THURSDAY'S SCORES
UT Martin 76, @Morehead State 68
Southeast Missouri 84, @Southern Indiana 76
@Eastern Illinois 71, Tennessee Tech 61
Tennessee State 90, @Western Illinois 68
Little Rock 73, @SIUE 70
UT MARTIN 76, MOREHEAD STATE 68
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Its trademark hard-nosed defense once again propelled the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball squad this evening as the Skyhawks erased a 16-point deficit in a 76-68 triumph at Morehead State.
The win snapped a 16-game skid for the Skyhawks inside Ellis T. Johnson Arena as UT Martin (12-4, 4-1 Ohio Valley Conference) last won inside that building on Dec. 19, 2005 before tonight.
The Skyhawks trailed 40-24 with 1:18 to go in the first half but turned up the defensive intensity in the final 20 minutes, limiting the Eagles to 25 percent (7-of-28) shooting – including an 0-for-9 effort from three-point land – in the final 20 minutes.
Andrija Bukumirovic tallied a game-high 18 points to lead five UT Martin scorers in double figures. Afan Trnka pumped in a season-best 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting (3-for-3 from three-point range) while Filip Radakovic produced 13 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists. The freshman duo of Matas Deniusas (team-best seven rebounds) and Pedro Santos (3-of-5 shooting) each scored 10 points apiece for the Skyhawks, who flipped the game with a 20-4 run in a span of 5:01.
Morehead State (7-9, 3-2 OVC) was led by 13 points and 13 rebounds out of Jon Carroll. The Eagles also received 13 points from Vince Dawson III and 12 points out of Tamaury Releford.
Nine lead changes took place in the first 6:33 as both teams jockeyed for early momentum. Morehead State went on a 17-4 run to go on top by double digits (25-13) with 7:40 to go before the halftime break.
After the Eagles led 40-24, Filip Petkovski helped the Skyhawks trim their halftime deficit to 43-32 with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from just inside halfcourt. Bukumirovic guided UT Martin with eight points in the first 20 minutes while Dawson topped Morehead State with 13 points.
Trnka and Santos began the second half with triples, lighting a fire under the Skyhawk rally. A Deniusas layup at the 16:29 mark pulled UT Martin within a single possession at 44-41.
The Eagles were able to go back ahead by nine points with 12:42 remaining but the Skyhawks scored 15 of the next 17 points, capped off with a Trnka three-pointer with 8:36 to go.
UT Martin did not trail in the final 9:05 as Bukumirovic pieced together eight consecutive points to help carry the Skyhawks to the finish line. Morehead State did trim its deficit to 71-68 with 37 ticks left but the trio of Bukumirovic, Deniusas and Santos combined to swish five of six free throws from that point forward.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 84, SOUTHERN INDIANA 76
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - - Brendan Terry scored a career-high 30 points off the bench to lead Southeast Missouri (9-7, 4-1) to an 84-68 win over Southern Indiana (3-12, 0-5) Thursday night at Liberty Arena.
SEMO, which won its fourth-straight game, moved into a four-way tie for first in the Ohio Valley Conference Standings. The Redhawks have won seven of their last eight contests.
The Redhawks sent USI to its seventh-consecutive loss keeping the Screaming Eagles at the bottom of the conference.
USI scored the first seven points of the game and went on a 10-2 run in the opening three minutes.
Terry then gave SEMO a huge boost off the bench scoring five-straight points to tie the game at 14-14. Terry made a 3-pointer and followed that up with his game-tying layup.
Luke Almodovar's alleyoop dunk off a pass from Terry gave the Redhawks their first lead at 20-18 with 10:04 remaining in the first half.
SEMO later widened its lead to seven (33-26) on a 3-pointer by BJ Ward and headed into the locker room ahead by that same margin, 43-36.
Terry reached a new season-high with 17 points in the first half alone, including 11 in his first seven minutes on the court. SEMO shot 56.7 percent from the field with seven of its 17 makes by Terry in the opening 20 minutes.
Cardell Bailey's jumper narrowed SEMO's lead to 60-56 with 11:41 left to play.
The Redhawks answered with an 11-0 run and built its largest lead to 71-56 when Landren Blocker scored on a fast break at the 6:35 mark.
SEMO's lead didn't dip below double figures until the minutes.
Terry made 13-of-16 field goals on his way to becoming the first Redhawk to score 30 points in a game this season. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, dished out two assists, collected two steals and gathered two blocks.
Almodovar followed with 19 points and BJ Ward added 13 points in the 50th start of his career.
SEMO shot a season-best 57.4 percent (31-of-54) from the field to go along with a season-high 50 percent (7-of-14) from 3-point range.
Terry and Almodovar combined for 49 of the Redhawks 54 bench points.
Brad Korn picked up his 50th career OVC victory during SEMO's second-straight road victory tonight.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 71, TENNESSEE TECH 61
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois took the lead with 11:03 remaining in the second half on a Kooper Jacobi fastbreak basket off a turnover and the Panthers never trailed again as they picked up a 71-61 win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday night at Groniger Arena.
