March 20, 2026 — Tennessee State’s historic season came to an end Friday as the Tigers fell 108-74 to Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo. The Tigers (23-10) were overwhelmed by the Cyclones’ shooting and depth in front of 17,192 fans, but not before Aaron Nkrumah and Antoine Lorick III provided bright spots in what was a landmark year for the program.
First half
Tennessee State traded baskets with Iowa State early, with Lorick III connecting on a layup and Jalen Pitre finding him inside to tie the game at 3-3. From there, the Cyclones seized control. Iowa State ripped off a 21-2 run fueled by three-point shooting from Nate Heise and Milan Momcilovic, pushing the lead to 30-7 and forcing a Tigers timeout. Tennessee State struggled from beyond the arc at 30% in the first half and committed eight turnovers that Iowa State turned into easy transition points. Nkrumah kept the Tigers’ offense alive with 12 first-half points, including a three at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 55-29 at the break.
Top performers
| Player | Team | PTS | FG | 3PT | REB | AST | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Nkrumah | Tenn. St. | 21 | 7-15 | 2-6 | 6 | 3 | 31 |
| Antoine Lorick III | Tenn. St. | 20 | 9-15 | 2-4 | 8 | 2 | 31 |
| Travis Harper II | Tenn. St. | 13 | 4-13 | 0-5 | 0 | 3 | 35 |
| Dante Harris | Tenn. St. | 11 | 5-14 | 0-2 | 1 | 4 | 37 |
| Killyan Toure | Iowa St. | 25 | 8-12 | 2-3 | 11 | 6 | 30 |
| Nate Heise | Iowa St. | 22 | 8-13 | 4-5 | 4 | 3 | 27 |
| Milan Momcilovic | Iowa St. | 17 | 6-11 | 3-7 | 4 | 2 | 35 |
| Blake Buchanan | Iowa St. | 11 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 7 | 8 | 26 |
Second half and game notes
The Tigers came out with more urgency after halftime. Lorick III scored 10 second-half points, including a fastbreak dunk off a Nkrumah assist that briefly trimmed the deficit to 25. Pitre added a putback jumper, and Tennessee State shot 45% from the floor in the second period. However, Iowa State’s firepower was too much to overcome, as the Cyclones answered every Tigers push. Tennessee State finished with nine blocks as a team, led by Nkrumah’s three, and forced 11 Iowa State turnovers. The Tigers were ultimately done in by a 43-29 rebounding disadvantage, 23.8% three-point shooting, and the Cyclones’ 50 bench points compared to just six for Tennessee State. The loss closes a 23-win season that included a 15-5 OVC record.
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