Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (11-11) vs. Eastern Kentucky

Tennessee Tech fell to EKU by a score of 80-73 on Thursday night. EKU had four Colonels score in double figures. Tennessee Tech (11-11, 5-7) opened the game with a 14-8 lead, but Eastern Kentucky went on a 21-5 run to take a 29-19 advantage on a Rose 3-pointer. The Colonels made nine 3-pointers in the first half and took a 43-32 lead into halftime for their seventh win in nine games and third straight. Kevin Murphy led Tennessee Tech with 21 points, including going 6-for-9 from 3-point range.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (8-14) vs. Florida International

Chris Gradnigo scored 31 points and Louisiana-Lafayette defeated Florida International 90-73 on Thursday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns (8-14, 5-6 Sun Belt Conference) shot 46.7 percent from behind the 3-point arc (14 of 30), just one game after shooting five percent (2 of 38) from long range at Florida Atlantic on Saturday. Randell Daigle and Gradnigo each hit five 3-pointers. Daigle added 15 points for the Ragin’ Cajuns and LaRyan Gary chipped in 12. Louisiana-Lafayette led by as many as 24 points, 71-47 on a Travis Bureau 3-pointer with 13:33 left to play. Gradnigo, who had 22 points in the first half, was the first Louisiana-Lafayette player since Anthony Johnson on Jan. 24, 2002 to score 30-plus points in the Cajundome.

Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (13-9) vs. Troy

Troy defeated Arkansas State 85-77 Thursday night for the Trojans’ seventh straight win, the longest current winning streak in the Sun Belt Conference, and coach Don Maestri’s 450th career victory.The Trojans (14-10, 9-3) trailed only once, at 30-29, and led 41-34 at halftime. Troy led by 24 points at 80-56 with 6:40 remaining. Eric McKinney led the Red Wolves, who have lost four straight to Troy, with 16 points. Donald Boone added 15 and Brandon Ayers and Yima Chia-Kur had 10 apiece.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (10-12) vs. Cleveland State

Cleveland State got a 66-63 win over Illinois-Chicago on Thursday night. Cleveland State (16-8, 7-5 Horizon League) trailed the entire second half until a late three-pointer. Cleveland State sealed the game by making two foul shots with seven seconds left. Illinois-Chicago (10-12, 3-9) led 48-37 points with just over 16 minutes left, when the Vikings went on an 11-2 run. Robo Kreps led the Flames with 19 points. Scott Vandermeer added 13 points and 10 rebounds; Tori Boyd scored 11 points and Josh Mayo, who missed the last game with with a sprained ankle, chipped in 10.

Norm Duke and teammate Liz Johnson won the Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship in dominating fashion. Duke called his 31st career Professional Bowlers Association title “the easiest I’ve ever won” and that was because he and partner Liz Johnson were nearly perfect in running away with the Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship at the National Bowling Stadium.

Johnson, the first and only woman to advance to the title match in a Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour event, and Duke defeated Jennifer Petrick of Canton, Ohio, and Steve Harman of Indianapolis, 274-180, in the title match to split the $50,000 first prize.

See the full article here: http://www.pba.com/news/feature.asp?ID=1121

1/31/09

#8 Marquette (Scott Monarch) (19-2) vs. #23 Georgetown

Having taken down yet another of the Big East’s big names, No. 8 Marquette goes into February undefeated in the conference and oozing confidence. The Golden Eagles used a second-half surge to put away Georgetown (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP) 94-82 on Saturday — the fifth straight loss for the reeling Hoyas. The victory leaves Marquette (19-2, 8-0), tied for the conference lead with No. 7 Louisville. Jerel McNeal scored 26 points in perhaps his most complete game of the season, adding 11 assists, six rebounds, five steals and three blocks while committing only three turnovers.

