TSU Lady Tigers drop regular season finale to Murray State

Nashville, Tennessee -- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team dropped a tough, 87-83, loss to Murray State, Thursday night in the Gentry Center.

Senior Kim Haynes played her final game as a Lady Tiger in the Gentry Center.

Jasmin Shuler led Tennessee State (9-19, 5-11 OVC) with 21 points while Simone Hopes posted 16. She scored six points and had three assists in the contest.

Erica Burgess led Murray State (12-16, 8-7 OVC) with 27 points while Mariah Robinson and Tessa Elkins each tallied 17.

In the first half, TSU was leading, 11-10, when Murray State used six unanswered points to capture the lead, 16-11. TSU managed to knot the game, 18-18, near the 12-minute mark but the Racers reclaimed the advantage, 27-22, with 8:55 left in the half.

A jumper pulled the Lady Tigers even with the visitors at 32-all before the Racers went back ahead, 41-37 with 3:07 on the clock. Destiney Gaston made one-of-two free throws to pull TSU within one just before the halftime break.

Back-to-back turnovers to open the second stanza led to TSU falling behind, 45-40, with just 54 seconds ticked off the clock.

Destiney Gaston scored in the paint to give TSU its first points of the half before the Lady Tigers fell behind, 47-42. Another, 5-0, spurt by the Racers gave them a double-digit lead.

TSU began to chip away at the deficit and closed to within five after an old fashioned three-point play by Simone Hopes. A few possessions later, Jasmin Shuler drained a long jumper and Simone Hopes scored a lay-up off a steal to cut MSU's lead down to one.

The Lady Tigers briefly took the lead, 60-59, when Jasmin Shuler grabbed the offensive rebound and scored the put back but the Racers answered on their trip down the floor.

The teams traded the lead until MSU went ahead, 70-65. The Lady Tigers, however, responded with five unanswered to tie the game at 70 with 7:03 left to play.

Both teams had played to a 72-72 deadlock when both teams went scoreless for about three minutes.

Murray State ended the skid with a three-pointer before an offensive rebound and lay-up put the visitors up, 77-72.

Alana Morris connected in the paint to pull TSU with three but a triple as the shot clock expired made MSU's lead, 82-76, with 1:44 on the clock.

Jasmin Shuler nailed a long ball to pull TSU within three but a crucial turnover on the Lady Tigers' next trip down the floor allowed MSU to go ahead, 83-79.

With 25.8 seconds remaining, TSU was down, 85-81, when Jasmin Shuler came down the floor and buried a jumper to make the score, 85-83.

After Murray State missed the front end of a one-and-one, TSU had a chance to tie the game but Allen's shot attempt was blocked. MSU knocked down two free-throws with seconds left to seal with win.

The first round of the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference tournament will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

WSSU Hayes would like Gaines Center enlarged

WINSTON SALEM, North Carolina - Winston-Salem State will play its final home basketball games of the season Saturday against Fayetteville State, and there's a chance disappointed fans could again be turned away at the door.

The Rams' home gym — the Gaines Center — seats about 2,400 and has been overflowing with the success of the men's and women's teams and because of CIAA rivalries. Nearly all CIAA games have had capacity crowds. Sold-out games are a good problem to have, but athletics director Bill Hayes said he wouldn't mind seeing the Gaines Center enlarged.



"I would love to see the Gaines Center expanded and maybe getting an extension to that back wall to make it bigger," he said. "It's something I would like to see done here."

The Gaines Center was built in the late 1970s, when WSSU's enrollment was about 2,700. The enrollment is now about 6,000, and the gym could use some work to satisfy the students and the general public. Hayes hasn't crunched any numbers about the cost of a renovation, but the project is on his radar.



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TSU Falls to Racers in Front of Record Crowd, 80-62

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- A 14-0 run by Murray State to end the first half helped propel the Racers to a 80-62 victory over Tennessee State on Thursday evening in front of 10,125 at the Gentry Center.

Tennessee State (19-11, 11-5 Ohio Valley) couldn't find a sustainable run, leading by just one point midway through the first half. The Racers clipped 57 percent (26x46) shooting, while holding the Tigers to 23-of-57 for 40 percent.

