU continued to build its lead. Maletic remained the focal point of the offense, hitting big shots while also contributing 10 rebounds for a double-double. Ryan Myers provided additional support with 13 points, and Julius Rollins added 12 points along with three blocks. The Leathernecks' defense tightened up in the final 20 minutes, holding Southern Indiana to just 31 second-half points. Damoni Harrison was a bright spot for the Screaming Eagles, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback.
As a team, the Leathernecks shot 56.7% from the field, hit 11 three-pointers, and dished out 15 assists on 34 made field goals. With the win, WIU picks up a crucial conference victory, while Southern Indiana will look to regroup as they approach the final stretch of the regular season.