NASHVILLE —Ronald Jessamy hit a shot with just four seconds left in the regulation to tie the game at 71-71, but the Tennessee State men's basketball team fell in overtime to the SIUE 87-80 at the Gentry Center on Thursday.
The Tigers (6-12, 2-5 OVC) had five players score in double figures, led by Aaron Nkrumah, who had 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Carlous Williams added a double-double off of the bench with 13 points and 13 rebounds and Jessamy helped out with 11 points.
Tennessee State took advantage of great ball movement in Thursday's game, piling up 15 assists on 27 made field goals. Justus Jackson's five assists were the most for the Tigers.
Tennessee State forced 13 SIUE turnovers. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 12 points on the offensive end of the floor. Nkrumah's two steals led the way for Tennessee State.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 15-12 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run with 10:45 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Travis Harper Ii, to increase its lead to 22-12. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 35-31 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 35 points.
SIUE proceeded to take a 63-55 lead before Tennessee State went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Jessamy's layup, to even the score at 63 all with 5:39 to go in the contest. Neither team was able to finish the game in regulation and the contest headed to overtime tied at 71-71. Jessamy's shot sent the contest to an extra period with only four seconds left. Tennessee State took care of business in the paint, recording 26 of its 36 points in the lane.
The Tigers took the game to a second overtime before SIUE ultimately prevailed by a final score of 87-80.
Game Notes
» Carlous Williams notched a double-double for the Tigers with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
» Ronald Jessamy knocked down a buzzer-beating shot to extend the game into overtime.
» Tennessee State recorded 15 total assists in the game.
» The Tennessee State bench made an impact by scoring 30 points to its scoring output.
» Five Tennessee State players scored 10 or more points.
» Carlous Williams and Justus Jackson came off the bench to score 13 and 10 points, respectively.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Aaron Nkrumah led the Tigers with 16 points.
» Tennessee State got a game-high 13 rebounds from Carlous Williams.
