CHICAGO, Illinois – Stifling defense and a balanced attack carried the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to a 64-52 victory over Grambling State on Saturday afternoon at the Kroc Center as part of the HBCU Legends Hardwood Classic. Redshirt senior Keron DeShields (Baltimore, Md.) paced the offense with 16 points on the day.
For the Tigers (6-2), it is their fourth win in a row, marking their longest winning streak since the 2012-13 season. Grambling State falls to 2-7 on the year. Eight games into the season, TSU already has more wins (6) than last year's total (5).
“I thought in the first half, our starters came out and defended pretty well,” second-year TSU Head Coach Dana Ford said. “We held them to 33 percent from the floor and we almost held them under 20 in the first half, which is always encouraging. We had a chance to play a lot of guys who haven’t been playing and we need our guys to get better. I felt like this was a good opportunity for some guys to play some extended minutes.”
TSU held Grambling to 21-for-62 (33.3 percent) shooting from the field and ran out to a 32-20 halftime lead. It is the fourth consecutive game holding an opponent to 20 or fewer points in the first half for the Tigers.
On the offensive end, sophomore Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) tallied 11 points with Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.), Johnny Woodard (Dululth, Minn.) and Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) adding nine points apiece. Martin also secured a team-best 11 rebounds for TSU, which finished with a 43-34 rebounding edge.
TSU never trailed in the game, and led by seven with two minutes left in the opening half. The Tigers were able to gain control thanks to a 7-2 run to close the half.
In the second half, Tennessee State led by as many as 21 points on two occasions, the last coming on a layup from Demontez Loman (South Port, N.C.) with 14:37 left for a 47-26 advantage. For Loman, who turned in another solid performance with eight rebounds, it was his only basket of the game.
TSU maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half.
The Tigers will have a quick turnaround with a road game at Stetson on Monday, Dec. 14. Tipoff from the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Fla. is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT).
TSU Head Coach Dana Ford
“We like to be more of a balanced team so people have trouble defending us. I thought tonight with the zone, it slowed us down a little bit. Only couple of guys were really able to get into a rhythm. I don’t think Wayne Martin got into the normal rhythm that he gets into. It was good to see Darreon Reddick make some shot, and obviously Keron DeShields carried us.”
On having a balanced offense.
“It was a great experience. We got into town yesterday and our guys got deep dish pizza. We’re going to take them to a Chicago Bulls game tonight. We have a lot of alumni here in the building and it was very nice. It’s been a great trip.”
On playing in Chicago
TSU Guard Darreon Reddick
“I thought we played hard. Coach told us to be ball tough. They play hard, so we had to move the ball around and get a good shot.”
On how the offense played.
“It feels good (to be 6-2). Last year we won five games, so going around school everyone asks how we are doing, and it’s good to say we are 6-2. We are playing with confidence and it feels good.”
On holding a 6-2 record through eight games.
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COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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