NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State men's basketball team went into the half tied with Lindenwood 30-30, but took control in the second half to beat the Lions 75-60 at home Saturday.

The Tigers (9-9, 2-3) had four players score in double figures, led by Christian Brown, who had 22 points and six rebounds. Jason Jitoboh tacked on 13 points and two blocks and Jaylen Jones chipped in as well with 12 points off the bench.

Tennessee State's defense held Lindenwood to only 36.2 percent shooting from the field, including 7.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Lions did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with eight offensive rebounds and managed five second chance points.

How It Happened

After falling behind 2-1, Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run with 18:59 left in the first half to take a 7-2 lead. Lindenwood then responded to tie things up at 30-30 heading into halftime. Tennessee State got the job done in the paint in the first half, scoring 16 of its 30 points close to the basket.

After intermission, Tennessee State grabbed a 39-37 lead before going on a 10-0 run, finished off by Jones' jumper, to grow its advantage to 49-37 with 13:53 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 75-60 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 26 of its 45 total points.

Game Notes

» Tennessee State outscored Lindenwood 45-30 in the second half after a halftime tie to pick up the victory.
» The Tigers held the Lions to only 36.2 percent shooting from the field.
» Tennessee State had a stellar day defensively, holding Lindenwood to 8 percent from three point land on 13 attempts.
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by scoring 30 points to its scoring output.
» Jaylen Jones and Ej Bellinger came off the bench to score 12 and 11 points, respectively.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 22 turnovers.
» Christian Brown led the Tigers with a game-high 22 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high six rebounds from Christian Brown.

Next Up

The Tigers will be back in action next Thursday as Tennessee Tech will come to the Gentry Center for a 7:30 p.m.