NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State men's basketball team got a 32-point showing from the bench on the way to an 87-70 victory over the Midway Eagles at home Monday.

The Tigers (4-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Ej Bellinger, who had 19 points. Kinyon Hodges tacked on 16 points and Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. helped out with 14 points, four assists, and five steals.

Tennessee State utilized excellent ball movement in Monday's game, piling up 16 assists on 31 made field goals. Jaylen Jones' six assists paced the Tigers.

The Tennessee State defense held Midway shooters to just 37.7 percent from the field.

How It Happened

After falling behind 6-0, Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run with 17:25 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Christian Brown, to tie the game at six. Midway then pulled ahead, sending the Tigers into halftime down 35-32.

After intermission, Tennessee State managed to gain control and had a 76-65 lead before going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead to 84-65 with 1:16 to go in the contest. The Eagles narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 87-70 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 23 of its 55 total points.

Game Notes

» Tennessee State found success from three-point land, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» The Tigers held the Eagles to only 37.7 percent shooting from the field.
» Tennessee State tallied 16 total assists in the game.
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by scoring 32 points to its scoring output.
» Tennessee State had a 43-40 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Ej Bellinger led the Tigers with a game-high 19 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high nine rebounds from Jaylen Jones.

The Tigers will be back in action on Friday afternoon as they are set to take on Mercer in the Emerald Coast Challenge in Niceville, Fla.