In Thursday's men's basketball action, Lindenwood, Morehead State and Tennessee State each hit the century mark in securing non-conference wins.
 

THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 114, Virginia-Lynchburg 60	Box Score
@Lindenwood 120, Central Bible 46	Box Score
@Tennessee State 127, East-West 61	Box Score

MOREHEAD STATE 114, VIRGINIA-LYNCHBURG 60
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Led by career highs in points from junior Kyrell Shaw and sophomore Clayton Parker, plus a pair of double-doubles as well, Morehead State men's basketball used a barrage of three-pointers and two 50+-point halves as the Eagles cruised past Virginia-Lynchburg 114-60 in the home opener Thursday night at Johnson Arena.

Shaw drilled six first-half three-pointers and finished with 28 points, plus six rebounds. Parker was 8-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-6 at the free throw line while scoring his career standard 24 points to go along with six boards and a career-high four steals. The Eagles also got double-doubles from senior Dalman Alexander (12 points, 10 rebounds) and sophomore Tayvion Tangiora (10 points, 10 rebounds).

MSU (1-1) was playing a first-time opponent in Virginia-Lynchburg, which has now lost 97 straight games since 2022. The Eagles knocked down 15 three-pointers, three short of the program single-game record, and the most in a contest since March 8, 2024. MSU also held decisive advantages in rebounds (49-25), points in the paint (52-18), bench points (50-30), fast-break points (20-6) and second-chance points (18-6).

Point guard Chase Dawson also reached double figures with 15 points and just 18 minutes on the court. Last year's returning redshirt Jarvis Wright posted career-highs in points (7), rebounds (6) and assists (8).

The Eagles drilled 44-of-73 (60 percent), shooting 61 percent in the first period and 60 percent in the second half as well.

Morehead State led for nearly 39 minutes. Dawson's three-ball at 18:37 of the opening half gave MSU a 5-3 lead it never relinquished. The Eagles built a 58-24 halftime lead and went on to lead by as much as 54 with 40 seconds left in the contest.

The Dragons had four in double-figure scoring, led by Mohamed Diaby and Jordan Barr with 13 each.


LINDENWOOD 120, CENTRAL BIBLE 46
ST. CHARLES, Mo. -The Lindenwood Men's Basketball team (1-1, 0-0 OVC) put together a dominant performance Thursday night in its home opener, defeating the Central Bible University Saints by a final score of 120-46. Shamiere Green and Derek Rollins led the way offensively, while six Lions finished in double figures in the contest.

Lindenwood got off to a strong start, opening the game on a 12-0 run while forcing Central Bible to miss its first six shots from the floor. Kellen Robinson made an immediate impact in his collegiate debut, knocking down his first two three-point attempts to make it a 25-4 lead for the Black and Gold with 12:21 to go in the half. The Lions continued to build their advantage, taking a 35-6 lead with 9:38 remaining before carrying a 63-15 advantage into the locker room. Green and Rollins led the way with 12 points apiece at the break, while Rollins added two blocks defensively. Lindenwood also dominated the glass, collecting 27 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end. The Lions forced seven turnovers that resulted in 18 points and held the Saints to just 18% shooting from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

The Lions carried their momentum into the second half, as Noah Taitz and Dom Clay connected on back-to-back three pointers before the under 16 media timeout to extend the lead to 74-19. Robinson and Rollins then combined for the next nine points during a 9-2 run, giving Lindenwood a 58 point advantage with 14:34 remaining.

Later in the half, Xavier Spencer and Green each knocked down a pair of three pointers over a five minute stretch as the Lions continued to pull away. Lindenwood ultimately secured a 74 point victory, earning its fifth consecutive home opening victory.

As a team, Lindenwood connected on 16 of 27 attempts from beyond the arc (59.3%) and outrebounded the Saints 52-25. The Lions also made their presence felt defensively, forcing 21 turnovers and converting them into 29 points. Green paced the offense with a game-high 20 points and knocked down a team-high four three-pointers, while also recording a team best three steals. Spencer, Clay, and Rollins each pulled down six rebounds, while Spencer and Clay dished out five assists apiece.


TENNESSEE STATE 127, EAST-WEST 61
NASHVILLE - Jayden Jones scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting to lead six Tigers in double figures as Tennessee State defeated East-West 127-61 Thursday night in its home opener at the Gentry Center.

Jones added six rebounds and two blocks for Tennessee State (1-1). Aaron Bradshaw recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass, and blocked four shots.

Ajayi Simmons came off the bench to score 14 points and grab nine rebounds in 13 minutes. He made all four of his field-goal attempts and all five free throws. Arterio Morris added 14 points, five assists and three steals. Deondrea Lindsey scored 12 points, and Maddux Bodenhamer finished with 10 points and five assists off the bench.

The Tigers scored 82 points in the paint and turned 26 offensive rebounds into 43 second-chance points. TSU also scored 37 points off 25 East-West turnovers.

East-West tied the game at 14 with 10:18 left in the first half. Lindsey answered with a three-point play 12 seconds later to start a 21-0 Tennessee State run. Morris capped the stretch with a basket at the 6:07 mark to put the Tigers ahead 35-14. TSU took a 54-28 lead into halftime after scoring 34 points in the paint.

Tennessee State put together a 17-0 run early in the second half. Kavien Jones capped it with a layup off an East-West turnover to make it 75-32 with 13:38 remaining. The Tigers scored 73 points after halftime, including 48 in the paint.

Caleb Harris led East-West (0-1) with 18 points.