FRIDAY’S SCORES
@UAB 72,
Austin Peay 54
@Eastern Kentucky 73, Miami (Ohio) 63
@Texas State 82,
Belmont 76
Western Kentucky 80,
@Murray State 69
@Indiana State 69,
Eastern Illinois 39
@Southeast Missouri 78, Wright State 66
@Illinois State 62,
Morehead State 45
@Northwestern 79,
UT Martin 69
@Tennessee State 52, Cumberland 49
UAB 72, AUSTIN PEAY 54
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Limiting turnovers and maximizing rebounds were two keys head coach Carrie Daniels stressed before Austin Peay women's basketball team opend its season at UAB, but the Lady Govs were unable to heed that advice in a 72-54 loss at Bartow Arena, Friday afternoon.
UAB (1-0) made it difficult to avoid the turnover-bug, applying the same defensive pressure that caused the Lady Govs so much trouble in their meetings the two previous seasons. That pressure led to 10 Austin Peay turnovers in the opening 10 minutes as UAB pushed to an 18-8 lead.
The Blazers lead would reach 14 points with 7:33 remaining, but Austin Peay freshman Tiasha Gray ended a four-minute scoring drought with a three-pointer. UAB responded in kind on its next possession, but Austin Peay would piece together an 8-2 run over the next 2:30 to cut the lead back to eight points, 27-19, with 3:47 left in the period.
Senior Leslie Martinez scored four points during that mini-run and would add another four points during the final 3:47 to end the half with a team-best 12 points. However, the Lady Govs would not get closer than eight points and ended the half trailing by 10 points, 33-23.
The second half was a see-saw battle over the opening 10 minutes with UAB pushing the lead out to 15 points twice only to have Austin Peay reel the lead back in to 11 points. The Blazers would ultimately put the game safely away courtesy an 11-1 scoring run over a brief 2:13 span. UAB pushed its lead to 21 points, 60-39, as it scored on each of its five possessions during the burst while Austin Peay had a missed three-pointer and two turnovers.
Austin Peay (0-1) would again keep the lead from growing larger, but was unable to get an closer than 15 points after senior Meghan Bussabarger's layup with 53 seconds remaining.
The Lady Govs would were charged an unsightly 29 turnovers in the loss which UAB converted into 32 points. Adding to those woes was the Lady Govs 42-24 rebounding deficit. The Blazers grabbed 21 offensive board alone, accounting for 20 second-chance points.
After Martinez' 12-point first half, she was held to one point in the second period and finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Bussabarger picked up the slack with 14 second-half points and finished with 16 points. Gray added nine points, but struggled with eight turnovers off the bench.
Michaelea Kleist led UAB with 14 points and five steals, one of four players to score more than 10 points for the homestanding Blazers.
Austin Peay returns home and will get six days to prepare for a visit from nationally-ranked Louisville for a 7 p.m., Thursday contest at the Dunn Center.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 73, MIAMI (OHIO) 63
RICHMOND, Ky. - Junior Marie Carpenter poured in a game-high 27 points and senior Jade Barber was three blocks shy of a triple-double as the Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team defeated Miami (Ohio), 73-63, in a season-opening, overtime thriller on Friday night at McBrayer Arena.
EKU (1-0) trailed Miami (0-1), 58-57, with less than two minutes to play in regulation, before Barber converted a layup to give the Lady Colonels the lead and Carpenter added to that lead with a jumper in the paint that made it 61-58 with 27 ticks on the clock.
On Miami’s ensuing possession, however, Kirsten Olowinski banked in desperation three-pointer from the top of the key to tie the score and force overtime.
Undaunted, the Lady Colonels outscored the visiting RedHawks 12-2 in overtime to convincingly knock off a team that was picked to win the Mid-American East Division this season.
Carpenter, EKU’s leading scorer from last season and a Preseason All-OVC selection, recorded 27 points in the win, two points shy of her career high. It was Barber, however, that controlled the paint against a large and imposing Miami frontcourt, scoring 13 points, grabbing a career-high 21 rebounds and blocking seven shots. Behind Barber’s effort, EKU outrebounded Miami, 57-45, on the night.
Senior Raechele Gray, meanwhile, contributed 15 points and dished out a team-high five assists, while senior Brittany Coles chipped in with 10 points. Senior Alex Jones did not score, but added 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win.
