SATURDAY’S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 67, UNC Asheville 47
Murray State 76, @Longwood 68
@Mercer 63,
Jacksonville State 51
@Morehead State 50, Kennesaw State 49
@Tennessee Tech 78, Rice 65
#14 Purdue 66,
@SIUE 51
#1 Baylor 82,
UT Martin 67
EASTERN KENTUCKY 67, UNC ASHEVILLE 47
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team jumped out to a 13-0 lead, built a 31-point advantage near the end of the first half and then never looked back as the Lady Colonels cruised past visiting UNC Asheville, 67-47, on Saturday afternoon at McBrayer Arena.
With the win, EKU is 3-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
EKU posted season-high numbers in every type of shooting percentage on Saturday: 49 percent (26-of-53) from the field, 42 percent (5-of-12) from behind the arc and 83 percent (10-of-12) from the free throw line. The stifling Lady Colonel defense, meanwhile, limited UNCA to just 32 percent (17-of-54) shooting from the field and 22 percent (4-of-18) shooting from deep.
A trio of seniors – Brittany Coles, Alex Jones and Jade Barber – led EKU in the route. Coles filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. The Lexington native was a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range, putting her one triple shy of cracking EKU’s top-10 three-pointers made list. Jones finally came to life on the offensive end of the court, as the two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference forward scored 10 points, grabbed six boards and blocked three shots. Barber, meanwhile, continued her dominant ways in the paint, scoring 12 points, snagging eight rebounds and blocking two shots.
All 13 healthy Lady Colonels saw action in the game, including all five freshmen. Freshmen Jasmine Stafford and Alexus Cooper notched their first-career points in the winning effort.
UNCA was led offensively by Kelli Riles and Shonese Jones, both of whom tallied10 points.
EKU scored 13 unanswered points to open the game, a run that was capped by a three-pointer from Coles at the 16:22 mark. After Jones put the Bulldogs on the board with a three-pointer of her own on the opposite end of the floor, the Lady Colonels exploded on a 9-0 run to grab a 22-3 lead. They went on a 10-0 run later in the half and went into the locker room at the break up by 22, 41-19.
EKU shot nearly 60 percent (16-of-28) from the field in the decisive first half.
UNCA never got closer than 20 points the rest of the way.
EKU is now seeking its first 4-0 start since the 1994-95 season; however, the Lady Colonels will have to travel to Puerto Rico and achieve that milestone against an undefeated Florida State team (2-0) in the San Juan Shootout over Thanksgiving Break.
MURRAY STATE 76, LONGWOOD 68
FARMVILLE, Va. - The Murray State women’s basketball team picked up its first win of the 2012-13 season on Saturday with a 76-68 win over Longwood at Willett Hall in Farmville, Va.
The first half belonged to the Racers (1-3), with MSU opening the frame on an 8-0 run thanks to two 3-pointers from senior Mariah Robinson. However, the Lancers (1-3) battled back and took their first lead in the game at 30-29 with 5:45 left in the stanza.
That lead did not last for long as the Racers ended the half on a 14-2 run to take a 43-29 lead into the locker room at the break. Robinson finished the frame with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Her 17 points is the best single-half scoring performance of the season so far.
In the second half, the Lancers opened up on a 14-2 run of their own, until back-to-back Jessica Winfrey baskets beginning with 16:52 left stopped their momentum. Winfrey’s first basket gave the Racers back a lead which they never relinquished.
Robinson and Winfrey both ended the day with double-doubles, marking the first for each since the 2010-11 season. Robinson notched the third of her career with 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Winfrey picked up her 11th by scoring 15 points and pulling down 14 boards.
The Racers continued their strong free throw shooting in the contest by going 17-for-25 or 68.0 percent. Robinson was perfect form the stripe for the second-straight game. going 8-for-8 to raise her season percentage to 92.3 percent (24-26).
The Racers will return to the friendly confines of the CFSB Center on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. showdown with regional foe Evansville.
MOREHEAD STATE 50, KENNESAW STATE 49
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sophomore forward Mackenzie Arledge hit a free throw with less than a second remaining Saturday night to give the Morehead State women's basketball team a 50-49 victory over Kennesaw State in the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles won their first game of the 2012-13 season, improving to 1-1, and also secured the program's 500th all-time win. The Owls fell to 0-3.
KSU’s Chelsea Mason fouled Arledge in the paint with 0.3 seconds left as she was going up to attempt the potential winning basket for the Eagles. She converted the first of the two free throws to seal the victory.
