EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Tennessee State men's basketball team out-rebounded the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 32-26 on the way to a 78-64 victory at in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at the Ford Center Wednesday evening.

The Tigers (18-14) had four players score in double figures, led by Ej Bellinger, who had 17 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Christian Brown tacked on 16 points and seven rebounds while Michael Shanks chipped in with 13 points off the bench.

Tennessee State grabbed 32 rebounds in Wednesday's game compared to Southern Indiana's 26, led by Kinyon Hodges' seven boards.

Tennessee State forced 18 Southern Indiana turnovers while committing 16 themselves in Wednesday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 16 points on the offensive end of the floor. Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. led the way individually with three steals.

How It Happened

After falling behind 5-4, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 15:36 left in the first half to take a 9-5 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 33-30.

Southern Indiana kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 40-34 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 10-0 run to seize a 44-40 lead with 14:14 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 78-64 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 12 of its 48 total points.

Game Notes

» Tennessee State had a 32-26 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Ej Bellinger led the Tigers with a game-high 17 points.
» Tennessee State got a game-high seven rebounds from both Kinyon Hodges and Christian Brown.

Next Up

The Tigers will advance to the quarterfinals of the OVC tournament and take on Western Illinois tomorrow enveing. Tip-off from the Ford Center is set for 6:30 p.m.