Roper with 26 points as Tennessee St. edges Alcorn St. 81-76

Dec 19, 2015, 07:41 pm

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Marcus Roper scored 26 points as Tennessee State edged Alcorn State 81-76 on Saturday night.

Roper finished with 10-of-12 shooting from the field including five 3-pointers for the Tigers (9-2). Keron Deshields added 12 points and eight rebounds and Darreon Reddick had 10 points with eight assists. The team averaged 52.7 percent shooting from the field and 73.7 percent from the line.

Roper led a 13-5 surge late in the first half that lifted Tennessee State to a 33-29 lead with 3:23 before the break.

The Tigers fell behind by four points early in the second half and Roper responded with a pair of 3-pointers and a dunk within four minutes to help put the team back on top, 52-51, with 12:21 to play. The Tigers never trailed again.

Devonte Hampton, Marquis Vance and Octavius Brown scored 16 points apiece for the Braves (1-8).