TSU out-rebounded the Racers 36-to-24, but were limited to six assists and three blocks. The crowd of 10,125 at the Gentry Center was the largest ever for a basketball game and second behind non-graduation events. Stevie Wonder's concert in 1980 had 11,000-plus.


Junior forward Robert Covington notched 24 points and 15 rebounds - his 19^th of his career. Kellen Thornton added 17 points and 10 rebounds, registering his first double-double of the year.

The Racers shot 63 percent in the first half and knocked down 12 triples to take a 45-28 lead at the break. Offensively, the Tigers were held to just 12 made baskets and no treys in the opening frame.

The Tigers struggled to find second half momentum as MSU went on a 12-2 lead to open up the game at 58-38.

Seniors Kenny Moore and Wil Peters closed out their illustrious careers at the Gentry Center on Thursday. Moore added seven points, while Peters made two. Peters logged over 3,400 minutes in his career, as Moore passed the 600-points plateau Thursday evening.

Thursday's loss snapped a nine-game win streak the longest for TSU since 1994-95. However, the Tigers are still the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament. The Big Blue receives a double-bye and plays in the semi-finals on March 3 at 8 p.m.

TSU HEAD COACH JOHN COOPER POST-GAME COMMENTS

(On going forward into the tournament) I told our group that if you told me that we were going to have stretches where we win nine out of 10 games, that's pretty good. Having said that, we have two games to play if we want to realize our dreams.

(on the fan support) It's like I said earlier about awakening some pride. It's been an interesting environment around here over the last couple of days. I've had people come up to me, and say, 'Thanks.' It's hard for me to hear that and take that. I don't play. I know I coach this group and we work and get at it, but I don't feel I deserve the credit. It's the kids in that locker room. That's who it is and that's who the thanks goes to. I have a good staff too, and they work their tails off and make me look good. I enjoy watching our guys like they do and enjoy this environment.

(on going forward into the tournament) I told our group that if you told me that we were going to have stretches where we win nine out of 10 games, that's pretty good. Having said that, we have two games to play if we want to realize our dreams. We have to take care of our business on Friday night, and if we win that game, it'll be the first time we've won 20 games since 1979. That's a long time. So, there are things yet still to accomplish with this group.We'll come back, get together and get better as a group.

BOX SCORE

PHOTO GALLERY

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Hosts OVC Indoor T&F Championships This Weekend

DANIECCE WARD
2012 OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE INDOOR CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
5-11, SENIOR - HURDLES & JUMPS
HOMETOWN: MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
BRADLEY TECHNOLOGY AND TRADE HIGH SCHOOL

 NASHVILLE, Tennessee - The 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Track & Field Indoor Championships starts Friday Feb. 24 and concludes Saturday, Feb. 25 as Tennessee State hosts the annual event at the Gentry Center.

The Flying Tigers and Tigerbelles embark on another quest for a conference title. Events begin on Friday at 1 p.m. with the Long Jump, High Jump and Shot Put. Running prelims will start at 1:30.

Saturday the championship day starts with the weight throws at 9 a.m. and concludes with the one-mile relay at 2:15. Fans can purchase tickets at the door $5 dollars.

Earlier on Thursday, it was announced by the league office that senior Daniecce Ward earned Indoor Co-Field Athlete of the Year with Eastern Illinois' Jade Riebold.

Ward sits in the top five in three events (high jump, long jump and triple jump), and was named Field Athlete of the Week the first week of the season for Tennessee State. Earlier this year, Ward leapt 5.72-meters in the long jump and 11.80-meters in the triple jump.

Ashontae Jackson will also be a Tigerbelle to watch. The freshman has team-bests in the 55-meter dash (7.15 seconds), 60-meter dash (7.75 seconds) and 200-meter dash (24.87 seconds).

Sophomore Royce Dates will look to notch a title in the long jump. Dates registered a distance of 7.36-meters at the UNC Invitational earlier this season.

In the sprint events, LeQuinn Davis has two top-marks for TSU with a time of 6.48 in the 55-meter dash and 7.01 in the 60-meter.

Arthur Combest is the school's leading hurdler, clocking a time of 7.62 in the 55-meter hurdles earlier this year.