Twelve Lady Colonels saw action in the game.
Miami had three players record double-doubles in the losing effort. Courtney Osborn led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Olowinski finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds and Erica Almady with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Colonels experienced opening-night jitters early on, connecting on just of two of their first 13 field goal attempts and allowing Miami to take a commanding 20-10 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half. However, EKU recovered and reeled off the game’s next 10 points, as Carpenter converted a three-point play to make it 20-20 just before the final media timeout of the half.
After Miami established another lead with a 7-1 run of its own, Carpenter struck again, this time knocking down a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the Lady Colonels’ deficit to just three, 27-24, at halftime.
EKU carried the momentum from Carpenter’s three-pointer out of the locker room, as the Lady Colonels shot 5-of-7 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers by Gray, to take the lead early in the second half. Gray’s second triple made it 39-31 in favor of EKU with 15:23 remaining in the game.
Miami did not go away, though, as the RedHawks clawed back into the game and took the lead, 45-44, on a free throw by Haley Robertson with 8:50 on the clock. The game went back-and-forth the rest of the way until Olowinski’s three-pointer forced overtime.
EKU returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 14, when the Lady Colonels host Kent State at McBrayer Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
TEXAS STATE 82, BELMONT 76
SAN MARCOS, Texas – A massive comeback effort by the Belmont women's basketball team (0-1) fell just short in the team's season opener at Texas State (1-0) on Friday night. The Bruins, who battled back from a double digit deficit, fell to the Bobcats, 82-76.
TSU jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead before senior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) drilled her first three pointer of the contest and banked in a jumper to get the Bruins on the board. The Bobcats then put together a 7-0 run to go up 12-5 by the 15:30 mark.
Both teams suddenly fell icy from the hardwood. The Bruins were finally able to emerge from a nearly seven minute quiet spell behind a jumper and a layup by freshman Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) as the clock neared the 10 minute mark. The rookie's baskets changed the momentum squarely in Belmont's favor. Four minutes later, BU had moved to within 10 and continued to trim the Texas State lead.
A pair of triples by junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) and a layup by Visbeen moved the Bruins to within five points, 26-21, with 4:59 remaining in the clock. Belmont stayed within six as time dwindled down. Redshirt freshman Blair Bryce (Dallas, Texas) checked in and within 20 seconds, she was able to find the bottom of the net. Sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) netted a jumper with 25 seconds remaining to make it a two-point game but the Bruin heroics were not over. At the buzzer, Ernst drilled a three pointer from the left side to send the Bruins to the lock room with their first lead of the contest, 35-34.
BU was able to carry over its first half momentum into the second stanza. This time, it would be senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) keeping the Bruins hot. She netted back-to-back layups. By the 13 minute mark, Belmont had expanded its lead to its biggest lead of the night, nine, after sophomore Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) drilled a trey. The Bobcats began to surge and had pulled within two, 55-53, just two minutes later. However, BU was able to pull away again behind shots by Joubran and Coleman.
With just under seven minutes left in the contest, the Bobcats had moved to within one, 62-61, after a three pointer by Diamond Ford. TSU hovered within one for about three minutes before taking the lead briefly behind a jumper in the paint before sophomore Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) knocked down her lone triple of the night to give the Bruins breathing room.
Unfortunately, the point differential didn't last long. Texas State took advantage of being in the double bonus and used it down the stretch to regain the lead and pull away. Despite strong play down to the buzzer, Belmont was edged in its season opener 82-76.
Texas State shot 40.7 percent from the floor, 31.8 percent from three-point range and 64.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Diamond Ford led the Bobcats with 21 points. Kaylan Martin, Ashley Ezeh, Jasmine Baugus, and Erin Peoples also reached double digits.
Belmont shot 42.7 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from behind the three-point arc and 50 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 49-42, and assists, 21-12.
Four Bruins reached double figures, led by senior Alyssa Visbeen (Franklin, Tenn.) with a game-high 22 points. Junior Molly Ernst (Louisville, Ky.) added 14 and Joubran and senior Jordan Coleman (Orlando, Fla.) contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Coleman led BU with nine rebounds while sophomore Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) tallied a game-high six assists.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins will wrap their opening weekend in Texas with a stop at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 80, MURRAY STATE 69
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State women’s basketball team dropped its 2012-13 season opener, 80-69, to Western Kentucky on Friday night at the CFSB Center.
