NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 23 points and Armani Chaney (Chicago, Ill.) added a career-high 17 to carry the Tennessee State men’s basketball team to a 77-76 home victory over Morehead State on Saturday night at the Gentry Center.
The Tigers (16-7, 7-3 OVC) earned their first home victory over Morehead State (12-11, 6-5 OVC) since Jan. 11, 2012. Marcus Roper (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.) also finished in double figures with 11 points for TSU, which shot 54.5 percent (22-for-44) from the field.
For Morehead State, Xavier Moon posted a team-high 20 points to lead four Eagles in double figures.
Early on in the game, Demontez Loman (South Port, N.C.) picked up steals on back-to-back plays leading to his breakaway dunk followed by a McCall layup as the two sides were tied at 14-14 mid-way through the first half.
Later in the half when the Eagles had taken the lead, Chaney drove the lane and fed Loman for another dunk for a 24-23 lead to jumpstart a 9-0 run. The stretch gave the Tigers a 31-23 edge with just over a minute until halftime. The Tigers were able to take a 33-26 advantage going into the locker rooms.
The Eagles scored the first five points of the second half to cut the TSU edge down to 33-31. The Tigers bounced back later in the half when Roper banked in a three then swished another one next time down the floor for a 51-39 lead with just under 12 minutes left. The 12-point advantage was the largest for either side on the night.
After Morehead State was able to battle back, Chaney’s three from straight away extended TSU’s cushion back up to 63-55 with five minutes left.
In the final minute, Morehead State cut the lead down to two at 75-73 with 4.3 seconds left on Moon’s three-pointer. McCall knocked down two clutch free throws for a 77-73 lead before Miguel Dicent’s desperation three went in to put the final score at 77-76.
The Tigers forced the Eagles into 17 turnovers on the night with the Eagles holding a 33-31 rebounding advantage.
Up next, the Tigers host Tennessee Tech at the Gentry Center on Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES: TSU’s record now stands at 31-35 in the all-time series versus Morehead State… TSU improves to 8-2 at the Gentry Center this season… TSU’s last home win over Morehead State came on Jan. 11, 2012… Marcus Roper (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.) scored in double figures for the eighth time this season… The attendance of 6,312 was the highest for a TSU home game this season.
Tennessee State Head Coach Dana Ford
“We knew that we would have to match their intensity and their toughness and their grit. It was a pretty good matchup for us, and we were able to squeak it out. We’re going on the second week in February. It’s not about playing a certain way. It’s about winning, especially when you’re in a conference race.”
- On the close win
“Armani Chaney is really good. His situation this year is he has two experience guards in front of him. The kid can play. He can play 20-30 minutes a game right now as a freshman. He’s going to play a lot here. It’s just a credit to him to be ready to play when his number is called. He practices hard every day and he’s got some of the most high character of anyone on our team. We’re not surprised as a coaching staff because we know what he is capable of doing.”
- On the play of Armani Chaney
“It was special. We need to make it hard for other teams to win here. We need people to come out and watch the guys because they represent the University in a first-class way, and to me, that’s the most important thing. They deserve to play in front of thousands of fans because of the blood, sweat and tears they put in every day.”
- On the environment and fans
Tennessee State Guard Tahjere McCall
“Coming into tonight, the biggest focus was just being a team. Whoever is scoring, whoever is helping the helper, whoever is rebounding, just do everything together.”
- On the team effort
Tennessee State Guard Armani Chaney
“Really, I’ve just been trusting the process day-by-day and just trying to get better. I’m trying to be a better player when I don’t play and just be ready when my number is called. Everyone on the team helps me.”
- On being ready to play
“It was fun. This is college and this is an HBCU, so it’s even more fun. Everything is just based off how we do. I feel like we’ve brought something to the table this year, and the fans came out and supported us and we love that. We represent the University and they represent us."
- On the student second and environment at the game
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COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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