TSUTigers.com will have a log blog of the day's events and updates are available online through Twitter (@TSU_Tigers).

2012 OVC Indoor Track & Field Championship Meet Schedule


COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SU Jaguars open Spring Practice, Mitchell addresses media

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Head coach Stump Mitchell didn't mince words when he addressed the media at the conclusion of the first spring practice Wednesday. He is excited to be the head coach at Southern.

And when asked if he plan on extended his stay in Baton Rouge until Sept. 1, the date of Southern's 2012 season opener against New Mexico, Mitchell's response offered a touch a humor while reaffirming his commitment to the program.

"No, I won't be here," said Mitchell, who begins his third season at Southern. "I'll be in Albuquerque."

Under clear skies and the watchful eye of a robust media contingent, Mitchell and the Jaguars kicked off the first of 15 practices Wednesday in the shadows of A.W. Mumford Stadium.

The Jaguars initial spring practice lasted roughly an hour and 30 minutes and spanned 17 periods. The team, dressed in shells, participated in several drills, including 7-on-7, one-on-one and special teams before ending with team drills with quarterbacks J.P. Douglas and Dray Joseph splitting reps.

"It was an awesome day. It's been a while since we lost that Bayou Classic," said Mitchell. "We went out and got the players that we think we need to go with the guys we had our first two years. We're excited about it."



Wednesday's practice also provided a first look at a retooled coaching staff. Mitchell confirmed that former defensive coordinator O'neill Gilbert and former offensive coordinator Ricky Diggs are no longer with the program.

Mitchell also introduced a new coach on his staff and announced defensive line coach Dawson Odums as his new defensive coordinator.

"(Manny Martin) was coaching high school in Miami," said Mitchell. "He played at Alabama State, so he's familiar with the SWAC, and we've got some guys coming in from Miami, so I wanted them to have a coach that they could relate to."

"Hopefully, they can relate to all of us, but to have someone from that area, I thought that would benefit those guys immensely."

DAY 1 PHOTO ALBUM

Martin, who will serve as the defensive backs coach, joins wide receivers coach Jorge Baez as coaches with Miami ties, which paid huge dividend in Stump's third recruiting class.

Southern's all-time leading scorer, Breck Ackley, returns as a special teams assistant and the Jaguars administrative assistant. Ackley was a member of Mitchell's 2010 staff before a one-year stint as a member of Southeastern's staff last year.

But Mitchell added that he anticipates some more changes on his staff in the near future.

"There were some coaches here (today) that probably won't be here, before it's all said and done, but that's the way it goes in this business."

As for the business of football, the Jaguars showed no signs that the recent coaching saga distracted in them any way. For Mitchell, there was no more positive sign considering the task the team faces in 2012.

Said Mitchell: "We've got to win a lot of games. I mean a lot of games, and I understand that, and that's what I was brought here to do: to help the APR, to help enrollment, to help put people in the seats. We haven't quite done that, but hopefully, this will be the year."

COURTESY: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

TSU Tigers vs. Murray State Rematch Slated for Thursday

COACH JOHN COOPER
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The much anticipated rematch of No. 12/14 Murray State and Tennessee State takes place on Thursday, Feb. 23 when the Racers visit the Gentry Center. MSU and the Tigers are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.

Tennessee State (19-10, 11-4 Ohio Valley) is in the midst of its' longest winning streak since 1994-95. The Tigers are just one win away from reaching 20 wins for the first time since 1978-79.

The Tigers clawed back from a 12 point deficit to defeat Miami (Ohio) 68-61 in the Sears BracketBuster on Feb. 19. Junior Robert Covington led the Tigers with 14 points and six boards. Covington ranks fourth in the OVC with 17.9 points and second with 7.9 rebounds per game.


Kellen Thornton garnered his third OVC Newcomer of the Week honor after averaging 10.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in wins over Jacksonville State and Miami (Ohio) last week.

For the first time in school history, TSU ranks No. 25 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll. The Big Blue is also No. 1 in the Boxtorow HBCU Top-5 Division I poll. Last week, the Tigers clinched the No. 2 seed in the OVC Tournament. TSU is scheduled to play on Friday, March 2 at 8 p.m. inside Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.

