Tennessee State Holds Off EIU Men

Tennessee State made free throws when the Tigers needed them in the final minutes as they held off Eastern Illinois, 66-61, on Wednesday night in Ohio Valley Conference action in Lantz Arena.
 
Eastern Illinois closed to within one point three times in the final minute after trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half.  The Panthers fell to 4-11 overall, 1-2 in the OVC.  EIU will play at Belmont on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.   TSU improved to 11-4, 2-0 in the OVC.
 
Trae Anderson’s lay-up with 1:02 remaining cut TSU’s lead to 57-56 as the Panthers used a 7-0 run over a three minute time frame.  Demetrius McReynolds hit a 3-pointer and jumper to begin the run with Anderson closing it out with his lay-up.  Anderson had 20 points to lead EIU.
 
Keron DeShields ended EIU’s run with a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining only to see Cornell Johnston drain a three from the top of the key to cut the lead back to one point with 39 seconds left.  Tahjere McCall hit six straight free throws in the final 29 seconds to seal the win for TSU as EIU could only add an Anderson bucket with 13 seconds left.  McCall had a game high 24 points going 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
 
TSU jumped out to an early lead in the first half with free throws by Armani Chaney giving TSU a 15-5 lead with 12:20 to play in the first.  TSU would extend the lead to 17 points on a three point play by McCall with 4:45 to play in the first putting the Tigers up 28-11.
 
EIU closed the first half with a 12-3 run to only trail 31-23 at the break as Johnston sank a 3-pointer with 40 seconds to play in the first half.  Johnston just missed a double-double on the night finishing with 15 points and nine assists.
 
The Panthers continued to increase their offense in the second half knotting the game at 42-42 with 11:27 to play as Anderson hit a jumper at the free throw line.
 
TSU broke the tie with a 5-0 run as Marcus Roper’s 3-pointer at the 10:25 mark put the Tigers up 47-42.  TSU would only hit three more field goals the remainder of the game finishing the night at 40 percent shooting.  TSU held on going 13-of-16 from the free throw line in the second half.
 
Marshawn Blackmon had seven rebounds to lead EIU as they won the battle on the glass.
 
DeShields had 14 points and Wayne Martin added 10 points with eight rebounds.

SIUE Men Drop Loss

SIUE men's basketball forged a serious second-half comeback but ultimately fell 85-77 to Belmont in Ohio Valley Conference action Wednesday at Vadalabene Center.

SIUE has dropped five consecutive games and fell to 3-12 overall and 0-3 in the OVC. Belmont improved to 10-6 overall and 2-0 in the OVC.

Belmont shot 56.4 percent for the game and was 18 for 32 in the first half, including three three-pointers. The Bruins took a 42-29 advantage into the break.

The Cougars responded in the second half. SIUE connected on 19 of 34 shots (55.9 percent) from the floor during the second half and outscored the Bruins 48-43.

"We played with a different attitude in the second half," SIUE Head Coach Jon Harris said. "We turned the tables in the second half. We have to find a way to be that team every night. If we play with that effort consistently then our record would look a little different."

Sophomore Keenan Simmons paced the Cougar attack, scoring a career-high 21 points, all during the second half. Simmons was 9 of 11 for the game and missed just a single shot during the second half. He added seven rebounds to tie for the team lead.

EIU Women Fall To Tennessee State

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois women's basketball falls to Tennessee State 62-53 behind a late second half rally from the Tigers. Grace Lennox led the Panthers with 15 points, five assists, and a season best five steals.

The loss drops the Panthers to 1-14 on the season and 0-3 in the OVC while Tennessee State improves to 6-9 and are now 1-1 in the conference.

Tennessee State had four players earn double figure rebounds as they out-rebounded EIU 57-33 for the game. The Tigers' Samantha Palma and Jayda Johnson both recorded double-doubles with 15 and 21 points respectively.

The first quarter was a very low-scoring defensive battle as each team traded buckets to start the game. A quick five points from Lennox started by free-throws at the 3:38 mark pulled the Panthers ahead with a layup from Erica Brown putting EIU up 10-5 with 29 seconds left in the quarter.

EIU extended their lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter starting the period on a 7-2 run. Carmen Tellez scored her only points of the game at the 6:41 mark as she drained a three-pointer to give the Panthers their largest lead of the game 17-9.

The Tigers answered back with their own 7-2 run to close out the first half sparked by a layup from Johnson with 1:50 left in the second quarter. TSU's end of the quarter run cut the Panther lead down to 28-27 as the first half came to an end.

Only one shot separated the two teams at halftime as Tennessee State went 11-of-32 in the first half while EIU shot 10-of-30.