Box Score Jeremy Brown leads Marauders to 70-65 win over Trevecca Nazarene
Nashville, TN - Bouncing back after Thursday's loss to Kentucky Wesleyan, Central State earned a crucial 70-65 conference victory over Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday night.
With the win, CSU improves to 16-9 overall with a 8-3 mark in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Alderson Broaddus (17-7;8-3) owns the tiebreaker and currently sits in the top spot. Trevecca Nazarene falls to 9-13 on the season and are in 4th place in the conference with a 5-5 mark after Saturday's loss.
The Marauders led from the start to the finish, hanging on for the 5 point win. CSU jumped ahead by as many as 14 in the first half thanks to a 9-0 run to lead 23-9 at the 9:09 mark. TNU responded with a 15-2 run over the next 9 minutes to cut the deficit down to 1. CSU junior
Tre' Edwards hit from beyond the arc with 1 second left in the half as the Marauders took a 28-24 lead into the break.
CSU built their lead to 15 and led by double-figures for most of the second half. Up 65-53 with 4:01 to go, CSU surrendered a 9-0 run. A Matt Gamberoni layup made the score 65-62 in favor of CSU with 48 seconds left.
Sterling Gilmore converting two free throws for CSU to put the Marauders back up 5. TNU opted for a quick score as Jalen Palm's layup cut the lead back down to 3 with 42 seconds left. CSU guard
Ra'Chaun Thompson gave the ball back to Palm on the inbound pass. Thompson quickly made up for his mistake, blocking Palm's jumper. Able to maintain possession, TNU called a timeout with 24 seconds left. Gilmore would step up for CSU, stealing the ball from TNU's Mac Walden.
Jeremy Brown split a pair of free throws on the other end of the floor to give CSU a 68-64 lead with 15 seconds remaining. CSU sent TNU's Percy Blade to the line. Blade hit the first attempt but his second shot rimmed out as CSU took control. Forced to foul, TNU sent Gilmore to line where the sophomore calmly hit both free throws with 4 seconds to seal the 70-65 victory.
CSU outscored TNU 40-22 in the paint and held a 12-2 advantage in fast break points.
Brown, a freshman from Indianapolis, IN, finished with a game-high 27 points to lead all scorers. Brown converted 13 of 18 field goals and grabbed 6 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Gilmore was a perfect 3 of 3 from three point range and finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Edwards had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Brown continues to be a surprise contributor for CSU coach
Joseph Price and the Marauders. Choosing to come to Central State to play football, Brown walked on to the CSU basketball team in the fall. With a 6'2, 190 pound frame, Brown was asked to play in the front court where he has started every game this season. Averaging 25 minutes of play. Brown is second on the team in rebounds with 5.4 to go along with 6.5 ppg and 1.2 spg. Last weekend, Brown hit big shots down the stretch of a triple overtime win over Alderson Broaddus. His 27 points against TNU is a career high.
"Jeremy continues to be the hardest working player on the floor," Price said. "He has made the most out of every opportunity so far this year."
Brown and the Marauders will try to keep pace with Alderson Broaddus when the team travels to Ohio Valley on Thursday.
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