Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) secured a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Jordan Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 23 and 16 points, respectively.
The win moves TSU to 4-0 for the third time since moving to Division I prior to the 1976-77 season. With the loss, MTSU falls to 2-1. TSU’s last win over the Blue Raiders came on Nov. 20, 2000 at the Gentry Center.
After trailing by as many as seven points on a three from MTSU’s Edward Simpson with 7:02 left in the first half, TSU was able to cut the deficit down to two on a number of occasions before halftime.
On the final play of the first half, Reed cleaned up a Martin miss with a tip-in at the buzzer to trim the Blue Raiders’ lead down to 30-28 heading to the locker room. Martin picked up a first-half double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Reed led the way with 13 points.
PHOTO GALLERY (Photos by Katherine Seghers)
TSU cut the MTSU advantage down to one point at 35-34 on a jumper by McCall 2:30 into the second half. A free throw from Darreon Reddick (Belleville, Ill.) with 15:14 on the clock tied the game at 37-37, but the Blue Raiders quickly responded, retaking the lead on the next possession.
Reddick’s three-pointer with 9:30 left gave TSU its first lead of the night at 47-46. Later in the half, trailing 50-49, the Tigers went on a 10-0 run capped by a Martin layup for a 59-50 lead with 6:12 left. In the second half, TSU finished 18-for-22 from the free throw line with Reed going 6-for-6 at key moments of the game.
MTSU was led by 18 points by JaCorey Williams.
For the game, the Tigers shot 51.1 percent (24-for-47) and held a 36-25 rebounding edge.
TSU continues its road swing at Canisius in Buffalo, N.Y. on Nov. 23.
GAME NOTES: TSU improves to 17-38 in the all-time series… TSU’s last win in Murfreesboro came on Jan. 19, 1994… MTSU had won 10 in a row in the series. The last time TSU beat MTSU was Nov. 20, 2000… TSU earned its third 4-0 start at the Division I level and first when all four opponents are D-1… Wayne Martin picked up his 12 career double-double and second of the season.
TSU Head Coach Dana Ford
“Very proud of our guys today. I thought they really competed on the glass. Obviously on the defensive end, where we kind of make a name for ourselves, I thought they tried the best that they could by trying to execute the game plan. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of them today. Also, we have so much respect for (MTSU). A lot of times when we’re out recruiting, we’re measuring ourselves to the standard of this program. I want to make sure I let that be known too.”
- Opening statement
“Tahjere McCall, he was the defensive player of the year in our conference. He can guard anybody, in my opinion, on the perimeter. Any guard in the country, he can guard him. We just wanted to really limit his touches. I know McCall spent a lot of time on him in the first half when he made a couple baskets, we weren’t helping McCall. In the second half, we started helping him a little more. We just wanted to limit his touches and put our best defender on him.”
- On guarding MTSU’s Giddy Potts
“For our alums, that means a lot to them. Coach Davis has been here for 15 years, which is too long to not beat someone in my personal opinion. For our team, it’s a good win for us today, for sure. It’s a really good win for us, but it’s one of those things where we can now relax because we did it. But again, for our university, some of our former players, our alums, I’m happy for them today that they could experience a win.”
- On TSU beating MTSU for the first time since 2000
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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