Murray State's (26-1, 13-1 OVC) only blemish is a 72-68 loss to the Tigers on Feb. 9. TSU won their first regulation game at Murray State since 1996. The Tigers have not swept the Racers since the 1993 season when the Tigers made an NCAA appearance against Seton Hall.

After that loss, the Racers have won three straight and clinched the OVC regular season title. MSU defeated Saint Mary's, 65-61, in the Sears BracketBusters. Point guard Isaiah Canaan leads the Racers with 14 points, 102 assists and 84 triples.

Thursday evening will be Greek Night and Senior Day. The Tigers men's basketball team will honor its' two seniors - Wil Peters and Kenny Moore.

Limited amount of general admission tickets are still available for Thursday evening's game. TSU students with a valid I.D. receive one free ticket. All students are strongly encouraged to pick up their tickets from the TSU Ticket Office inside the Gentry Center. The public may purchase tickets by calling the ticket office at (615) 963-5841.

Anish Shroff and Adrian Branch are calling the action on ESPNU. TSU fans can listen to the game on the Big Blue Sports Network (102.1 FM The Light / 101.9 FM Clarkville) with Albert Dawson and Mark Pittman describing the plays.  

TSU Game Notes

SCOUTING THE RACERS: No. 12/14 Murray State (26-1, 13-1 OVC) has been one of the hottest teams in the country. The Racers' only blemish was a 72-68 loss to the Tigers on Feb. 9 at the CFSB Center. Since that defeat, Murray has reeled off three consecutive victories. Last week, the Racers clinched the OVC regular season championship and defeated No. 21 Saint Mary's, 65-51, in the ESPN Sears BracketBusters. Point guard Isaiah Canaan leads the Racers with 19.3 points. The junior has dished out 102 assists and knocked down 84 triples in 27 games. Donte Poole has posted 14 points, while Ivan Aska has totaled nearly 12 a game this season. Aska and Latreze Mushatt are averaging 5.9 and 5.2 rebounds per game, respectively. The Racers have outscored their opponents 13.3 points per game and shot 41 percent (203x492) behind the arch. MSU is shooting nearly 48 percent (676x1422).

IT'S MILLER TIME: Patrick Miller is second on the team with 11.2 ppg and leads the team with 101 assists. Miller has multiple assists in 22 straight games.  He is averaging 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in the last 9 games.

FEBRUARY - CONTINUING TO RISE: TSU has not posted a losing record in February the last three seasons. Last year, the Tigers were 4-4 and in John Cooper's first season Tennessee State managed a 5-3 mark. The Tiger's best record was 6-2 during the 2008-09 campaign. With a win at Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 19, TSU is 5-0 this month.

TIGERS NATIONALLY RANKED: TSU remained No. 25 in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top-25 poll. The Tigers are No. 1 in the the Boxtorow HBCU Division I poll released on Feb. 21.

CONSISTENTLY COVINGTON: The consistency of Robert Covington has been one of TSU's strongest weapons this season. He has been the leading scorer in 22 of 29 games played this season.  He anchored his 18th career double-double and eight this season with 26 points and 12 boards in the OT win over Jacksonville State (Feb. 14). Covington garnered OVC Co-Player of the Week and College Sports Madness Mid-Major National Player of the Week honors after averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in wins over Murray State and TTU. The Chicago product has reached double-figures in 28 straight games. Covington has collected 17 20-plus point performances in his career. With 17 points against UTM (Dec. 29), Covington eclipsed the 1,000 points mark becoming the first TSU player since Gerald Robinson, Jr. in 2009 to reach that milestone. On Feb. 6, Covington was announced as Boxtorow HBCU National Player of the Week. He was named to the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament team earlier this season and garnered OVC Player of the Week honors on Nov. 21. This season, Covington ranks fourth in the OVC (43rd NCAA) with 17.9 ppg and second in the OVC (93rd NCAA) in rebounding (7.9 per game).  TSU is 13-5 this season when Covington scores 17 or more points.

PLAYING IT CLOSE: TSU is 12-6 in single-digit games, having played the last 11 out of 13 contests in single margins. The 2010-11 season saw the Tigers play 18 of their 30 games, including three overtime games, in tight-nit fashion.

