By TSU Athletics
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (TSU News Service) — Tennessee State captured the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship for the first time in more than three decades, defeating Morehead State 93-67 Saturday night at the Ford Center. Powered by a blistering three-point shooting performance and a dominant effort on the glass, the Tigers secured the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and improved to 23-9 on the season.
The Tigers (23-9) had five players score in double figures, led by Antoine Lorick III, who had 18 points and two blocks. Travis Harper tacked on 17 points and Carlous Williams helped with 16 points off the bench. Dante Harris recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Aaron Nkrumah added 11 points and six assists.
Tennessee State grabbed 44 rebounds in Saturday’s game compared to Morehead State’s 29, led by Harris’ 11 boards. The Tigers also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 14 rebounds into 14 second chance points.
The Tennessee State defense held Morehead State shooters to just 36.2 percent from the field, including 30 percent from three-point range. The Eagles did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only eight offensive rebounds and scored nine second chance points while Tennessee State pulled down 30 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
After playing to a 7-7 tie, Tennessee State went on a 13-0 run with 16:46 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Aaron Nkrumah, to take a 20-7 lead. The Tigers then added eight points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 55-34 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down 12 shots to account for 36 of its 55 points.
Following intermission, Tennessee State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 87-65 before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Jc Brooks’ three, to grow the lead to 93-65 with 1:05 to go in the contest. The Eagles narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 93-67 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 15 of its 38 total points.
Dante Harris was named the OVC Tournament Most Valuable Player, while Aaron Nkrumah and Travis Harper also earned spots on the OVC All-Tournament Team.
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public land-grant university offering 41 bachelor’s degrees, 15 graduate certificates, 27 master’s degrees, and nine doctoral degrees. TSU’s campus spans 500 acres. The university is committed to academic excellence, providing students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders. Visit tnstate.edu for more details.
