CHARLESTON, IL --The Tennessee State men's basketball team finished with three players in double figures and pulled away in the second half en route to a 66-49 win and season sweep over Eastern Illinois on Thursday evening. 

The Tigers (13-13, 9-6 OVC) were led by Travis Harper II, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. Aaron Nkrumah tacked on 13 points and six rebounds and Josh Ogundele helped out with 10 points.

Tennessee State pulled down 42 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Eastern Illinois' 35, led by Harper II's seven boards.

Tennessee State's defense held Eastern Illinois to only 14.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 27.6 percent from the field.

TSU held Eastern Illinois to just 14.3 percent from deep in a 3-for-21 shooting performance

How It Happened

After falling behind 18-17, Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run with 4:29 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Carlous Williams, to take a 23-18 lead. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 23-21 advantage. Tennessee State took advantage of six offensive rebounds to score four second chance points out of 23 total in the period

Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Justus Jackson's three, to grow the lead to 46-35 with 10:12 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 66-49 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 43 total points.

Game Notes
» The Tigers shot well from three point range, knocking down six of 15 long range attempts.
» The Tigers held the Panthers to only 27.6 percent shooting from the field.
» The Tigers shared the ball well, recording an assist on 83 percent of made field goals.
» Tennessee State had a stellar day defensively, holding Eastern Illinois to 14 percent from three point land on 21 attempts.
» Tennessee State had a 42-35 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tigers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying six blocks as a team.
» Travis Harper II led the Tigers with a game-high 14 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high seven rebounds from Travis Harper II.