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (11-10) vs. Southeast Missouri (Rodney Hamilton) (3-20)

Daniel Northern had a career high 27 points and a career-tying 18 rebounds to lead Tennessee Tech to a 91-75 win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday. Kevin Murphy also had a career high with 16 points for Tennessee Tech (11-10, 5-6 Ohio Valley), with Frank Davis adding 15 points and Alfred Jones 11 for the Golden Eagles. Kenard Moore scored 21 for Southeast Missouri (3-20, 0-12), Jaycen Herring had 17 and Calvin Williams had 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Golden Eagles led 11-1 four minutes into the game but went into halftime up by only four, 35-31. Tennessee Tech took command in the first five minutes of the second half by outscoring the Redhawks 23-6 to take its largest lead at 58-37. Tennessee Tech shot 72 percent from the field in the second half.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (7-14) vs. Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic held Louisiana-Lafayette without a double-figure scorer in a 63-47 win on Saturday night, the Owls’ first Sun Belt Conference win of the season. The Owls shot just 39.5 percent from the field (17 of 43) in the win, but the Ragin’ Cajuns (7-14, 4-6) hit 26.9 percent (18 of 67). Florida Atlantic also hit 25 free throws versus nine for the Ragin’ Cajuns, along with going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Louisiana-Lafayette hit just 2 of 38 from 3-point range. Louisiana-Lafayette’s Travis Bureau, who came in shooting 41.9 percent from beyond the arc, made just 1 of his 10 attempts from long range.

Savannah State (Horace Broadnax) (11-11) vs. North Carolina Central (Henry Dickerson) (2-22)

Chris Linton scored 13 points and Savannah State picked up its first road win of the season with a 67-51 victory over North Carolina Central on Saturday night. The Tigers (11-11) won for the first time in 11 games away from home and sent the Eagles (2-22) to their fifth consecutive loss. Savannah State led 29-28 at halftime, but outscored North Carolina Central 38-23 in the second half, going 14 of 24 from the field (58.3 percent). The Tigers scored 20 of the first 24 points in the second half for a 48-33 lead with 10:17 remaining in the game. Savannah State outrebounded the Eagles 38-18. Jovonni Shuler added 12 points and Arnold Louis scored 11 points and had nine rebounds for Savannah State. Linton also added eight rebounds. Jamar Briscoe led North Carolina Central with 28 points.

Wisconsin-Green Bay got a 83-72 victory over Illinois-Chicago in a Horizon League game on Wednesday night. The Flames led 37-36 at halftime before Green Bay got hot from behind the arc. Ryan Tillema added 18 points for Green Bay (16-6, 8-2), which sank 9-of-14 3-pointers in the second half. Robo Kreps paced the Flames (10-10, 3-7) with 17 points.

Savannah State (Horace Broadnax) (10-11) vs. Allen

Chris Linton scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as each Savannah State player scored in a 77-43 rout over Allen University on Wednesday night. The Tigers (10-11) went into halftime with a 30-26 lead, but outscored the Yellow Jackets (3-17) by 30 points in the second half. Savannah State shot 80 percent from the field (20-for-25) in the second half — 68.1 percent for the game. A dunk by Anthony Jones, who finished with 13 points, put Savannah State ahead 52-33 with 10:17 left. The Tigers later scored 11 straight points to claim a 73-41 advantage, capped by Tracy Rankins‘ jumper with 2:02 remaining in the game.

Southeast Missouri (Rodney Hamilton) (3-19) vs. Jacksonville State

Jacksonville State snapped a six-game losing streak with a 78-68 win over Southeast Missouri on Thursday. Southeast Missouri (3-19, 0-11) remained winless in conference play and ran its losing streak to 11 despite 23 points from Calvin Williams and 19 from Kenard Moore. The Redhawks never led by more than two points in the game, and Jacksonville State scored the first seven points of the second half to open up a 39-28 lead. Southeast Missouri got within 3 points with about 13 minutes remaining, but Jacksonville State pulled away down the stretch.

