NASHVILLE – The Tennessee State men's basketball defeated SIU-Edwardsville on Thursday evening, 81-65. TSU celebrated Greek Night and Equality & Inclusion Night as various organizations supported their Tigers and the coaches wore black in unison.
 
FIRST HALF: Shakem Johnson jumpstarted the game with a layup on TSU's opening possession. The Tigers opened the contest with an 8-3 lead, aided by Kenny Cooper's three-pointer. SIUE's Shamar Wright converted an "and-one" opportunity to trim the Cougars' deficit. The two teams flip-flopped baskets for about eight minutes during the middle of the half. With the score at 22-20, TSU rattled off six consecutive points to extend the advantage to eight. Kassim Nicholson gave Tennessee State its largest lead of the half, 33-24, after recording five straight TSU points. The Tigers ended the half on five unanswered points, including a three-pointer from Monty Johal. Johal totaled 10 points on 4-of-4 from the field, including two long-range jumpers. Nicholson led the team with 14 points and five rebounds. As a team, TSU shot 51.4% from the field. || TSU, 44-31
 
SECOND HALF: Tennessee State brought the momentum out of the locker room with six points in the first minute and a half. The Tigers continued to expand their lead, 52-35, on an alley-oop from Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. to Johnson. With 14:50 to go, SIUE logged six straight points to cut the margin to 12, 55-43. Dedric Boyd cashed back-to-back three-pointers midway through the half. The Cougars did not cut the deficit to single digits in the second half. Tennessee State ultimately sealed the game behind Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. who scored the final seven points for TSU. || TSU, 81-65

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Kassim Nicholson recorded his tenth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The graduate transfer from UAB led the game in both categories.
• Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block.
• Five Tigers registered double-figures in scoring as Monty Johal added 10 points on 4-of-5 from the field.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Nicholson has logged back-to-back double-doubles, additionally, he's accomplished the feat in three of the last four games.
• The Tigers swept SIUE in two games this season, outscoring the Cougars by a sizeable margin, 156 to 135.

UP NEXT: Tennessee State will finish off their home schedule with Senior Day on Saturday afternoon with tip-off scheduled for 3:30pm at the Gentry Center.