Ohio Valley Conference

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Tuongthach Gatkek delivered the defining moment of the night.

After Little Rock erased a four-point halftime deficit and clawed back in a back-and-forth second half, Gatkek stepped into the passing lane in the closing seconds, secured a steal and raced the length of the floor for a game-winning layup at the buzzer, lifting the Trojans to a dramatic 67-65 victory over UT Martin at the Jack Stephens Center.

Little Rock (11-17, 8-9 OVC) outscored the Skyhawks 39-33 after the break, finishing with 36 points in the paint and 12 points off turnovers — none bigger than the final takeaway.

The second half was a grind from the start. Cameron Wallace ignited the rally early with a defensive rebound and emphatic dunk that trimmed the deficit to one. Wallace finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for his double-double, consistently punishing UT Martin inside.

Kachi Nzeh added 18 points and seven rebounds, knocking down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. His clutch three-pointer with 2:38 remaining tied the game and set up the frantic finish. Johnathan Lawson chipped in 15 points and four rebounds, steadying the Trojans during key stretches.

UT Martin (20-9, 12-6 OVC) appeared poised to take the final shot in a game that featured three ties and six lead changes. Instead, Gatkek anticipated the pass, stepped in front and turned defense into instant offense.

Earlier in the game, Little Rock showed flashes of control, including an early Wallace dunk and a three-pointer from Nzeh that helped the Trojans build momentum. But UT Martin's perimeter shooting helped the Skyhawks carry a 32-28 lead into halftime before Little Rock flipped the script after the break.

Gatkek finished with six points, two blocks and the steal that sealed it — the exclamation point on a resilient performance against a 20-win opponent, who was tied for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.

MOREHEAD STATE 73, EASTERN ILLINOIS 70
CHARLESTON, Ill. - - George Marshall scored a game-high 23 points, and Davion Cunningham nailed two crucial contested shots as the shot clocked expired late in the second half, scoring 19 points, as Morehead State Men's Basketball escaped Charleston, Ill., with a 73-70 triumph over Eastern Illinois Thursday night at Groniger Arena.

MSU (16-12/12-5 OVC) saw Marshall score 14 in the second half and Cunningham add 13 in the final half as the Eagles hung on to defeat a pesky Panther (11-17/7-10 OVC) squad that nearly rallied from 10 points down in the final 1:10. MSU won its sixth straight game at EIU and swept the season series.

After the teams could not separate by more than four points apiece in the first 15 minutes of the final half, MSU had a 10-0 run - the first eight points eight by Marshall - to pull ahead 66-56 with 3:01 remaining. The lead remained at 10 with 1:10 left when Cunningham rose above three defenders and hit a 15-foot jumper as the shot clock expired as MSU led 70-60.

But, EIU's Markus Blackwell drained a triple with 44 seconds left after the home team forced a held ball turnover in front of its bench. Zion Fruster then hit a jumper with 27 seconds left following a missed one-and-one free throw by Cunningham. After Marshall hit one of two free tosses, Blackwell struck again with eight ticks left on a three-ball, and it was a one-point game (71-70). Fruster missed everything on a three-point attempt with one second left, and Cunningham also hit one of two free throws to make it 73-70. Chase Dawson intercepted EIU's final full court pass to ice the win.

MSU led 22-9 with 10:55 left in the first half but only managed one field in the next nine minutes as EIU rallied ahead. But, a layup by Jon Carroll and a breakaway dunk by Cunninghgam with three ticks left gave the visitors a 29-28 halftime lead.

Marshall and Cunningham combined to hit 17-of-21 field goals, while Marshall hit four three-pointers. Cunningham also led the Eagles with four assists. For the second straight game Morehead State, which leads the OVC in field goal accuracy, shot better than 50 percent. The Eagles hit 53 percent and out-rebounded the Panthers 31-29.

Fruster's 18 points led the home squad, while Meechie White had 13 points and six assists before fouling out.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 77, WESTERN ILLINOIS 70
MACOMB, Ill. - University of Southern Indiana Men's Basketball snapped a losing streak with a 77-70 victory over Western Illinois Thursday evening at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles go to 6-21 overall and 3-14 in the OVC, while the Leathernecks are 5-23, 1-16 OVC.
 
USI and WIU battle back and forth through the 20 with the Screaming Eagles rallying from a seven-point deficit to regain the lead 30-29 at the intermission. USI surged with a 12-4 run in the final four minutes of the half, led by senior guard Cardell Bailey and senior forward Ola Ajiboye lead way with five points and four points, respectively.
 
The second half had WIU jumping into the lead and controlling the second half for nearly 16 of the 20 minutes. In the final four minutes, USI rallied with a 15-4 run, including a seven-of-seven from the stripe to finish out the 77-70 victory.
 
