SUNDAY'S SCORES
Alabama A&M 76, @Tennessee State 67
@Morehead State 84, Detroit 71
@Missouri 71, Murray State 32
@Wisconsin 68, SIU Edwardsville 38
ALABAMA 76, TENNESSEE STATE 67
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - TSU's two leading scorers were held to a combined 15 points as the Lady Tigers dropped a 76-67 decision to the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M Sunday evening in the Gentry Center.
Because of early foul trouble, senior Obiageli Okafor spent much of the game on the bench. She finished the game with nine points. For the same reason, Jasmine Smith sat most of the game and finished the game with only six points.
Meredith Stafford led TSU with 12 points while LaDona Pierce added 11. Chelsea Cromartie pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for the Lady Tigers.
Whiquitta Tobar led the Bulldogs with 20 points and Katrich Williams added 14.
With less than four minutes ticked off the clock, Alabama A&M was forced to burn its first timeout after Tennessee State jumped out to a 10-2 lead.
Out of the break, A&M answered with six straight points to come within two (10-8) but TSU extended its advantage back up to 16-8 with a 6-0 run.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit down to one (24-23) before taking a 36-35 following a three-pointer from the corner.
TSU climbed back on top 37-36, just before the half ended.
TSU got off to a sluggish start in the second half. With the game tied 43-43, A&M outscored TSU 14-4 to capture a 57-48 lead.
The Lady Tigers battled back when a 3-pointer by Jasmine Smith sparked an 11-2 run that tied the game 59-59. From there, both teams traded buckets and the score stayed close.
With TSU trailing 66-65, A&M scored the next five points to go ahead 71-65 with 1:34 left in the game. Two made free-throws by Oby Okafor made the score 71-67 but that would be as close as TSU would get.
Tennessee State shot 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc. Alabama A&M recorded a 47.7 shooting percentage from the field while only connecting on 14.3 percent of its three point shots.
TSU held the advantage in rebounds, 34-33, assists, 12-10 and steals, 9-4 but A&M shot 80.5 percent from the charity stripe compared to TSU's 64.9 percent.
MOREHEAD STATE 82, DETROIT 71
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State's women's basketball team knocked down a school single game record 16 three-pointers and held off a pesky Detroit Titan squad, 84-71, Sunday, at Johnson Arena. The Eagles won their fourth straight game and picked up their seventh win in eight tries to up their 2009-10 mark to 7-3.
Senior Tiffany Hamilton led the three-point barrage with a 6-for-9 showing from beyond the arc for a season high 20 points. Junior Chynna Bozeman led the team with 22 points, including four triples, and also added a team high eight assists and six rebounds to nearly pull off a triple-double. MSU also received a trio of three-balls and 13 points off the bench from senior Tiffanie Stephens as she reached double figures for the first time this season. Sophomore Counrtney Lumpkin scored 12 points and handed out six of the Eagles' 19 total assists.
The Eagles shot a season high 48 percent (30-of-63) from the floor overall and were even better from distance, canning 16 of their 30 attempts for a season best 53 percent. The Eagles lead the nation (NCAA Division I) in three-pointers attempted per game at 30.3. MSU also out-rebounded the Titans 38-31. Freshman Ashar Harris grabbed a team best 11 boards.
Detroit (1-7) landed five players in double figures, led by speedy guards Jalesa Jones and Dameisha Fambro. The Eagles had trouble containing the quick Jones who scored 15 points mostly in the paint on penetration. Fambro also scored 15. Kassandra Hooten tallied 14, Yar Shayok netted 12, and Bridig Mulroy, UDM's leading scorer entering the game, pumped in 10.
MSU drilled seven three-pointers in the first 8:50 of the first half to take a 29-13 lead in what appeared to be a one-sided contest. But, Detroit was relentless as they went on a 12-2 run, capped by a Shayok layup, during the next four minute span. Suddenly, MSU's lead was cut to six (31-25). The Titans trimmed the margin down as low as five (38-33) before Ashley Martin's jumper gave MSU a 40-33 halftime lead.
The tempo kind of see-sawed back and forth in the second half as Detroit cut the Eagle lead to only four (43-39) with 18:07 left. Mulroy canned a trey at the 12:51 mark to cut it to six (55-49), but Hamilton answered right back with a three-ball. Hamilton canned another triple at the 9:42 mark to thwart another Titan rally.
From the 8:07 mark down to the 3:40 point on the clock, MSU effectively put the game away as it went on a 13-1 run. Hamilton again capped the rally with the record-breaking three-pointer to make it a 76-58 MSU advantage. The Titans made one last push, cutting the game back down to nine, but MSU hit all six of its free throws in the final minute to hold on.
MISSOURI 71, MURRAY STATE 32
COLUMBIA, Mo. - After having a week off for finals, the Murray State women's basketball team fell to Missouri, 71-32, in the first of five straight road games over the holiday break.
The Racers (4-5, 0-2 Ohio Valley Conference) were led by sophomore Rachael Isom and senior Kayla Vance. Isom tallied a team-high nine points, while Vance added seven.
The Racers opened the game slowly and didn't get on the scoreboard until 9:20 remained. The Tigers (7-2, 0-0 Big 12) pushed the tempo of the game during the span, going on a 21-0 run. Vance was the first to score for MSU, with a jumper from just inside the lane.
The Racers increased the defensive pressure in the final nine-and-a-half minutes of the first half, holding Mizzou to 16 points. MSU also increased its offensive output heading into the locker room trailing, 15-37.
The Tigers did not let up the defensive pressure in the second half and increased their lead to as many as 39 points, while earning the win. Mizzou held the Racers without a field goal for several stretches, but the Racers also returned the favor, keeping the scoring low in the final 20 minutes of play.
WISCONSIN 68, SIU EDWARDSVILLE 38
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin raced to a 27-point lead by halftime and defeated Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 68-38 at the Kohl Center.
Danielle Bennett led SIUE with 15 points while Ashley Bey added 12. The Cougars, who played without two of their top two scorers Raven Berry and Melia Duncan, shot 27.5 percent for the game.
Wisconsin shot 64 percent in the first half and took a 45-18 lead by halftime.
The Badgers held a 23-20 in the second half.
Four players scored in double figures for Wisconsin. Alyssa Karel led Wisconsin with 12 followed by 10 each from Tara Steinbauer, Rae Lin D'Alie and Taylor Wurtz. Steinbauer led all players with 10 rebounds.
The Cougars' defense cooled Wisconsin to 31.6 percent shooting (6-19) in the second half.