Final Score: SIU Edwardsville 58, Tennessee Tech 54

Edwardsville, IL (Sports Network) - Michael Messer scored 14 points and brought down seven rebounds as the SIU Edwardsville Cougars topped the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, 58-54, in an Ohio Valley Conference matchup at the Vadalabene Center.

Jerome Jones added 13 points for SIU Edwardsville (5-9, 1-3 OVC) which put an end to a four-game losing streak and earned its first conference victory.

Jud Dillard had game-highs in points (29) and rebounds (12) for Tennessee Tech (7-10, 1-4) which has lost six of its last seven.

The Cougars managed to take a 26-23 lead into halftime after shooting 9-of-21 from the field including a 4-of-8 effort from beyond the arc. Tennessee Tech hit just 29.2 percent of its shots in the first half including misses on all 12 shots from beyond the arc.

SIU Edwardsville never trailed in the second half as hit 13-of-25 shots from the free-throw line to secure the win.

Each team shot worse than 40 percent in the game overall. Tennessee Tech had a 38-32 edge on the boards but turned the ball over 21 times.