Ohio Valley Conference

EIU improved to 10-5 overall, 4-1 in the OVC which marks the second best start to a season by the Panther program in the NCAA Division I history of the program.  SEMO fell to 5-10, 2-3 in the OVC.

Tyler Laser led the Panthers with 20 points and was hot early from the field after going 0-for-7 from the field in the Panthers last game.  Laser scored six of the Panthers first 15 points as they built a 15-7 lead at 12:58 as Laser connected on three free throw attempts.

Following a bucket and free throw by SEMO's Cameron Butler, EIU went on a 16-3 run that stretched the Panthers lead to 31-13 with just under eight minutes left to play.  Romain Martin sparked the run with a lay-up and 3-pointer as he finished with eight points off the bench to move into 19^th place on the Panthers career scoring list.

EIU led 49-29 at the break as they shot 53 percent in the first half while holding SEMO to just 38 percent from the field including only a 1-for-9 effort from beyond the arc.

The Panthers extended their lead to 25 points at the 16:22 mark on a Curry McKinney 3-pointer and never looked back in second half.  EIU was 8-of-16 from 3-point range with Laser hitting 4-of-8, Martin 2-of-2 and McKinney 2-of-3.  SEMO was limited to just 6-of-24 from outside.

SEMO would trim the lead to 18 with 3:17 left in the game on a LaQuentin Miles jumper for their smallest deficit in the second half.  The Redhawks were led by Butler with 17 points as he hit 7-of-10 from the field.  LaMont Russell pulled down 13 rebounds.

EIU had a balanced scoring effort as Ousmane Cisse was the only other Panther player to hit double figures besides Laser with 20.  Cisse had 10 points and pulled in eight rebounds as EIU won the battle on the glass 42-35.

The Eagles improved to 10-6 and 5-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while the JSU squad fell to 6-9 and 2-3 in the OVC.

Kenneth Faried registered his 10th double-double of the year with a team high 16 points and 13 rebounds. He also blocked four shots and had three steals. Demonte Harper was held scoreless in the first half but exploded for 13 second half points - his 14th game in double figures. Maze Stallworth scored 15, and Steve Peterson put in 12 points.

The Eagles trailed JSU 23-21 at the 8:51 mark of the opening half, but a three-pointer from the left wing by Stallworth put MSU on top at 8:22. Faried got open for a layup, and then Hill drained a triple to give the Eagles a 29-23 advantage at 6:33. The Eagles raised the margin to seven (31-24) after Sam Goodman grabbed a rebound near the out-of-bounds line and drove back in for an uncontested lay-in.

The Eagles led 36-31 at the break. Faried got a loose ball and slammed down a one-handed dunk with four seconds remaining.

MSU came out of the gate with energy and emotion in the first four minutes of the second half as they opened up a 10-point lead (46-36). Harper knocked down an open triple to put the Eagles on top in double digits, forcing a JSU timeout.

Late in the second half, the Gamecocks battled back and trailed the Eagles by only a 67-65 count, but another Stallworth trey gave the Eagles a five-point cushion with 2:22 left in the game. A pair of Brandon Shingles charity tosses pushed the lead out to 72-65 with 1:26 left. Shingles hit two more free throws before JSU unsuccessfully attempted an alley-oop dunk. The Eagles were able to ice the contest at the free throw line.

The Eagles shot 47 percent and were 8-of-22 beyond the arc. JSU managed to shoot 50 percent. The Eagles won the battle on the glass, 31-29.

Trenton Marshal led all scorers with 21 points and also had 10 rebounds and five assists. Nick Murphy scored 16 points, while Jeremy Bynum and Stephen Hall each had 12 points.

The Racers did it with the calling card of Billy Kennedy coached teams, stingy defense.

After the Govs had cut the MSU lead to 52-49 with 6:18 remaining, the Racers finished the game on a 17-4 run allowing only one field goal.

MSU took advantage and got a big three-pointer from B.J. Jenkins with 4:26 left to lead 56-51.

The confirming basket was provided in a Tony Easley slam dunk after a steal for a 60-51 lead at 2:50.

During their game-winning run, the Racers hit 6-of-9 from the free throw line which led to a good game from the stripe where they were 22-of-28 for 78 percent.

MSU forced the Govs into 17 turnovers and held them to 33 percent shooting (13-of-39), while managing 47 percent (21-of-44). MSU also held the Govs to 2-of-11 shooting from the three-point line for 18 percent.

MSU had nine players make the scoring column out of the 10 that played.

The Racers' win was set up when they enjoyed two double-digit leads in the first half.

The first came with 7:03 remaining after MSU got a steal and slam dunk by Donte Poole and a pair of free throws from Ed Daniel for a 20-9 advantage.

After APSU cut the lead to four, MSU moved it to 10 with :32 left on a Miles three-pointer and a drive by Danero Thomas. 

MSU led 31-21 before the Govs got the final basket of the half to make it a 31-23 Racer lead.

Jenkins led the way for MSU with a game-high 14 points, while Miles added 12 and Isaiah Canaan tossed in 11 off the bench.

Poole led MSU with five rebounds.

The Racers have won four straight and are 13-3 and 5-0 in league play.

TENNESSEE STATE 73, UT MARTIN 59
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State University men's basketball team opened a double digit lead in the first half and held it throughout the game, defeating UT Martin, 73-59, inside the Gentry Center on McDonald's Kids Night, Saturday evening.

TSU (4-13, 1-5 OVC) tacks on its first OVC win, snapping a five-game losing streak and a seven-game skid to the Skyhawks. The win gives TSU their first against UTM since 2006. Offensively, they shot 38 percent overall, 36 percent from long range, while topping the boards from one of the league's top rebounding teams, 42-38.

