image via Tennessee State Athletics
Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics
75
Tennessee St. 3-0,0-0 OVC
65
Portland 3-1,0-0 WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee St. | 42 | 33 | 75 |
| Portland | 28 | 37 | 65 |
PORTLAND, Ore. – Christian Brown totaled 24 points to help lead the Tennessee State men’s basketball team over the Portland Pilots 75-65 on the road Wednesday.
The Tigers (3-0) had three players score in double figures, led by Brown, who had 24 points. Ej Bellinger added 18 points and Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. helped out with 13 points and four assists.
Tennessee State took advantage of fantastic ball movement in Wednesday’s game, piling up 15 assists on 27 made field goals. Individually, Kinyon Hodges was on top of the distribution list for the Tigers with four assists.
The Tennessee State defense held Portland shooters to only 39.2 percent from the field, including 27.6 percent from three-point range. The Pilots did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only eight offensive rebounds and scored six second-chance points while Tennessee State pulled down 26 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 17-14 advantage, Tennessee State went on an 8-0 run with 8:42 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Bellinger, to increase its lead to 25-14. The Tigers then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 42-28 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down seven shots to account for 21 of its 42 points.
Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Fitzgerald Jr.’s three, to grow the lead to 69-51 with 5:02 to go in the contest. The Pilots narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 75-65 win. Tennessee State took care of business in the paint, recording 22 of its 33 points in the lane.
Game Notes» The Tigers shot well from three-point range, knocking down 10 of 24 long-range attempts.
» The Tigers held the Pilots to only 39.2 percent shooting from the field.
» Tennessee State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Tennessee State recorded 15 total assists in the game.
» Tennessee State had a 37-29 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Christian Brown led the Tigers with 24 points.
» Tennessee State got a game-high 10 rebounds from Kinyon Hodges.
TSU will be back in action as they are set to travel to Eugene to take on Oregon.
Next Game: at Oregon 11/17/2023 | 8:00 PM Pac-12 Network
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | TSU | UP |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .474 | .392 |
| 3FG% | .417 | .276 |
| FT% | .786 | .739 |
| RB | 37 | 29 |
| TO | 17 | 18 |
| STL | 11 | 9 |