Junior guard Terrice Robinson came off the bench and led the Eagles with 19 points and a career-high seven rebounds. Freshman forward Kailee Howe chipped in seven points also off the bench. MSU held Kennesaw State to just a 1-of-14 effort from the three-point line and caused 25 KSU turnovers in the game. The Eagles came away with 13 steals.
The Eagles fell into an early 8-0 hole before Howe hit a jumper at the 15:13 minute mark of the first half. Over the next two minutes, MSU scrapped back into the game with a 10-2 run. Sophomore guard Almesha Jones led the charge with seven points on a 3-of-4 effort from the field in the opening half to help her team trail just 25-22. She finished with nine markers.
MSU took the lead on a jumper by Arledge at the 18:20 mark of the game and held the advantage over the next six minutes. KSU rallied back and led by as much as five with eight minutes left. MSU eventually pulled back out 48-47 following a jumper by Robinson at the 1:11 mark before Kennesaw State’s Mason hit a shot to tie the game at 49 with just six seconds left.
Howe turned the ball over with four ticks remaining, but the Eagles forced a KSU mistake right after and set up the half-court offense for the winning margin.
The Owls were led by sophomore guard Kristina Wells with 10 of her team-best 14 points coming in the second period. Mason totaled 13 points.
Morehead State returns to action on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Johnson Arena in the final of the Preseason WNIT consolation round against Northern Illinois. The Huskies won their consolation game Saturday night against the Davidson, 64-61.
MERCER 63, JACKSONVILLE STATE 51
MACON, Ga. - The Jacksonville State women's basketball team closed out its season-opening three-game road trip with a 63-51 loss at Mercer on Saturday at Hawkins Arena on the MU campus.
The setback dropped JSU to 0-3 on the season, while the Bears remained unbeaten with a 3-0 mark.
A strong second half effort by Mercer proved to be the decisive factor as it expanded on a three-point, 25-22 halftime lead and a slim lead through the first 15 minutes of the final period.
The Bears took control of the contest over the last 5:55 minutes with a 19-7 scoring run to close out the contest and record the 12 point win. JSU, who trailed from the 8:19 mark of the first half, found itself in a seven-point contest at 44-37 before MU closed out the game on its scoring run and finished the second half 11-of-25 from the field and 15-of-19 from the charity stripe. Jax State made just two of its seven second half baskets over the final 5:55 of the game. Miranda Cantrell had a put back basket and Amanda McCarthy drained a three-pointer with less than 30 seconds left. McCarthy matched her career high with 12 points and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line. The senior guard also equaled her career rebounding mark in a single game with five boards in 30 minutes of floor time.
The Gamecocks came out strong offensively by taking its first lead of the season with an early 5-0 start out of the gate. Freshman Peyton Hisel scored all five of the points to start off the game. The Lexington, Ky.-native finished with seven points and five rebounds. Mercer scored its first six points off the free throw line and did not hit its first field goal until the 15:14 mark of the opening half. Tabitha Bradshaw's bucket gave the Bears their first lead of the game. MU would eventually build its largest lead at 25-18 with 4:38 left in the half and would take a 25-22 edge into the intermission break. MU scored nine of its 25 points off the free throw line and hit just seven baskets. JSU had one of its better shooting performances of the young season with a 40 percent shooting effort in the first half.
Candace Morton finished the game with eight points and six rebounds, while Cantrell posted seven points in a game played in her home state of Georgia.
JSU's leading scorer, Briana Morrow was held in check after a stellar performance last Wednesday at Georgia State. Morrow was limited to two points and five rebounds. Sophomore Marikate Gardler added six points, while Destiny James scored her first points as a Gamecock on a first half three pointer.
MU had three players reach double figure scoring status, led by Precious Bridges' 18 point afternoon. Ridges scored eight of her total from the free throw line. Kendra Grant scored all 12 of her points in the second half. Tabitha Bradshaw added 16 points off the bench.
The Gamecocks conclude the four games in a nine-day stretch with their season opener on Monday, Nov. 19 against Samford at the Pete Mathews Coliseum on the JSU campus.
TENNESEEE TECH 78, RICE 65
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - T’Keyah Williams notched a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Diamond Henderson added 21 points, six assists and four steals as Tennessee Tech ran away from Rice, 78-65, Saturday night in women’s basketball action in Eblen Center.