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (10-10) vs. Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois got a 75-58 win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday night. Eastern Illinois never trailed after pulling ahead 2-1 in the first minutes of the game. Eastern Illinois held Tennessee Tech (10-10, 4-6) leading scorer Daniel Northern, who averaged 11.7 points, to six free throws and 0-for-4 shooting from the field. Tennessee Tech shot 31 percent, and the Panthers outrebounded the Golden Eagles 44-39. Eastern Illinois led 33-20 at halftime. Kevin Murphy led Tennessee Tech with 11 points.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (7-13) vs. Middle Tennessee State

Middle Tennessee State held off Louisiana-Lafayette 83-76 on Thursday night. Leading 66-52 with 6:19 left, the Blue Raiders (13-8, 7-3 Sun Belt Conference) made 17 of 24 free throws — but no field goals — the rest of the game, but the Ragin’ Cajuns could get no closer than six. Middle Tennessee State was 27 of 36 from the foul line for the game. The Blue Raiders scored no points in the final 3:52 of the first half, but still led 33-30 at halftime. Courtney Wallace had 15 points, Ryan McCoy 14 and Travis Bureau 11 for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (10-15) vs. Austin

The Vipers snuck past the Toros 109-104 on Friday night. The Vipers were led by Trent Strickland, who had 27 points and 7 rebounds. Alpha Bangura also contributed 23 points and 7 rebounds in the victory.

1/24/09

#10 Marquette (Scott Monarch) (17-2) vs. Depaul

Jerel McNeal had 21 points and six rebounds and Lazar Hayward added 16 points and 17 rebounds in a 79-70 victory over the Blue Demons on Saturday that kept the Golden Eagles undefeated in the Big East. McNeal’s defense has been one of the biggest reasons Marquette (17-2, 6-0) is off to its best start ever in conference play, topping a 5-0 mark 16 years ago when the Golden Eagles were known as the Warriors and played in the Great Midwest.

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (10-9) vs. Tennessee State

Alex Davis scored 21 points to lead Tennessee Tech to an 86-78 win over Tennessee State on Saturday night. Daniel Northern added 16 points for the Golden Eagles (10-9, 4-5 Ohio Valley Conference). Davis also went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles led by three points at the break and outscored the Tigers 49-44 in the second half. Tennessee Tech won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Tigers 37-29. The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series between the schools 25-20.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (7-12) vs. South Alabama

Randell Daigle hit a 3-pointer as time expired to lift Lousiana-Lafayette to a 67-65 win over South Alabama on Saturday night. Travis Bureau led the Ragin’ Cajuns (7-12, 4-4 Sun Belt Conference) with 18 points. Chris Gradnigo scored 13 and Daigle chipped in with eight. With 20 seconds left, Bureau made one of two attempts to give Louisiana-Lafayette a 64-62 lead. Following a team timeout, South Alabama sank a 3-pointer with two seconds left to put them up by one. Then Daigle responded with a 3-pointer to win the game.

Southeast Missouri State (Rodney Hamilton) (3-18) vs. Murray State

Murray State had four players in double figures in an 80-55 rout of Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night. Jaycen Herring and Calvin Williams scored 16 points apiece to lead the Redhawks (3-18, 0-10), who have dropped 10 straight games. The Racers hit 12 of 18 free throw attempts, while the Redhawks went just 8 of 17 from the line. Murray State also hit eight shots from beyond the arc compared to one for the Redhawks. Holloway hit five of those 3-pointers. Murray State led by eight points at the break, and went on a 16-0 run during a four-minute span midway through the second half to pull away.

Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (13-7) vs. Florida Atlantic

Yima Chia-Kur scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Arkansas State headed off an upset by Florida Atlantic in a 62-60 victory Saturday. Donald Boone added 13 points for ASU (13-7, 5-4 Sun Belt Conference). The Red Wolves had a comfortable 10-point lead going into the half with 35-25 on the scoreboard. But the Owls (4-17, 0-9) pushed ahead with superior shooting in 3-pointers in the second half making 42.9 percent to ASU’s 33.3 percent. Arkansas State was 0-0 in free throws in the final period.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (10-9) vs. Wright State

Wright State got a 57-31 victory on Saturday night. Scott Vandermeer had 10 points for the Flames (10-9, 3-6), who hit just 11-of-42 shots from the field for 26 percent. The Flames trailed just 34-25 at the 13:26 mark of the second half but the Raiders scored 23 of the game’s final 29 points.

NCCU (Henry Dickerson) (2-21) vs. Chicago State

Chicago State routed North Carolina Central 103-63 on Saturday night. Chicago State dominated the boards, with 62 points in the paint, compared with just 20 by North Carolina Central (2-21). The Cougars led 59-31 at the half. Chicago State made 17-of-33 field goal attempts, or 56 percent, compared with 11-of-34, or nearly 36 percent, for the Eagles. Philip Branch had 15 points and Vincent Davis added 13 for North Carolina Central.

Savannah State (Horace Broadnax) (9-11) vs. Utah Valley

Utah Valley turned in a collective effort and beat Savannah State 55-39 Satuday afternoon. Utah Valley (9-8) took a 24-19 lead into the half and never looked back as they cruised to the 16-point victory. A quick Wolverine run extended the lead to 10 early in the second half and the Tigers would come no closer as they dropped to 9-11 on the season. Raye Bailey, Anthony Jones and Rashad Hassan led the Tigers in scoring with eight points apiece while Jones also chipped in with eight rebounds.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (6-11) vs. UAB

Alabama-Birmingham placed six players in double figures to beat Louisiana Lafayette 97-62 on Monday night. UAB (11-7) led 51-20 at halftime and built the margin to as many as 41 points in the second half. Chris Gradnigo scored 14 points, all in the second half, to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns while Tyren Johnson added 12 points and Corey Bloom had 10. Louisiana-Lafayette (6-11) played without leading scorer Travis Bureau (15.4 ppg), who has a lingering groin injury.

1/20/09

Savannah State (Horace Broadnax) (9-10) vs. Jacksonville

Jacksonville got a 69-56 win over Savannah State on Tuesday night. Rashad Hassan led the Tigers (9-10) with 19 points and Chris Linton added 10. The Dolphins, who led by one point at the break, trailed 32-31 to start the second half after Linton’s jumper. That would be the Tigers’ last lead. The Dolphins went 22-for-27 on free throws, while the Tigers hit just 8 of 18 from the line. Jacksonville also hit 7 of 16 shots from beyond the arc compared to a 2-for-10 mark for Savannah State.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (9-14) vs. Anaheim

The Vipers got a 117-113 win over the Anaheim Arsenal on Tuesday night. The Vipers were led by Trent Strickland who put up 28 points in the win and also added 6 boards. Jared Jordan also had a strong performance for the Vipers with 18 points and 12 assists.

NCCU (Henry Dickerson) (1-18) vs. Texas-Pan American

Jamar Briscoe scored 21 points and North Carolina Central won its first game of the season, defeating Texas-Pan American 77-71 on Wednesday night. N.C. Central led by as many as 21 points, 69-48, on a Joshua Worthy layup with 5:31 left. Vincent Davis added 20 points for N.C. Central and Bryan Ayala chipped in 12. Texas-Pan American shot 61.4 percent form the field (27 of 44), but committed 20 turnovers which led to 21 Eagles’ points. N.C. Central hit 7 of 11 from 3-point range, including a perfect 3 of 3 by Davis.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (7-14) vs. Colorado

The Vipers lost to the 14ers 129-110 on Wednesday night. The Vipers were led by Alpha Bangura who had a solid night with 26 points on 10 for 19 from the field. He also had 8 rebounds.

