Ohio Valley Conference

MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State got off to a quick start in their home opener, weathered a USC-Upstate rally and cruised to a 78-67 victory Saturday afternoon in Johnson Arena.

Morehead State (2-3) was led by Laura Toffali with 20 points, matching her season high. Kate Dike posted her second career double-double with a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. Violet McNece finished with 13 points.

The Eagles jumped out of the gates quickly with a 13-0 run from the opening tipoff, highlighted by two Dike three-pointers. Dike paced Morehead State with 10 points in the opening 10 minutes.

MSU stretched the lead to 23-4 on an Anja Ekstrom three-pointer, and led 25-10 after the first ten minutes. 

The Eagles' offense ramped up in the second quarter; MSU shot 10-15 (67%) and 5-8 (63%) from three-point range. Morehead State extended their lead to 26 with Circe Rubio Remolar's layup with 2:29 left in the half. The Eagles went into the intermission ahead 51-30.

USC-Upstate (2-5) mounted a comeback out of the half. Led by Cassie Gallagher's 15 points, the Spartans outscored the Eagles 20-11. Gallagher hit five of her nine field goal attempts and three of her four three-point attempts. Upstate outscored MSU 20-11 in the frame and trailed 62-50 going into the final quarter.

Gallagher finished with a career-high 35 points. Center Aijah Palmore recorded a 10-10 double-double.

The Eagles went cold in the third quarter, hitting just three of their 21 shots from the floor and went 1-12 from behind the arc. Gallagher scored Upstate's last 15 points of the quarter.

The teams played evenly in the fourth quarter, Upstate cut the Eagle lead to nine on two occasions, but Morehead State but a 10-2 run capped by Laura Toffali's three-pointer with 4:10 left turned the Spartan rally.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN 60, EASTERN ILLINOIS 54
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Panthers' second-half rally was not enough to overtake Central Michigan. EIU drops to 0-5, while Central Michigan improves to 4-1. 

EIU opened the afternoon contest ice cold from the field, shooting just 31% and 16.7% from beyond the three-point line. The Panthers were within one halfway through the first quarter; however, both teams were held scoreless until the 1:56 mark when Central Michigan converted on a tip-in layup. EIU went into the first quarter break trailing 18-9, with Ava Stoller keeping the Panthers within striking distance with a game-high 5 points.

Both teams continued to struggle from the field, as there were no baskets made until the 7:34 mark in the second quarter. The Chippewas controlled the momentum the rest of the quarter, reaching their largest lead of the night with a 15-point advantage with four minutes remaining. Eastern Illinois found life in the second half, outscoring Central Michigan in the third quarter 16-12. The Panthers' defense shined, holding Central Michigan to 40% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc. With 10 minutes to play, EIU turned their play up a notch; Tiny Lewis was fouled on a three-point shot by Taylor Anderson and knocked down her free throws to pull within five points. EIU continued their momentum swing, cutting the deficit within three after an Abbie Boutilier layup. However, Central Michigan would put an end to the Panthers' party, knocking down crucial free throws in the final minute. 

The Panthers defense was stellar throughout the game, holding Central Michigan to 34% shooting from the field and 19% from beyond the arc. EIU also had 7 steals and forced 19 Central Michigan turnovers.  

Ava Stoller continues to direct the offense, leading the team in scoring with 15 points and 5 assists. Tiny Lewis followed closely behind with 13 points, including two three-pointers. Clara Glad dominated the boards with a career-high 7 rebounds.

LINDENWOOD 85, OMAHA 41
OMAHA, Neb. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (4-1) picked up an 85-41 win over Omaha (1-6) on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.

The Lions opened the game on a 16-0 run as the Mavericks did not score until the 5:24 mark of the first quarter. The Black and Gold shot 67 percent from the field across the first 10 minutes and led 27-8 after one. Gracy Wernli paced the offense with eight points.

The offensive kept clicking on all cylinders in the second quarter as a pair of three pointers from Gracie Kelsey and Alyssa Nielsen grew the lead to 35-11. The Lions maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the middle frame and finished the second on a 7-0 run, including threes from Ellie Brueggemann and Wernli. The Lions led 50-22 at the break while shooting 56 percent from the field and drilled eight threes. Brooke Coffey and Wernli had 11 points apiece.

In the third quarter, the Lions outscored the Mavericks 20-10. An early three by Brueggemann put Lindenwood up 55-24. A few minutes later, Aleshia Jones took the ball coast to coast after a steal, growing the lead to 65-27.  Overall, Lindenwood shot 60 percent from the field in the frame and led 70-32 after 30 minutes.

A few minutes into the fourth, Coffey drilled a three, making the score 79-38, giving her a game-high 16. On the next offensive possession, Brueggemann knocked down her fourth three of the game as the Lions went up by 44 at 82-38. Lindenwood went on to win 85-41 on Saturday afternoon.

Overall, Lindenwood shot 55 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep after making 12 threes.

UTEP 64, UT MARTIN 60 OT
EL PASO, Texas - Recap comig soon.