SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 56, Tennessee Tech 50
@Jacksonville State 76, SIUE 65
@Tennessee State 91, Eastern Kentucky 85 (2OT)
@#9 Murray State 73, Eastern Illinois 58
@Austin Peay 92, UT Martin 73
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MOREHEAD STATE 56, TENNESSEE TECH 50
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Senior Ty Proffitt tallied a season-high 20 points and the Morehead State men's basketball team finished the contest on an 18-4 run to post a 56-50 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles improve to 12-11 overall and 5-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference with their fourth victory in the past five games, while the Golden Eagles slip to 13-9 on the season and 5-4 in league play.
Proffitt canned 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw stripe. He also pulled down five rebounds and only committed one turnover in 32 minutes.
Junior Jud Dillard gave Tennessee Tech a 46-38 advantage with a jumper at the 6:38 mark of the second half, but Morehead State answered by making four three-pointers in a span of three minutes.
Junior Marsell Holden got the long distance party started with 4:45 remaining to cut the deficit to three. Sophomore Drew Kelly then drilled a three ball in between a pair of trifectas from Proffitt.
Proffitt and Kelly each made two free throws in the last 23 seconds to help MSU close the affair on a 7-0 spurt and preserve the season-series split with TTU.
Kelly added 15 points -- his fifth straight double-figure scoring effort -- while freshman Angelo Warner collected team highs of six rebounds and four assists.
Murphy, two days after pouring in 34 points at Eastern Kentucky, registered 18 points in addition to game highs of 10 rebounds and five assists. Dillard added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting for TTU.
Morehead State connected on 39 percent (7-of-18) from beyond the arc, while Tennessee Tech was limited to 18 percent (3-of-17). The Golden Eagles entered the day at 73 percent from the charity stripe, but converted on just 7-of-17 vs. MSU.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 76, SIUE 65
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Five players scored in double figures for the Jacksonville State men's basketball team on Saturday night, pacing the Gamecocks to a 76-65 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Ohio Valley Conference action.
The Gamecocks (9-14, 4-6 OVC) got 10 or more points from five players for the first time since early January of last season and grabbed their third-straight win in the process. JSU evened the season series with the Cougars (5-13, 3-6 OVC) and posted its first three-game OVC winning streak since the 2005-06 season.
Junior Ronnie Boggs filled the stat sheet for the Gamecocks, falling one rebound short of a double-double. The Kansas City, Kan., went 5-for-8 from the floor to score 11 points, his fourth double-digit scoring night in his last six games. He also tied his career high with a team-best nine rebounds, while swiping a season-high six steals and dishing four assists.
Freshman Darion Rackley poured in a career-best 16 points on a 5-for-6 shooting effort and pitched in six boards, also a career high. The St. Louis, Mo., native dished four assists in the win.
Sophomore Nick Cook went 7-for-11 from the field to score 16 points, but the Hattiesburg, Miss., native made the biggest impression in another column. Two nights after setting a new career high with three assists, Cook dished six against the Cougars, blocked three shots and pulled in six boards.
Sophomore Brian Williams led the Gamecocks with 18 points, while junior Tarvin Gaines added 10 before fouling out. They capped a group of five Gamecocks that combined for 70 of JSU's 76 points in the game.
The Cougars got 18 points from Jerome Jones, but points guard Kris Davis, who entered the game averaging better than 12 points per game, was held to a season-low five points on just 1-for-8 shooting. He also committed six of his team's 19 turnovers, a stat that led to 26 JSU points.
The Gamecocks turned it over just seven times, and used the SIUE miscues to put together a 25-2 advantage in fast-break points.
The Cougars scored the game's first two points but trailed the rest of the way, thanks to an 11-4 JSU run that gave the Gamecocks the lead for good. SIUE got within two twice before JSU took a 34-38 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Cougars scored the first bucket of the second half but JSU answered and never looked back, putting together a 14-2 run at one point that opened up a 58-44 advantage with just over 10 minutes to play.
TENNESSEE STATE 91, EASTERN KENTUCKY 85 (2OT)
NASHVILLE - Fans enjoyed a thrilling contest on Saturday evening, which saw 19 lead changes, as Tennessee State battled and captured a 91-85 double-overtime victory over Eastern Kentucky Saturday evening at the Gentry Center .
TSU (13-10, 6-4 Ohio Valley) trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before making a late surge. Eastern Kentucky (12-11, 5-5 OVC) built a five point lead in regulation with 2:44 left, but the Tigers never stopped. TSU used a Kenny Moore three pointer and a Jordan Cyphers layup to tie the game at 67.
From there, EKU's Mike DiNunno inked one of his seven three-pointers to regain the lead. TSU fought back with three free throws to tie the game, 70-70. TSU led on three occasions in the first OT period, but EKU knotted it up with free throws.
In the second overtime, the Tigers used a layup from M.J. Rhett and two free throws from Patrick Miller to take the go-ahead lead. Saturday's win gave TSU a 19-3 mark at home during the past two seasons and extended the home winning streak to seven games over OVC opponents.
Five Tigers reached double-figures as TSU shot 48 percent (31-of-64) for the game. The Tigers out-rebounded EKU 37-to-34 and dished out 18 assists, while recording 11 steals.
Robert Covington notched a team-best 22 points and eight points. The Bellwood, Ill., product dished out two assists, swatted away two shots and stole two passes in 40 minutes played.
Moore had 15 points, two assists and a career-high five steals against EKU. Kellen Thornton added 14 points, knocking down 6-of-7 from the field.
