Title image via Tennessee State Basketball
60
Tennessee St. 17-13,10-7 OVC
85
Winner Little Rock 19-11,13-4 OVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee St. | 32 | 28 | 60 |
| Little Rock | 47 | 38 | 85 |
Thursday night did not go as planned for the Tennessee State Tigers.
Little Rock’s fluid, ball-pressure-based defensive attack forced the Tigers into 18 turnovers and just 4-21 (19%) from downtown as, in front of a national audience, the Trojans thrashed the Tigers 85-60.
Kinyon Hodges’s layup was the first point of the game to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead, however, Little Rock ran off 11 straight points to take an 11-2 at the 17:48 mark. TSU pulled back to within four points at 11-7 on a three-point play from EJ Bellinger. A 16-4 spurt from the Trojans over a 4:42 span put the Trojans up 27-11. Tennessee State responded with an 11-0 run of their own to trim the lead to 27-22.
Bellinger’s three-pointer pulled the Tigers to within four points at 31-27. Questionable shot selection, and the Little Rock defense, contributed mightliy to Tennessee State connecting on just one of their final 9 shot attempts, as the Trojans took a 45-32 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Tennessee State was unable to draw no closer than 15 points, as when it seemed the Tigers may have been on the verge of going on a run that could them on the path to getting back in the game, they were unable to get the stop they needed or convert the key baskets. Holding Tennessee State to just 33% shooting from the floor and 20% from downtown, the Trojans were able to build as much as a 25-point lead as they went on to cruise to an 85-60 victory.
Three of the five Little Rock starters scored in double figures, led by Jordan Jefferson’s 22. DeAntoine Gordon added 16, with KK Robinson adding 11. Off the Little Rock bench, Bradley Douglas and Makhel Mitchell contributed 19 and 10 points, respectively.
In a losing effort, EJ Bellinger led Tennessee State with 16 points on 6-12 from the floor Kinyon Hodges chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds on 4-of-7 from the field. In addition to being the only TSU players in double figures, they are also the only ones who shot 50% or better for the game.
Tennessee State takes on UT Martin in their regular season finale on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 3:30 pm CST.
Next Game: at UT Martin 3/2/2024 | 3:30 PM ESPN+ WNSR — 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), 107.9 FM (Smyrna)
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | TSU | LR |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .392 | .526 |
| 3FG% | .190 | .429 |
| FT% | .842 | .864 |
| RB | 28 | 34 |
| TO | 18 | 13 |
| STL | 6 | 7 |
