Going into the game I thought Evansville would be trying to slow down Tennessee State and I couldn't have been more wrong.

Other than an 8-0 run late, the Tigers were busy trying to slow down the Purple Aces.

Kellen Thornton, who finished with a team-high 20 points, hit a three with just under 2 minutes to play to cut the lead to nine. But from there on, Evansville hit 8 straight free throws to secure the win.

The Tigers' star forward, Robert Covington, struggled to score in the first half but finished his last game in a TSU uniform with a double-double. (19 points and 14 boards). Thornton led the team in scoring with 20 and also finished with a double-double.

The Purple Aces were led by Colt Ryan, who poured in 22 points.

Tennessee State was knocked out by Mercer last year in the first round of the CIT and this year the only difference is the opponent.

The Tigers finish the season 18-15 and graduate four seniors. Three of those seniors were in the top four in scoring for TSU. They will, however, return their star point guard, Patrick Miller.