Both totals were career-high numbers for Williams, a sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., who was 10-for-13 from the field. Lashay Davis contributed nine points, five rebounds and four assists for the Golden Eagles.
Jessica Kuster led Rice (1-2) with 22 points and six rebounds, while Megan Palmer netted 17 and Jessica Goswitz added 12 points and five assists.
The Golden Eagles (2-1) host three more games in November, beginning Tuesday with a visit from long-time, arch-rival Middle Tennessee State. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m. as the women open a doubleheader, to be followed by the Golden Eagle men hosting Evansville at 7:30 p.m.
For tickets, visit the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center or call (931) 372-3940.
After a tight first half, the Golden Eagles found their shooting range in the second half to connect on 55.9 percent (19-for-34), including half (5-for-10) from long distance.
The Golden Eagles owned a lopsided 45-34 advantage in rebounds, and made just 11 turnovers in the game – six in the first half and five in the second.
Neither team could gain a foothold through the first 16 minutes, taking turns owning one- and two-point leads. Tech squirted out to a six-point edge, 26-20, on a layup by Williams with 4:19 to play in the half, and a Harris jumper made it six once more, with 3:14 to play. At the break, the Golden Eagles were on top by four, 30-26.
The Golden Eagles opened the second-half with a 12-1 run to build a 15-point advantage, moving on top by 42-27 with 16:05 to play. Williams had a couple of buckets and Davis nailed a 3-pointer to finish the run.
The Owls snapped back with a 9-0 run of their own, including two buckets by Kuster and five straight from Goswitz, closing the difference to four points, 42-38.
Katherine Barker’s driving layup put a halt to the Rice run and ignited a rally by the Golden Eagles. Davis and Kellie Cook each drained long 3-pointers as Tech reclaimed a double-digit lead. Cook’s trey from the left wing made it 53-41 for the Golden Eagles.
Once again, Tech took its lead out to 15 points when Williams’ jumper made it 60-45, and Cook kept it at 15 with a jumper to make it 62-47 with 4:43 remaining.
But Rice wouldn’t let up. The Owls pulled to within eight, 67-59, on a 3-pointer by Goswitz with two minutes left.
Henderson’s floater in the lane put it back to 10, 69-59 and Davis snatched a defensive rebound that led to a spinning layup by Henderson at the other end for a 71-59 Golden Eagle lead with 1:40 remaining.
A 3-pointer from on top by Palmer sliced it back to nine points, 71-62, with 1:14 to play but the Golden Eagles came out of a timeout with a layup by Williams. Palmer nailed another 3-pointer, and the difference was eight, 73-65, with 50 seconds on the clock.
Henderson made three of four free throws down the stretch, and Williams got behind the defense for a layup with 11 seconds left for the final margin as Tech scored the last five points of the night.
PURDUE 66, SIUE 51
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill .- Anyone who saw just the final 13:37 of the SIUE women's basketball matchup with Purdue might be surprised to know which team is ranked No. 14 nationally in the USA Today/ESPN poll.
SIUE, now 1-2, outscored Purdue 33-14 over the final 13:37 Saturday but dropped a 66-51 decision to the Boilermakers at the Vadalabene Center.
Tierny Austin led a second-half charge for the Cougars by scoring a career high in her second straight game. The Cougar sophomore pumped in a game-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Jazmin Hill came off the bench for 11 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Hill now needs three more three-pointers to pass Misi Clark (1997-2000) and Jessica Robert (2000-03) for third all-time.
Raven Berry became the No. 2 all-time rebounder for the Cougars with 14 caroms. She passed Nancy Swain (1980-83) and now has 768 in her collegiate career. Kim Lowe (1995-98) is SIUE's all-time rebounds leader with 917.
Purdue, ranked No. 14 in the USA Today/ESPN national poll and No. 18 in the Associated Press poll, shot 53.6 percent in the first half and rolled up a 34-13 lead by halftime.
Guard Courtney Moses led the Boilermakers with 14 points followed by Drey Mingo with 11 and April Wilson with 10. Sam Osterello helped the Boilermakers win the battle of the board 40-35. SIUE, however, grabbed 16 offensive boards and outscored Purdue 11-9 on second-chance points.
The Boilermakers slowed down in the second half and shot 6 of 17 from the field as SIUE's defense tightened its grip. SIUE hit 12 field goals in the second half and outscored Purdue in the second half overall 38-32.
The Cougars will have their third game in five days Monday when they welcome Western Illinois to the Vadalabene Center for a 7 p.m. contest.