From Tennessee State University Athletics:
Box ScoreEVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Tennessee State men’s basketball team fell to SEMO, 79-55, in the OVC Quarterfinal.
FIRST HALF: SEMO began the game on fire from three-point range with three long-range jumpers, as Nygal Russell drained two-straight to start the contest. The Redhawks led 13-0 prior to TSU’s first basket at the 14:35 mark, as Kassim Nicholson finished a tip-in after a missed layup. Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. registered back-to-back buckets for the Tigers, then converted a technical free throw to cut the deficit to six, 13-7. SEMO missed 13 straight field goals prior to Manny Patterson’s consecutive layups. TSU trimmed the SEMO lead to single-digits, 25-16, after Fitzgerald Jr. rattled off four straight points. The Tigers did not score for the final 3:10, while the Redhawks scored the final seven points of the half. Fitzgerald Jr. led Tennessee State with 11 points, while SEMO’s Patterson logged a game-high 12 points and nine rebounds. The Redhawks shot 31.3% (10-for-32) from the field and converted 12-of-17 from the charity stripe. Nicholsongrabbed a team-high six rebounds, while Marshall Jr. swiped two steals. || SEMO, 36-20
SECOND HALF: Jalen Dupree kickstarted the half with a turnaround jumper for his first bucket of the contest. SEMO responded with a 7-2 scoring stretch to grab their largest lead of the game, 43-24. TSU rallied with six consecutive points, four of which Fitzgerald Jr. generated off steals. The Redhawks went on a 12-2 run to extend the lead to 55-32. Fitzgerald Jr., a Nashville native, generated 12 of his 23 points in the second half. || SEMO, 79-55
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. matched his season-high with 23 points on 9-of-16 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
- The Tigers shot 1-of-12 from three-point range, the lowest total of the season.
- SEMO’s Manny Patterson recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