SECURING THE NO. 2 SEED: A Murray State win over SEMO last week secured the Tigers' No. 2 seed in the upcoming OVC Tournament. TSU receives a double-bye into the semi-finals. The Tigers will play on Friday, March 2 versus the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6/7 seed.

IT'S GREAT TO BE AT THE GENTRY: The Tigers boast a 22-3 record at the Gentry Center during the past two seasons. TSU has won 11 consecutive contests at home and finished with a 4-1 record against non-conference opponents at the Gentry. TSU has a 10 game win streak against OVC opponents dating back to Feb. 5, 2011. The Tigers' only home blemishes were losses to Belmont (2010), Murray State (2011) and MTSU (2011).  TSU has a +11.2 average scoring margin at home this season.

SENIOR PROFILE - WIL 'POWER' PETERS: Nashville native and Whites Creek product Wil Peters plays his final home game on Thursday. Peters has played in 121 games and 3,427 minutes during his four-year career. The senior has 99 assists in 29 games (3.4 apg). He has totaled 371 assists for 3.1 per game in his tenure.  On the season, Peters is averaging 7.7 points with an average of 34 minutes played per game.

TIGERS SETS HISTORIC NIGHT WITH WIN OVER MURRAY: Before the Murray State win on Feb. 9, the Big Blue was 0-10 against nationally ranked opponents in the Associated Press poll since 2002. Earlier this season, the Big Blue fell 69-102 at then ranked No. 1 North Carolina. The 72-68 win versus the Racers was the first ever win against a ranked opponent. Here is a list of opponents and results since 2002:

Feb. 9, 2012 - @#9 Murray State - W, 72-68
Nov. 22, 2011 - @#1 North Carolina - L, 69-102
Jan. 2, 2011 - @#21 Memphis - L, 86-91
Dec. 22, 2007 - @#17 Vanderbilt - L, 74-83
Dec. 3, 2007 - @#15 Indiana - L, 72-84
Dec. 2, 2006 - @#6 Alabama - L, 60-78
Nov. 21, 2006 - @#10 Kansas - L, 54-89
Jan. 2, 2005 - @#17 Louisville - L, 64-98
Dec. 18, 2004 - @#17 Alabama - L, 79-87
Dec. 6, 2003 - @#13 Georgia Tech - L, 43-94
Dec. 30, 2002 - @#20 Kentucky - L, 87-115

MOVING ON UP (A LOOK AT THE RPI): During the past three weeks, Tennessee State moved up 82 spots in the RPI rankings. In the rankings released on Feb. 20th, TSU moved to 127th nationally and second in the OVC. TSU has faced four opponents with a top-100 RPI: North Carolina 5, Saint Louis 22, Middle Tennessee 38 and Belmont 68. TSU defeated Murray State (35) once and will play the Racers again Thursday evening.

COACH COOPER STEPPING 'ON THE LINE': The Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA) and ON THE LINE have teamed up during Black History Month to raise awareness of prostate cancer among African American men. Coach John Cooper and over 80 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball head coaches from 30 different conferences, will be wearing bow ties and ON THE LINE buttons during their games to show their support.

LIMITING THE OPPOSITION: When TSU limits its' opposition to 45 percent or less shooting, the Tigers are a remarkable 16-1. TSU is also 14-2 when they hold opponents to less than 67 points. The Big Blue has a 9-0 record when opponents bank less than 40 percent of their FGAs. In contrast, the Tigers are 1-7 when giving up 50 percent or more.

TRIPLE THREAT: The Tigers have plenty of options when it comes to 3-point shooting. Four players have combined for 345 career made 3-pointers: Robert Covington (135), Wil Peters (125), Kenny Moore (51) and Patrick Miller (40). Covington's two treys versus Miami moved him into seventh all-time. Peter's two against the RedHawks moved him into 10th.

LINE ME UP: Coach John Cooper has experimented with nine different lineups. The Tigers hold an 11-1 record in the past 12 games with the combination of G Wil Peters, G Patrick Miller, G Jay Harris, F Robert Covington and F M.J. Rhett. The Tiger's only blemish was a 69-63 road loss to Austin Peay.