Wil Peters scored a team best, 16 points, to go with a career and game-high, nine rebounds. Robert Covington registered 16 points from 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Josh Sain added 15 points hitting 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Jeremiah Crutcher finished with seven assists and a career-high six rebounds.

Defensively, the Tigers managed 12 steals and four blocks with Lonnie Funderburke and Hamilton Nash each delivering two apiece. The two-block performance is the first for both players.

The Tigers shot 48 percent from the floor in the first with Covington scoring all of his 14 points in the half. With the scored tied 16-16, TSU mastered a 24-8 run at the 11:34 mark, sparked by a three-point basket by Martell Buie in the right corner.

Buie scored eight points from 3-of-4 shooting to lead the reserves who chipped in 14 total points. The surge put the Tigers out in front at the half, 40-24.

TSU held their largest lead in the second with 15:21 on the clock, 53-28, courtesy of a 13-4 run to open the half.

With the score, 58-33 (10:09), in favor of TSU, the Skyhawks answered, turning up the tempo and posting 15 unanswered points, to narrow the gap, 58-48 (5:04). The Tigers shot 13-of-15 from the free-throw line down the stretch and 83 percent overall, to finish outscoring UTM, 15-11, for the final score.

UTM (2-12, 0-5 OVC) drops their third straight and was led in scoring by Ron Spencer and Reuben Clayton. Spencer scored 16 points and eight rebounds, hitting 5-of-6 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line. Clayton finished with 14 points and four rebounds. The Skyhawks hit 39 percent from the floor and 26 percent from three-point range.

EASTERN KENTUCKY 78, TENNESSEE TECH 73
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech senior Frank Davis established a career record for most 3-pointers made, but his team-best 25 points and seven assists couldn't lift his team over Eastern Kentucky Saturday night. The Colonels had too many weapons, including four players in double figures, on the way to a 78-73 Ohio Valley Conference victory.

EKU improved to 11-6 overall and 4-2 within the conference while the Golden Eagles slipped to 7-9 overall and 1-4 in OVC action.

Eastern Kentucky never trailed in the contest. The Golden Eagles were able to fight their way back into a tie in the final two minutes, but the Colonels outscored Tech 9-4 in the final three minutes for the victory.

Justin Stommes topped EKU with 22 points, going 5-for-7 from long range. Guard Willie Cruz was 8-for-8 from the field, the benefactor of some timely Colonel passes that freed him for eight layups, and finished with 19 points and four assists. Josh Taylor scored 15 and Papa Oppong added 14 points and four steals.

Davis, who now has 213 career 3-pointers, finished 5-for-9 from long distance for 25 points. The only other Golden Eagle in double figures was sophomore Kevin Murphy with 13. Point guard Elijah Muhammad had eight points and seven assists while freshman Jud Dillard added eight points and nine rebounds.

Tech shot 54.7 percent from the field, the seventh consecutive game over the 50 percent mark. The Golden Eagles were 10-for-20 from long range, and owned a 28-22 edge in rebounds.

EKU shot even better, hitting 58.3 percent from the field including 12-for-26 from beyond the arc.

The Colonels jumped out to a 7-0 lead and led all the way to halftime behind 11 points each from Taylor and Stommes, who each drained three 3-pointers. EKU shot 7-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half for 41.2 percent

The Golden Eagles scratched their way back into the contest midway in the second half with an 8-0 run. Down 50-40, it began with a 3-pointer from Murphy. Frank Davis rebounded his missed shot and hit a floater, then canned a 3-pointer to make it 50-48.

Oppong drained a 3-pointer and EKU eventually rebuilt the lead to eight at 63-55 with 7:02 to play. Once again, the Golden Eagles rallied, putting together a 14-6 run which included two 3-pointers each from Davis and Murphy. A layup by Bassey Inameti with 3:12 to play made it 69-69.

Cruz and Taylor hit free throws for a four-point lead and Davis cut it to one with another 3-pointer, making it 73-72 with 2:12 left.

EKU worked the ball to Stommes for a short jumper, and Taylor blocked a shot by Dillard at the other end. A missed 3-pointer by the Golden Eagles led to a layup at the other end by Cruz and a 77-72 lead with 27 seconds left.

Each team added one free throw for the final margin.

SOUTH DAKOTA 100, SIU EDWARDSVILLE 76
VERMILLION, S.D. - Despite a season high from SIUE's Aamir McCleary and career highs by Cody Rincker and Denykco Bowles, the Cougars dropped a 100-76 decision Saturday night at South Dakota.

In a pairing of two men's basketball teams reclassifying to Division I, South Dakota used home court advantage to push past the Cougars, 2-14. The Coyotes shot 59.6 from the field and hit two-thirds of their shots in the second half.

McCleary led SIUE with 24 points and seven assists. Rincker, making his first start of the season in place of the injured Mark Yelovich, scored 11 points.

Bowles recorded the first double-double of his SIUE career, scoring 14 points and adding 11 rebounds. Both were career highs for Bowles. SIUE's 76 points was the most the Cougars have scored this season.

South Dakota, 7-8, matched the Cougars with a number of season scoring highs.
Tyler Cain pumped in a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds while Louie Krogman and Roman Gentry added 19 and 18 points, respectively.

The Cougars looked sharp early, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. However, South Dakota took a seven-point lead by halftime after hitting 18 of 33 shots in the first half.

South Dakota's offense kicked up another notch in the second half. The Coyotes hit 16 of 24 shots and finished the game with 10 three-pointers.