CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. —The Tennessee State men's basketball team fell to SEMO 89-87 in overtime on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers (10-13, 6-6 OVC) had four players score in double figures, led by Aaron Nkrumah, who had 26 points, five assists and two steals. Ronald Jessamy tacked on 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks off of the bench and Brandon Weston helped out with 12 points.
Tennessee State took advantage of great ball movement in Saturday's game, piling up 15 assists on 30 made field goals. Nkrumah's five assists were the most for the Tigers.
Tennessee State forced 13 Southeast Missouri State turnovers. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 12 points on the other end of the floor. Nkrumah's two steals led the way for Tennessee State.
How It Happened
After falling behind 14-12, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 13:17 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Carlous Williams, to take a 17-14 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 32-31.
After intermission, Tennessee State kept the Redhawks from increasing their lead before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Nkrumah's layup, to seize a 44-39 lead with 16:00 to go in the contest. The Redhawks then fought back to even things up at 77-77 and send the game to overtime. Nkrumah's shot sent the contest to an extra period with just three seconds left. Tennessee State took care of business in the paint, recording 24 of its 46 points in the lane.
Tennessee State started overtime with a bang, going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Williams' layup, to seize an 83-77 lead with 3:31 to go in the period. Southeast Missouri State then asserted control, outscoring the Tigers 12-4 the rest of the way to hand Tennessee State the 89-87 loss.
Game Notes
» Tennessee State lost on a last-second shot by Teddy Washington Jr.
» Tennessee State rallied from a one-point 32-31 halftime deficit to force overtime before ultimately coming up short.
» Tennessee State recorded 15 total assists in the game.
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by adding 28 points to its scoring output.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Aaron Nkrumah led the Tigers with a game-high 26 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high six rebounds from Ronald Jessamy.