1/15/09

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (8-8) vs. UT Martin

Tennessee-Martin got a 83-72 win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday night. After the teams played to a 34-34 tie at halftime, Tennessee-Martin shot 52.2 percent (20 of 35), while Tennessee Tech shot 34.4 percent (11 of 32) for the rest of the game. Tennessee Tech (8-8, 2-4) had four players in double figures as D.J. Lindsay scored 15 points, Will Barnes added 14, Daniel Northern put in 11 and grabbed 10 rebounds and Zach Bailey tallied 10 points. The Skyhawks scored 21 points off of 19 Golden Eagles’ turnovers. In front of a national television audience on ESPNU, Tennessee-Martin scored 50 points in the paint and had 16 fast-break points.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (6-10) vs. UALR

The Ragin’ Cajuns lost to Arkansas-Little Rock by a score of 79-71 on Thursday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns were led by Chris Gradnigo who came off the bench to score 20 points and grab 6 rebounds. Randall Daigle also contributed 14 points going 4 for 9 from beyond the arc.

SE Missouri State (Rodney Hamilton) (3-15) vs. Morehead State

Morehead State got a 73-67 win over Southeast Missouri Thursday night. Kenard Moore tied his career high with 31 points and Jaycen Herring added 18 for the Redhawks (3-15, 0-7). Morehead State took the lead for good with about seven minutes remaining in the first half. An 8-0 run late in the period put the Eagles up 35-29 at halftime. The Eagles gained their largest lead, 46-34, three minutes into the second half. Southeast Missouri pulled within four points with 4:25 remaining, but a couple of late turnovers cost the Redhawks heavily.

Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (12-5) vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Shawn Morgan came off the bench to score 19 points and grab 9 rebounds as Arkansas State edged Louisiana-Monroe 65-62 in Sun Belt Conference action Thursday night. ASU’s Eric McKinney achieved a double-double, scoring 17 points and snaring 15 rebounds. ASU (12-5, 4-2) and ULM (5-12-1-5) were tied at 26 points each at the break. The Red Wolves increased their shooting percentage from 33 before intermission to 56 percent after halftime to get the win.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (9-7) vs. Valparaiso

Robo Kreps had a game-high 23 points to lead Illinois-Chicago to a 77-52 win over Valparaiso on Thursday night. Tori Boyd scored 14 points, Rob Eppinger had 13 points and Josh Mayo added 10 points for Illinois-Chicago (9-7, 2-4 Horizon), which led 35-27 at halftime. Valparaiso couldn’t keep up with the Flames, who went on a 20-5 run to close out the period. After the break, Illinois-Chicago held Valparaiso to 33 percent shooting from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. The Flames also got 27 points off 18 Crusader turnovers.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (7-8) vs. Albuquerque

The Vipers got a 108-96 victory over the Thunderbirds on Friday. The Vipers were led by Smush Parker who had 19 points and 13 assists. Joey Dorsey also added 16 points and 12 rebounds in the Vipers win.

1/3/09

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (7-5) vs. SE Missouri (Rodney Hamilton) (3-11)

Will Barnes and Frank Davis scored 18 points each to lead Tennessee Tech to an 103-76 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night. The Golden Eagles (7-5, 1-1 Ohio Valley Conference) built on a 48-35 halftime lead by scoring 55 second-half points to send the Redhawks (3-11, 0-3) to their third consecutive loss. Tennessee Tech had 34 assists, the most ever against a Division I opponent and the second highest in school history. The Golden Eagles also shot 56.9 percent from the field (41 of 72), thanks to Barnes and Daniel Northern, who each shot 7 of 9 from the floor. Northern added 17 points and seven rebounds. Calvin Williams led Southeast Missouri State with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Jaycen Herring scored 18 points, JaJuan Maxwell had 12 points and LaMont Russell added 11 points for the Redhawks.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (5-8) vs. Denver