Junior guard/forward Amaree Brown scored eight of his team-high 18 points during the final push to the victory. Brown was five-of-11 from the field and eight-of-10 from the stripe in the win.
 
Ajiboye followed Brown in the scoring column with 12 points, hitting five-of-seven from the field and two-of-two from the stripe. Bailey rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, while junior forward Tolu Samuels grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
TENNESSEE STATE 89, LINDENWOOD 80
NASHVILLE - Dante Harris scored 21 points and Tennessee State used a dominant second half on the glass and in transition to pull away from Lindenwood for an 89-80 Ohio Valley Conference victory Thursday night at the Gentry Center.

The Tigers (18-9, 12-5) had five players score in double figures, led by Harris, who added eight rebounds while shooting efficiently from the floor. Carlous Williams provided a spark off the bench with 17 points, including key baskets during a first-half rally, and Travis Harper II finished with 17 points and three steals. Jalen Pitre recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, anchoring the Tigers' interior presence, while Tennessee State shot 50 percent from the field in the second half to break open a tight contest.

Tennessee State grabbed 42 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Lindenwood's 36, led by Pitre's 13 boards. The Tigers were especially effective on the offensive glass, collecting 19 offensive rebounds and converting those extra possessions into 26 second-chance points that proved pivotal in a game that was tied at halftime.

Tennessee State forced 19 Lindenwood turnovers while committing 12 themselves. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 31 points on the offensive end, consistently converting live-ball turnovers into transition opportunities. Harper II's three steals led the way, and the Tigers applied pressure throughout, forcing 10 turnovers in the first half and nine more after intermission.

After falling behind 29-18, Tennessee State went on a 9-0 run with 10:48 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Williams, to narrow its deficit to 29-27. The Tigers continued to chip away, capitalizing on 10 Lindenwood turnovers and scoring 17 points off those miscues in the period to tie the game at 42-42 heading into halftime.

After intermission, the teams traded baskets in a tightly contested second half before Tennessee State grabbed an 82-80 lead. The Tigers then delivered the decisive blow with a 7-0 run, extending the advantage to 89-80 with five seconds remaining. Tennessee State capitalized on nine Lindenwood turnovers in the period, turning them into 14 points, and outscored the Lions 47-38 in the second half to secure the victory.

TENNESSEE TECH 62, SIUE 52
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - JaJuan Nicholls surpassed 500 career points and recorded his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 15 rebounds to lead Tennessee Tech to a 62-52 Ohio Valley Conference victory over SIU Edwardsville on Thursday night at the Eblen Center.

Nicholls finished 7-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the free-throw line, dominating the paint on both ends as the Golden Eagles (12-16, 7-10 OVC) erased a two-point halftime deficit with a strong defensive second half. Nicholls is the first Golden Eagle to record 15-plus rebounds since Grant Slatten grabbed 15 against Kentucky Christian on Dec. 20, 2022. 

Tech trailed 28-26 at the break after SIUE (17-11, 10-7) knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to close the opening period. The Cougars built their largest lead of the half at 14-6 following a 10-0 run midway through the first 20 minutes, fueled by second-chance points and transition buckets.

Nicholls kept Tech within striking distance late in the half, scoring on a pull-up jumper with 2:09 remaining and helping the Golden Eagles tie the game at 25 on a pair of Mekhi Cameron free throws in the final minute before SIUE's late triple. Cameron reached 400-career points, finishing with nine.

The Golden Eagles found their rhythm early in the second half. Ty Owens scored on back-to-back pull-up jumpers to trim the deficit to one, and Nicholls converted a second-chance layup at the 17:24 mark to give Tech a 32-31 edge. Owens became the first Golden Eagle this season and the first since Jayvis Harvey on Feb. 22, 2024, to play all 40 minutes. 

After SIUE briefly regained the lead, Nicholls took control. He scored on consecutive possessions — first a layup in traffic, then a tip-in off his own miss at 14:57 — to put Tech ahead 38-36. He added a free throw to complete the three-point play and spark a decisive stretch.

Owens followed with a steal and a fast-break dunk to extend the lead to 41-36. Later, Slatten buried a second-chance 3-pointer at the 7:08 mark to cap a 9-0 run that gave Tech its largest lead to that point at 52-42.

Tech's defense held SIUE to 32.4 percent shooting in the second half and just 3 of 23 from beyond the arc for the game. The Golden Eagles controlled the glass, outrebounding the Cougars 47-35 and converting 16 second-chance points.

Owens added 12 points and a career-high seven rebounds, while Cameron contributed nine points — including an 8-for-8 performance at the free-throw line in the second half — to help seal the win. Brandon Muntu chipped in seven points and a career-high eight rebounds.

Nicholls secured his double-double emphatically in the closing seconds, grabbing his 15th rebound before knocking down two free throws with 25 seconds remaining to stretch the lead to 61-50 and put the game out of reach.