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OVC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
NASHVILLE -- Seniors Jordan Cyphers and Robert Covington combined for 44 points to help Tennessee State score an 88-75 victory over Morehead State in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday evening at Municipal Auditorium.
Cyphers led all scorers in the contest with a career-best 23 points on 5-of-7 from the floor and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. Covington, who connected on 5-of-12 from the field and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe, added 21 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals in the win.
Four Tigers cracked double figures to help Tennessee State defeat Morehead State for the first time in three tries this year. Senior Kellen Thornton recorded 15 points and eight rebounds, while junior Patrick Miller contributed 15 points and a game-high 10 assists. Both individuals played 37 minutes.
“Give Tennessee State a lot of credit,” Head Coach Sean Woods said. “We knew it would be very difficult to beat them three times in one season, and they were very determined to win this game.”
Tennessee State’s advantage quickly grew to double figures by the 8:27 mark of the first half, and the Tigers led by 11 points at intermission. TSU’s biggest lead of 15 came with 2:04 before the break.
Morehead State, however, did not go quietly. The Eagles used a 10-0 spurt to trim the deficit to four with 12:16 remaining. MSU knocked TSU’s lead down to three, but got no closer down the stretch.
Junior Drew Kelly led Morehead State with 16 points on 6-of-10 from the field. Sophomore Angelo Warner added 15 points on 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, while senior Milton Chavis registered 12.
“Drew and Angelo are two very important players and leaders for us moving forward,” Woods said. “I thought they both performed well tonight. We just didn’t have enough depth to get the job done.”
Kelly, Warner and junior Chad Posthumus tallied seven rebounds apiece, while Warner also collected four assists and four steals. Devon Atkinson handed out seven assists in his final game at MSU.
“Milton is a very talented individual, and Devon is one of the most improved players I’ve ever coached,” Woods said. “Devon went from a role player to one of the OVC’s top guards this year.”
MSU was +5 on the glass (40-35) in a battle of the league’s top two rebounding margin teams. Over the season’s final 20 affairs, the Eagles finished +178 in rebounds and +124 in offensive boards.
Morehead State also posted a 19-10 upper hand in bench scoring, which gives the Eagles a 941-482 final margin for the campaign. MSU’s reserves tallied just 749 bench points a season ago.
Tennessee State knocked down 48 percent (29-of-60) from the field, including 42 percent (8-of-19) from three-point range. The Tigers also converted 82 percent (22-of-27) of their free-throw attempts.
Morehead State was held to 42 percent (25-of-59) overall, including just 35 percent (10-of-29) in the first half. The Eagles drilled 39 percent (7-of-18) from long range, one night after going just 1-of-13.
Freshman Cordell James and sophomore Jordan Percell tried to spark MSU in the second period. James collected eight points in 11 minutes, while Percell grabbed three rebounds in eight minutes.
“I’m the first to admit that I’m not a very patient person,” Woods said. “I wanted to win more games in my first year at Morehead State, but I have to be realistic about our situation at the same time.”
Chavis and Atkinson were both playing in their final contests at Morehead State. Chavis finishes with 586 points in 62 games (9.5 ppg), while Atkinson closes out with 191 assists in 59 tilts (3.2 apg).
Senior Jason Holmes, who transferred from Mississippi Valley State for his final collegiate campaign, notched four points and six rebounds on Thursday. He closes 2012-13 with 85 points in 319 minutes.
Fourth-seeded Tennessee State moves on to Friday’s semifinal against top-seeded Belmont. Fifth-seeded Morehead State finishes the season with a 15-18 overall record and 8-8 mark in league play.
“We’ve laid the foundation for a bright future,” Woods added. “I’m excited about the players who will be coming back and the pieces we will be adding to the puzzle. I hope the MSU fans and Morehead community stick with us, because I think we’re going to be really good in the near future.”