La’Ryan Gary hit two free throws with eight seconds left in double overtime to lift Louisiana-Lafayette to a 63-62 win over Denver on Saturday night. La’Ryan was fouled after he grabbed the offensive rebound on a Lamar Roberson miss with 10 seconds to play, and the Ragin’ Cajuns down 62-61. Denver led 27-17 at halftime, and by as many as 12 points before the Ragin’ Cajuns (5-8, 2-1) used a 52.8 percent shooting (11 of 21) second half to send the game to overtime. Tyren Johnson hit a jumper to give Louisiana-Lafayette a 55-53 lead in the first overtime with 2:58 remaining, but Brian Stafford made a layup with 1:31 left, sending the game into the second overtime. Gary scored 15 points for Louisiana-Lafayette and Chris Gardnigo added 14.

Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (10-4) vs. New Orleans

Donald Boone scored 20 points, and Arkansas State held New Orleans without a field goal for over 12 minutes in a 71-56 win Saturday night. The Red Wolves (10-4, 2-1 Sun Belt) didn’t allow a field goal for the final 10:04 of the first half and the first 2:08 of the second. New Orleans led by nine in the first half before its extended offensive slump. Arkansas State was ahead 25-24 at the half, then steadily built its lead in the second. The Red Wolves only missed seven shots of any kind in the second half, going 10-of-13 from the field and 23-of-27 from the free throw line.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (8-5) vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wisconsin-Green Bay got a 66-61 victory over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday in Horizon League play. The score was tied after the first period at 28, but Wisconsin-Green Bay (10-4, 3-0) came back after half time to outscore Illinois-Chicago (8-5, 1-2) by five points in the second period and seal the win. The victory leaves Wisconsin-Greey Bay undefeated in the Horizon League. Josh Mayo led Illinois-Chicago with 22 points and Scott Vandermeer added nine points. The Flames saw their shooting percentage drop from 41.7 percent in the first period to 28.6 percent in the second period. Illinois-Chicago earned 20 points from its bench players.

NCCU (Henry Dickerson) (0-16) vs. Miami

James Dews scored 16 points as Miami shook off an early challenge from winless North Carolina Central for a 76-42 victory on Saturday. The Eagles (0-16) stayed within single digits of the Hurricanes (10-3) in the first half and kept it as close as 15-12 after Stevy Worah-Ozimo’s field goal with 8:50 left. Down by six at halftime, N.C. Central cut Miami’s lead to 31-29 after Vincent Davis scored a basket just 2:50 minutes into the second half. Davis led North Carolina Central with 10 points. But Miami followed with 11 unanswered points during a 2:11 minute span early in the second half to claim a 42-29 lead.

Savannah State (Horace Broadnax) (7-7) vs. UAB

Alabama-Birmingham got a 63-37 victory over Savannah State on Sunday. Jovonni Shuler led Savannah State (7-7) with 11 points. The Blazers, who started the second half on a 10-2 run, eventually led by as many as 31 points.

1/4/09

#25 Marquette (Scott Monarch) (13-2) vs. Cincinnati

Jerel McNeal scored 26 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers as Marquette rolled to an easy 84-50 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday. Wesley Matthews added 17 points for Marquette (13-2, 2-0 Big East), which won its first two Big East Conference games for the first time since joining the conference in 2005. Marquette upset Villanova 79-72 Thursday in its Big East opener. Marquette put the game away at the start of the second half with a 25-4 run. Lazar Hayward scored 11 of Marquette’s first 13 points during that run, including three 3-pointers. Hayward finished with 16 points.

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (4-8) vs. LSU

LSU got a 81-79 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday. The Tigers (11-1) won despite being outscored 55-6 by the Ragin’ Cajuns (4-8) from the bench. The game was close throughout the first half as LSU took a 40-31 halftime lead. Randell Daigle, who led the Ragin’ Cajuns with 24 points, hit a double-clutch 3-pointer to make it a two-point game with eleven seconds remaining. Daigle connected on 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Chris Gradnigo and Travis Bureau had 13 points and four rebounds apiece.

