NASHVILLE – The Tennessee State men's basketball team secured the victory on Senior Day against Eastern Illinois, 63-49.
FIRST HALF: Graduate transfer,
Kassim Nicholson, recorded the first basket of the game. EIU scored ten unanswered points to take a 12-6 lead. Tennessee State went on a six point run to close the gap at 17-14. The Panthers rattled off five points to increase the lead, 22-14, following a C.J. Lane three-pointer.
Dedric Boyd heated up at the end of the half, as he scored seven straight points to trim the deficit to one possession. The teams exchanged baskets in the final minute as EIU took a lead into the break. ||
EIU, 26-23
SECOND HALF: EIU's Sammy Friday IV tallied a layup to open the half. Following Friday IV's bucket, the Tigers went on a 12-0 scoring stretch to regain the lead, 35-28. Eastern Illinois cut the margin to three, 39-36, with about ten minutes remaining. Tennessee State extended the lead to double-digits, 49-38, after a 10-2 stretch. With 6:41 to go,
Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. tallied eight consecutive TSU points to grab a firm hold on the contest. In the closing minutes, TSU cashed in free-throws to seal the game.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. logged a game-high 15 points on 6-of-11 from the field.
- Kenny Cooper filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
- Despite trailing in the rebound category, TSU led points in the paint, 30-to-20.
BEYOND THE BOX:
UP NEXT: Tennessee State will travel to Tennessee Tech on Thursday evening, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30pm.
