NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State men's basketball team had four players score in double figures, led by Aaron Nkrumah, who had 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals on the way to an 87-69 win against Western Illinois at home Thursday.
Travis Harper II added 13 points and two steals and Justus Jackson chipped in as well with 13 points off of the bench.
Ronald Jessamy pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace the Tennessee State (11-13, 7-6) offense which grabbed 19 boards and turned them into 22 second chance points.
The Tennessee State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Thursday's game, forcing 19 Western Illinois turnovers while committing 10. Those takeaways turned into 33 points on the offensive end of the floor. Nkrumah's two steals led the way individually for the Tigers.
How It Happened
After falling behind 31-29, Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run with 3:37 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jackson, to take a 36-31 lead. The Tigers then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 38-33 advantage. Tennessee State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 20 of its 38 points close to the basket.
Tennessee State started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Carlous Williams' layup, to grow the lead to 46-33 with 15:27 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 87-69 win. Tennessee State capitalized on eight Western Illinois turnovers in the period, collecting 15 points off those turnovers.
Game Notes
» Tennessee State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by adding 39 points to its scoring output.
» Justus Jackson and Ronald Jessamy came off the bench to score 13 and 12 points, respectively.
» The Tigers turned 19 turnovers into 33 points on the offensive end.
» Tennessee State had a 41-28 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 19 turnovers.
» The Tigers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 19 offensive boards in the game.
» Aaron Nkrumah led the Tigers with 14 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high eight rebounds from Aaron Nkrumah.
