NASHVILLE — Jr. Clay scored a career-best 40 points to help lead the Tennessee State men's basketball team over the SIUE 100-85 at the Gentry Center on Saturday afternoon. 

Clay added eight rebounds and four assists to his 40-point game to lead the Tigers (17-12, 9-7 OVC). Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. helped out with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals and Dedric Boyd chipped in with 13 points.

The Tennessee State offense was very productive from deep, pouring in nine threes on 21 attempts. Boyd was the most prolific shooter for the Tigers, draining three treys in the contest.

Tennessee State forced 17 SIUE turnovers while committing 16 themselves in Saturday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 23 points on the offensive end of the floor. Christian Brown led the way individually with two steals.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 12-11 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 13-0 run with 14:53 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Boyd, to increase its lead to 25-11. The Tigers then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 57-37 advantage. Tennessee State capitalized on 11 SIUE turnovers in the period, turning them into 18 points on the other end of the floor.

Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Boyd's three, to grow the lead to 80-58 with 6:59 to go in the contest. The Cougars narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 100-85 win. Tennessee State took care of business in the paint, recording 24 of its 43 points in the lane.

Game Notes

» The Tigers shot well from three-point range, knocking down nine of 21 long-range attempts.
» The Tigers held the Cougars to only 37.7 percent shooting from the field.
» Tennessee State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Jr. Clay led the Tigers with a game-high 40 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high eight rebounds from Jr. Clay.

Up Next
TSU will hit the road to face UT Martin on Thursday on ESPNU at 8 PM. The regular season will conclude next Saturday at the Gentry Center against Southern Indiana.