Nashville Standard

The Tennessee State men's basketball team held Southeast Missouri State to just 16 percent from deep in a 4-for-25 shooting performance on the way to an 85-65 victory against the Redhawks at home Thursday.

The Tigers (15-11, 7-6) had five players score in double figures, led by Jr. Clay, who had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Christian Brown tacked on 13 points off the bench, and Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. chipped in with 12 points.

David Acosta pulled down six offensive rebounds to lead the Tennessee State offense which grabbed 12 boards and turned them into 19 second-chance points.

Tennessee State's defense held Southeast Missouri State to only 16 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 38.2 percent from the field. The Tigers also limited Chris Harris to 1-of-8 shooting from downtown in the game. The Redhawks did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with eight offensive rebounds and managed 10 second-chance points while Tennessee State cleared 32 defensive rebounds.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 26-24 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 10-0 run with 7:15 left in the first half to increase its lead to 36-24. The Tigers then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 47-35 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down eight shots to account for 24 of its 47 points.

Following intermission, Tennessee State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 59-46 before going on a 10-0 run to grow the lead to 69-46 with 8:30 to go in the contest. The Redhawks narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised for the 85-65 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 13 of its 38 total points.

Game Notes

» Tennessee State found success from three-point land, knocking down 10 treys in the game.

» The Tigers held the Redhawks to only 38.2 percent shooting from the field.

» Tennessee State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.

» Tennessee State had a great day defensively, holding Southeast Missouri State to 16 percent from three-point land on 25 attempts.

» The Tennessee State bench made an impact by adding 31 points to its scoring output.

» Five Tennessee State players scored 10 or more points.

» Christian Brown and David Acosta came off the bench to score 13 and 10 points, respectively.

» Tennessee State had a 44-36 edge on the boards in the win.

» The Tennessee State defense forced 19 turnovers.

» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.

» Jr. Clay led the Tigers with a game-high 23 points.

» Tennessee State got a team-high eight rebounds from Jr. Clay. 

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