Jacobi’s basket was part of a 12-1 run that took the Panthers from trailing 48-45 with 12:08 to play to a 57-49 lead with 5:29 to play.
Andre Washington had seven points during the run as he led the panthers with 20 points, one of five Panthers in double figures in the game. Jacobi scored four points in the run finishing with 11 points.
EIU shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the second half and turned the ball over just one time in the game. The Panthers defense created 23 points off turnovers compared to just two for TTU.
Meechie White (13), Zion Fruster (10) and Preston Turner (10) all joined the double figure scoring party for EIU as the Panthers improved to 5-10 overall, 2-4 in the OVC.
Tennessee Tech (6-10 overall, 1-4 OVC) held a 36-29 lead at the half knocking down 6-of-13 shots from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles were held without a 3-pointer in the second half going 0-7 from behind the arc.
Nazareth Fisher scored the first basket of the second half for EIU with Trey Owens countering with a basket for TTU. That would be the biggest lead TTU could post in the opening eight minutes of second half action.
Jah’Kim Payne led the Golden Eagles with 11 points. Mekhi Turner joined him in double figures with ten.
TENNESSEE STATE 90, WESTERN ILLINOIS 68
MACOMB, Ill. - Travis Harper II scored a game-high 23 points as Tennessee State never trailed and smothered Western Illinois from the perimeter, holding the Leathernecks to just 1-for-12 shooting from three-point range in a 90-68 road victory Thursday night at Western Hall.
The Tigers (10-5, 4-1 OVC) placed three players in double figures and never trailed in the contest. Travis Harper II led all scorers with 23 points on an efficient 7-for-10 shooting night, knocking down three triples and going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Khalil London provided a spark off the bench with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting, while Antoine Lorick III chipped in 13 points and five rebounds.
Tennessee State finished the night shooting 55.7 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc, while overwhelming Western Illinois in key areas. The Tigers held a 37-32 advantage on the glass, led by Jalen Pitre's game-high 10 rebounds, and turned 10 offensive boards into 17 second-chance points. TSU also controlled the paint, outscoring the Leathernecks 50-40 inside.
Defensively, the Tigers limited Western Illinois to 38.2 percent shooting overall and forced 14 turnovers, turning those miscues into easy scoring opportunities.
Tennessee State set the tone early, jumping out to an 18-14 lead before ripping off a 6-0 run with 9:44 remaining in the first half to push the advantage to double digits at 24-14. The Tigers continued to apply pressure and closed the half on a strong note, taking a 42-28 lead into the break. TSU did most of its damage in the paint during the opening period, scoring 26 of its 42 first-half points near the basket.
After halftime, Tennessee State continued to widen the gap, building the lead to 65-49 before unleashing a decisive 7-0 run to extend the margin to 72-49 with 9:11 remaining. Western Illinois trimmed the deficit briefly, but the Tigers responded with steady offense and stifling defense, cruising the rest of the way to seal the 22-point victory. Tennessee State added 24 of its 48 second-half points in the paint to close out the game.
LITTLE ROCK 73, SIUE 70
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Little Rock delivered one of its most resilient performances of the season Thursday night, storming back from an eight-point halftime deficit to defeat SIUE 73–70 at First Community Arena.
The Trojans improved to 6–10 overall and 3–2 in OVC play, outscoring SIUE 41–30 in the second half while leaning on aggressive defense that forced 16 turnovers and produced 11 steals. SIUE slipped to 10–7 overall and 3–3 in league action.
The game flipped immediately after intermission.
Little Rock opened the second half with relentless pressure, capitalizing on SIUE miscues and attacking the rim. Kachi Nzeh and Cameron Wallace finished inside as the Trojans erased the deficit, while Johnathan Lawson, who poured in a game-high 23 points steadied the offense at the free-throw line. The Trojans' defense tightened, limiting clean looks and forcing difficult shots.
Midway through the half, Braxton Bayless sparked the break with a fast-break layup, and Tuongthach Gatkek brought the Trojans to their feet with a powerful dunk. Gatkek later delivered a decisive slam with 2:32 remaining to give Little Rock the lead for good.
Down the stretch, Little Rock's composure proved decisive. Lawson knocked down critical free throws as the Trojans went 11-of-18 at the line for the game, while the defense forced late turnovers and secured key rebounds. SIUE made a final push, but Little Rock closed the door to complete the comeback.
Little Rock set an early physical tone, attacking the paint and scoring 16 points inside in the first half. Nzeh and Lawson led the charge, with Lawson also facilitating offense and converting key free throws. Wallace made his presence felt on the glass, pulling down multiple offensive rebounds to extend possessions.
SIUE countered with perimeter shooting, knocking down seven first-half three-pointers to build separation. Despite Little Rock forcing nine turnovers and recording seven steals before the break, the Cougars carried a 40–32 lead into halftime, fueled in part by 19 bench points.