SE Missouri State (Rodney Hamilton) (3-10) vs. SIU Edwardsville

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville got a 70-69 win over Southeast Missouri on Wednesday. Edwardsville (4-11), down 69-67, got a steal with 25 seconds remaining. They missed two free throws with 8 seconds remaining, but the Cougars grabbed the rebound and hit the game-winning shot. Calvin Williams paced Southeast Missouri (3-10) with 22 points and nine rebounds. Kenard Moore had 19 points and Jaycen Herring added 13 for the Redhawks. Down 32-29 at halftime, Edwardsville opened the second period with a 27-11 run to lead it 56-43. The Redhawks went on a 22-7 run to regain the lead at 65-63 with four minutes left in the game.

1/1/2009

Marquette (Scott Monarch) (12-2) vs. Villanova

Jerel McNeal scored 24 points, including a critical 3-pointer down the stretch that helped power the Golden Eagles to a 79-72 victory over the Wildcats on Thursday. Coming into Thursday’s game, Villanova (12-2, 0-1) was allowing 57.6 points and holding opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the field. Marquette shot 46 percent on Thursday, including 41.7 percent from 3-point range.

Marquette (Scott Monarch) (9-2) vs. Western Carolina

If Lazar Hayward keeps this up, Marquette’s reputation as a guard-oriented team might suddenly be up for debate. Hayward scored a career-high 27 points and the Golden Eagles (9-2) beat Western Carolina 94-77 Friday night. The junior forward is Marquette’s leading rebounder, but often has taken a back seat to the Golden Eagles’ (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 24 AP) guards in terms of scoring — until recently.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (5-6) vs. Iowa

The Vipers lost to the Iowa Energy 111-107 on Friday. The Vipers forced overtime when Alton Ford split a pair of free throws with six seconds left in regulation and opened a 103-100 lead on Alpha Bangura’s 3-pointer with 3:24 to play. The Energy responded with six straight points. Rio Grande Valley tied it, 107-107, on Ford’s three-point play with 36 seconds to go before Sanders gave Iowa the lead for good. The Vipers missed a pair of shots on their next possession, and Stinson made a free throw to seal it.

12/20/08

Tennessee Tech (Steve Payne) (6-4) vs. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt defeated Tennessee Tech 83-63 on Saturday. Frank Davis made four 3-pointers and led Tennessee Tech (6-4) with 19 points. His 3-pointer with 14:27 to play in the first half gave the Golden Eagles their last lead, 9-8. Daniel Northern added 14 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. He got Tech within three, 28-25, with a jumpshot with 5:10 remaining in the first half, but Vanderbilt responded with a 12-4 run.

Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (8-3) vs. Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas-Little Rock got a 65-59 over Arkansas State in Sun Belt Conference play Saturday. The Red Wolves (8-3, 1-1) were behind a point, 21-20, at the end of the first half. ASU shot 27 percent and the Trojans 31 percent from the field in the first half. UALR hit 55 percent in the second period while ASU was at 40 percent. UALR out-rebounded ASU 44-34.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) (7-3) vs. Illinois State

Illinois State got a 67-60 win over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday. Illinois State (11-0) remains undefeated with the victory that saw four Redbird players score in the double-digits. Josh Mayo led Illinois-Chicago (7-3) with 22 points, including three 3-pointers, and Scott Vandermeer added ten points. Tori Byrd led the Flames with seven rebounds.

Illinois State led 34-27 going into halftime. Both teams gave an even effort in the second period, tying 33-33 and giving the Redbirds the win. Shooting also was even with Illinois State going 36.7 percent from the field and Illinois-Chicago going 35.7 percent.

12/21/08

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Clay Moser) (5-7) vs. Austin

The Austin Toros got a 102-89 victory over the visiting Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Sunday. Austin went on an 11-0 run late in the third and then outscored Rio Grande Valley by 18 in the final frame to cruise to the win. Smush Parker paced the Vipers, who have lost two straight, with a game-high 23 points and Trent Strickland chipped in with 19. The two combined to bury six 3-pointers. The Toros controlled a major advantage on the glass (55-38) and a small, but significant, gap on steals (10-7).