MARGINALLY TELLING: Tennessee State has played in many closely contested games since the 2008-09 seasons. During that span, the Tigers are 11-22 on the road in games decided by six points or less.   In contrast, the Tigers boast a 16-2 record at the Gentry.

YOU GELLIN' KELLEN?: Kellen Thornton has been on fire in the past nine contests. The Illinois State transfer is posting 12.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg. Thornton has clipped 60 percent (40-of-67) during that stretch, while grabbing 42 rebounds. On Feb. 20, he was named OVC Newcomer of the Week after tallying 10.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg in two wins.

SETTING THE MARK: Robert Covington and Wil Peters are close to reaching some career marks at Tennessee State. Covington is 19th all-time at TSU with 1,288 career points passing Mike Johnson and John Barnhill. He is just 13 shy of passing Ronnie Cage's (1981-84) mark of 1,300. Covington reached 13th on the all-time list in rebounds with 662.  Covington is 10 triples away from moving into sixth all-time. Peters needs 68 points to reach 1,000 points in his career. He is 80 assists shy of becoming the all-time assists leader at Tennessee State.

SENIOR PROFILE - PLENTY OF KENNY MOORE: Senior Kenny Moore is averaging 9.9 ppg and 3.8 rpg in the last nine games. The Philadelphia product has dished out 16 assists and 13 steals during that span. Moore is tallying 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22 games this season.

COURTESY: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Postgame Notes - NCCU at Indiana, 56-75

Recap |  Box Score |  Quotes |  Photo Gallery 1  |  Photo Gallery 2  Video Highlights
 
• Indiana finishes its non-conference schedule with a perfect 13-0 record. It marks the first time the Hoosiers have had a perfect non-conference run since the 1989-90 season when IU went a perfect 11-0 against non-Big Ten foes.
 
• The Hoosiers are now 3-0 all-time against North Carolina Central.
 
• IU led NCCU the entire contest, marking the fifth game this season in which the Hoosiers did not relinquish the lead for an entire game.
 
• Indiana outrebounded NCCU, 35-16. The +19 rebounding margin is IU's largest since outrebounding Howard by a season-best +20 margin on Dec. 19.
 
• The Hoosiers allowed the Eagles to grab just 16 rebounds, which is the lowest rebound total by any Indiana opponent this season. It is the fewest total rebounds by an IU opponent since Northwestern grabbed 16 on Jan. 15, 2003.
 
• The Hoosiers won the battle of the offensive glass, 15-3. It marks the fifth time this season that IU has had 15 or more offensive boards in a game.
 
• Indiana shot 51.0 percent (26-of-51) for the game. IU has now shot 50 percent or better in 13 games this season.
 
• IU outscored NCCU in the paint, 36-24.
 
• The Hoosiers outscored the Eagles in second-chance points, 16-4.

• Indiana's topped NCCU in bench points, 23-19.



• Freshman Cody Zeller led Indiana in scoring with 17 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and tied for the team high with seven rebounds. Zeller has now led the team in the scoring column in 13 games this season, and tonight marks his fourth-straight game to pace his teammates in that category. He has scored in double figures 25 times this year.
 
• Sophomore Will Sheehey tallied 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and grabbed tied with Zeller for the team lead in rebounds with seven. Sheehey has now scored 10-or-more points in 10 games this season and 13 times in his career. He also had two assists, one block and one steal.
 
• Sophomore Victor Oladipo scored 16 points, marking his 18th game scoring in double figures this season and his fifth-consecutive contest with more than 10 points. Oladipo shot 5-of-8 from the field and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also had six rebounds, two steals and a block.
 
• Junior Derek Elston scored 10 points, marking the first time he has scored in double figures in back-to-back games since Dec. 2010 when he tallied 10-or-more points in three-consecutive contests. Elston shot 3-of-5 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in five games this season and 16 times in his career.
 
• Senior Verdell Jones III scored nine points on the night with two rebounds and an assist.
 
• Freshman Austin Etherington scored two points and grabbed one rebound in five minutes of action.
 
• Freshman Remy Abell scored two points on a baseline jumper and snagged a rebound in seven minutes.

COURTESY: INDIANA HOOSIERS.CSTV.COM