NASHVILLE – The Tennessee State men's basketball team secured their second straight victory with an impressive result over Lipscomb, 73-65.
FIRST HALF: Kassim Nicholson registered the initial basket of the game on a second-chance layup, after both teams went scoreless over the first minute of action. The opening 10 minutes saw multiple lead changes.
Christian Brown led a scoring stretch for TSU, as the Tigers went on a 16-1 run to gain a significant lead.
Brown contributed eight points on two three-pointers, which tied his season total entering the game. Tennessee State extended the lead to 39-24, following a basket from
Carlos Marshall Jr. to force a Lipscomb timeout.
Brown totaled 14 points in 11 minutes of action.
Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. added six points and a season-high three steals for TSU. ||
TSU, 39-28
SECOND HALF: TSU opened the half with four unanswered points to carry the momentum out of the locker room. Midway through the half, the Tigers held a 17-point advantage following consecutive buckets from
Brown. With five minutes remaining, Lipscomb went on a run on their own. The Bison generated an 8-0 scoring stretch to cut the lead to single digits. TSU was able to fend off the late push from Lipscomb and
Kenny Cooper, a graduate transfer from LU, sealed the game with a steal in the closing seconds. ||
TSU, 73-65
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Christian Brown recorded a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 from the field. His previous high of 18 points came against Fisk earlier this season.
- Kenny Cooper flirted with a double-double in his return to Allen Arena, as the Nashville native posted 12 points and nine rebounds.
- Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., a Nashville native and Pearl-Cohn graduate, swiped a career-high four steals against the rival team.
- TSU dominated inside as they out-rebounded Lipscomb, 36-27, and out-scored the Bison in the paint, 44-22.
BEYOND THE BOX
- Tennessee State's scored the initial basket in seven of nine games.
- Cooper was one rebound shy of his career-high, which came as a member of the Bison against Kennesaw State (3/4/19).
- Cooper, video coordinator Asa Duvall and athletic trainer Eric Owens attended Lipscomb University for their education.
UP NEXT: The Tigers will travel to South Carolina next weekend for a pair of games in the Palmetto State. TSU will take on Charleston Southern at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, and cap off the road trip on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. against South Carolina State.