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (4-6) vs. Sam Houston State

Sam Houston State narrowly beat Louisiana-Lafayette 56-54 on Sunday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns (4-6) tied the game at 52-all on two Tyren Johnson free throws with 49 seconds to play. Ramirez gave Sam Houston the lead once again 18 seconds later, but Ryan McCoy tied the game one final time at 54-54 with 23 seconds to play on a jump shot. McCoy led Louisiana-Lafayette with 21 points and Johnson had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

SE Missouri State (Rodney Hamilton) (3-8) vs. Western Illinois

Calvin Williams scored 25 points and had five blocks, both career highs, to lead Southeast Missouri to a 64-63 win over Western Illinois on Sunday. Williams scored 14 of the final 16 points for Southeast Missouri (3-8, 0-2 Ohio Valley). Kenard Moore had 13 for the Redhawks, while Jaycen Herring added 11 points.

UIC (Tracy Dildy) vs. Lewis

Guard Josh Mayo scored 21 points to lead Illinois-Chicago to an 80-57 rout of Lewis on Wednesday night. Center Scott Vandermeer added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Flames, who improved to 7-2 on the season, while Tori Boyd contributed 13 points. Illinois-Chicago led 34-29 at halftime, and ran away after the intermission, outscoring Lewis 46-28 in the second half. The Flames shot 47 percent, after the break, compared to 32 percent for Lewis.

12/18/08

Louisiana-Lafayette (Robert Lee) (4-5) vs. North Texas

North Texas got a 78-64 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns (4-5, 0-1) were paced by Travis Bureau, who scored 14 points. Lamar Roberson had 12, and Ryan McCoy added 11. The Mean Green went on a 12-4 run with 9:17 remaining in the first half, thanks to four consecutive 3-pointers. North Texas maintained a 34-28 lead at halftime, and used an 11-1 run in the second half to take a 50-36 lead with 12:18 remaining. North Texas shot 61.1 percent from 3-point range (11-for-18).

Arkansas State (Elwyn McRoy) (8-2) vs. Florida International

Arkansas State’s Donald Boone scored 15 points and recorded five steals Thursday night as the Red Wolves opened Sun Belt Conference play with a 61-41 victory over Florida International. Arkansas St. (8-2, 1-0) held FIU to 21 points in the first half, then just 20 points in the second half. The ASU defense forced 20 turnovers, including 13 steals. Eric McKinney added 13 points for the Red Wolves, with Mike Lance coming off the bench to score 12.

NCCU (Henry Dickerson) (0-13) vs. Winston-Salem State

Winston-Salem State got a 66-51 victory over North Carolina Central on Thursday night. The Rams (2-7) jumped out to a a 7-0 lead, matching their largest lead of the season, then increased the advantage to 18-6 with 10:19 left in the first half. The Eagles (0-13) cut the lead to 31-25 at halftime, then trailed by only four points early in the second half. At 33-29, Winston-Salem scored six straight points and eventually built its lead to 19. The Rams, who have struggled from the floor this season, shot 56.5 percent in the first half (13 of 23) and finished at 51.1 percent (24 of 47). N.C. Central shot 36.2 percent (21 of 58).

Savannah State (Horace Broadnax) (7-4) vs. Texas A&M

Raye Bailey scored 10 points to lead Savannah State to a 47-42 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night. The Tigers (7-4) came out on top despite shooting 28 percent from the field (14-for-50). The home win kept them undefeated in Savannah so far this season. Both teams struggled early, and the Islanders held a 23-20 lead at halftime. The Tigers continued to shoot poorly, but managed 14 free-throw attempts in the second half to help them outscore the Islanders 27-19. Savannah State shot 63 percent from the free-throw line (17-for-27).