LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Tennessee State men's basketball team could not keep up in an 85-60 loss to the Little Rock Trojans on the road Thursday.

The Tigers (17-13, 10-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Ej Bellinger, who had 15 points. Kinyon Hodges added 12 points and eight rebounds and Jason Jitoboh added five points and two blocks.

The Tennessee State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Thursday's game, forcing 13 Little Rock turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 17 points on the offensive end of the floor. Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. led the way individually for the Tigers with two steals.

How It Happened

Tennessee State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 47-32 heading into halftime.

Little Rock kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 65-43 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Christian Brown's layup, to shrink the deficit to 65-48 with 9:03 to go in the contest. Little Rock responded and outscored the Tigers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 85-60.

Game Notes

» The Tennessee State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Ej Bellinger led the Tigers with 15 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high eight rebounds from Kinyon Hodges.

Next Up

The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday as they are set to play in their final regular season contest against UT Martin. Tip-off is slated for 3:30.