NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Jeremiah Samarrippas scored 16 points and had 11 assists as fifth-seeded Tennessee Tech held off eighth-seeded SIU-Edwardsville for a 74-67 win in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament on Wednesday night.

Tennessee Tech (17-15) built a 19-5 lead nearly midway through the first half and led 38-22 at halftime, but SIU-Edwardsville cut its deficit to 64-60 on a layup by Tim Johnson with 1:55 to play.

Samarrippas then responded by hitting a 3-pointer on Tennessee Tech's next possession to extend its lead to 7 as the Golden Eagles began putting the game away.