Rhett managed a season-best 11 points and five rebounds with an assist and a block. Also making 11 was sophomore Patrick Miller. The Chicago native tied a career-high with eight rebounds, making four assists and totaling three steals.
Wil Peters added nine points and five assists, while Cyphers scored seven in 20 minutes. EKU's DiNunno and Jaron Jones finished with 33 and 30 points, respectively.
The Tigers trailed by six, 38-32, to EKU in the first half. The Colonels shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field. TSU was held to 44 percent, knocking down 12 out of 27 shots. Thornton led the Tigers with 10 points and three rebounds.
Tennessee State and Eastern Kentucky battled back and forth with both teams trading baskets in the first 10 minutes. EKU used a triple and layup by Jones to take a 21-17 lead with 8:35 on the clock.
TSU reset the game at 24-24, but the Colonels again used a triple and a basket to stretch the advantage at five.
To close the half, Eastern Kentucky used a 14-to-8 run, taking a 38-32 lead in the locker room.
Keeping the iron hot, EKU extended their lead to 12 until TSU roared in a comeback to take a 54-48 advantage. EKU went back up and took a five point lead with less than three minutes remaining.
However, TSU used momentum to tie the game, 70-70, at the end of regulation. The Tigers battled with EKU in the first overtime, taking the lead three times. However, EKU managed to tie the game with a pair of free throws forcing a second frame.
In the final stanza, the Tigers used a six point run to close the game and pick up their third consecutive win.
#9 MURRAY STATE 73, EASTERN ILLINOIS 58
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State Racers kept their perfect start to the season going Saturday with a 73-58 win over Eastern Illinois at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
The Racers' 21-0 start to the season and 21-game winning streak continue to set the school record.
Isaiah Canaan scored 18 points and Donte Poole added 18 to push the Racers to 9-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Leading 36-25 at half, the Racers put the clamps on the Panthers and put together a 17-4 run in the first six minutes. The Racers got back-to-back threes from Canaan and Poole for a 52-39 lead when the run was finished.
The Racers were leading 19-16 in the first half when Stacy Wilson came off bench and hit back-to-back threes for a 25-16 lead at the 7:52 mark. MSU closed the half with a put back by Ivan Aska for a 36-25 lead at the break. The 11 minutes Aska played in the first half marked his return from a Dec. 30 broken bone in his right hand, his first action after missing the last six games.
The announced attendance of 8,673 was close to the recent record for the CFSB Center (Jan. 14) when 8,691 watched MSU defeat Tennessee Tech. Tonight's game marked the second straight sellout at the CFSB Center.
AUSTIN PEAY 92, UT MARTIN 73
MARTIN, Tenn. - TyShwan Edmondson and John Fraley combined for 45 points and 21 rebounds as Austin Peay State University pulled away late from stubborn UT Martin, defeating the Skyhawks, 92-73, Saturday night in Ohio Valley Conference action.
The victory pushes the Governors to 6-4 in the OVC and 9-14 overall while UT Martin falls to 3-20 overall and 0-10 in the OVC. It was the Skyhawks' 11th straight loss.
UT Martin certainly didn't play like a team that was without an OVC victory. The Skyhawks led much of the early going and stayed close most of the first half. It took a 12-point flurry by Edmondson, the 6-3 senior guard, for the Govs to gain some momentum.
With Austin Peay leading 12-10, the senior guard proceeded to score the Governors' next four baskets, including back-to-back three pointers. He then topped off that three-minute spurt with a pair of free throws.
Despite his production, the Govs still led by only six points, 24-18, as the Skyahwks' Troy King came off the bench to keep UTM close. In fact, the Skyahwks would trim the lead to one, 24-23, and 38-37, before Josh Terry ended the half with a short jumper to allow APSU to take 40-37 lead into intermission. Edmondson ended the half with 12 of his 22 points, knocking down 4-of-5 shots.
In the second half, it was Fraley, the 6-8 center, taking charge for the Governors as he scored 13 of his game-high 23 points while grabbing nine rebounds. And the Govs needed it as UTM continued to reel in the Governors every time they would build anything close to a substantial lead.
Fraley's three-point play at 15:41 mark of the second half gave APSU a 54-44 advantage. After UTM cut the Govs margin to two, 65-63, with 9:28 left, Fraley slammed home a missed Terry shot to push the lead back to four.
Finally the Govs were able to pull away in the closing minutes. In fact, the Govs finished the contest on a 19-3 run against a depleted Skyhawks team that saw four players foul out. Fraley had six of those points plus a blocked shot.
Fraley finished the night with his season's fourth double-double, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds to go with his 23 points. His rebound work helped the Govs hold a 40-31 rebound advantage. That was on the heels of the Govs being manhandled by Southeast Missouri, 50-26, on the boards, Thursday night.
Fraley's 13 rebounds allowed him to move past Trenton Hassell into 10th place all-time in Govs' career rebounding with 690.
Edmondson, meanwhile, finished the night six-of-nine from the floor, including a trio of three pointers, while grabbing a season-high eight rebounds.
Terry added 16 points while Melvin Baker added 12. Jerome Clyburn missed by one point of giving the Govs five players in double figures.
Austin Peay, after shooting just 34.6 percent from the floor at SEMO, ended Saturday by going 30-of-55 from the floor (54.5 percent).
The Govs also made 28 of 39 free-throw attempts.
Guard Mike Liabo led UT Martin with 18 points while King added 15, including three first-half three pointers. Jeremy Washington added 10 points.