The Lady Toppers (1-0) held the Racers (0-1) to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor, while shooting 46.9 percent themselves. Murray State also made just one of 13 3-point shots on the night, compared to a 5-for-9 performance by WKU. The Lady Toppers also outshot MSU at the charity stripe in the contest with a 15-for-19 performance (78.9) compared to 18-for-26 (69.2) for the Racers
Western Kentucky used a 16-0 run midway through the first half to build a lead that the Racers were never really able to recover from. The Lady Toppers took a 38-21 lead into the locker room after holding MSU to just 10 points in the first 11 minutes of the ballgame.
In the second half, the Racers begin to find their feet and were able to take advantage of miscues and foul trouble by Western. Down 23 points at the 13:57 mark in the second stanza, the Racers went on an 18-4 run to cut the lead to just nine at 57-48. However, that would be as close as Murray State would get as WKU took back the momentum and picked up the 80-69 win.
The win marked the first for Lady Topper head coach Michelle Clark-Heard, as she was victorious in her debut in red and white. The loss, however, was the first for Racer head coach Rob Cross in a home opener and just his second in five tries in a season-opener. Both of his season-opening losses have come at the hands of Western Kentucky.
Senior Mariah Robinson became Murray State’s all-time leader in 3-point attempts during the game, as she went 1-for-4 to give her 532 for her career. Robinson took over the lead from Amber Guffey (2005-09) who finished her four years at MSU with 530. Robinson now has 175 made 3-pointers for her career and is chasing Guffey’s record of 210.
Junior Erika Burgess led Murray State on the night with 22 points, while freshman Erika Sisk and Robinson followed with 15 and 13, respectively. On the boards, junior Jessica Winfrey pulled down nine to finish the night just one rebound and two points shy of a double-double. Senior Kyra Watson was also just short of her own double-double, as she had nine points and seven rebounds.
Sophomore Chastity Gooch had the night’s only double-double with 12 points and 11 boards, while classmate Alexis Govan led all scorers with 26.
The Racers will continue action at home on Monday night when they host Big 10-opponent Indiana. The Hoosiers also fell in their season opener on Friday night, dropping a 64-52 decision at Valparaiso. Tip-off at The Bank is set for 7 p.m.
INDIANA STATE 69, EASTERN ILLINOIS 39
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana State women’s basketball team posted a 69-39 season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois on Friday evening at the Hulman Center in front of 2,668 spectators.
EIU could not overcome an early deficit, trailing the Sycamores (1-0) by a score of 36-9 heading into intermission. The Panthers (0-1) only connected on 16 percent of their shots from the field (4-for-25) in the first half.
The Panthers started the second stanza with a 13-4 run on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor to get within 18 (40-22), but EIU could not overcome the cold shooting. EIU finished the game hitting 26.9 percent of its shots, going 14-for-52 from the floor. The Panthers also couldn’t find their stride from the foul line as they went 5-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Ta’Kenya Nixon paced the Panthers with 12 points and five assists while Kelsey Wyss added six points. Both Mariah King and Sabina Oroszova chipped in the four points in the loss. Oroszova also added a team-high seven rebounds.
Anna Munn led the Sycamores with a game-high 20 points while Racheal Mahan added a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. ISU out rebounded the Panthers by 16 (47-31) on the night.
Defensively, the Panthers had three blocks and five steals while forcing 15 Indiana State turnovers. EIU added nine points off of turnovers in the game. On the night, Indiana State scored 18 points off of 17 Panther turnovers.
The Panthers return to action on Monday, Nov. 12 when they play host to Bradley at 7 p.m. inside Lantz Arena.
ILLINOIS STATE 62, MORHEAD STATE 45
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Host Illinois State pulled away in the second half to defeat the Morehead State women’s basketball team, 62-45, Friday night at the Shirk Center in the first round of the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Junior guard Terrice Robinson led the Eagles with 16 points, while sophomore guard Almesha Jones generated 15 points. MSU shot 50 percent in the first period but was held to just 25 percent in the second half when the Redbirds outscored the Eagles 31-19.
Illinois State got a team-best 20 points from Jamie Russell, while Maddie Oliver netted 12 points and seven rebounds. Octavia Crump pulled in a game-best 11 boards as the Eagles were out-rebounded 40-23. MSU tallied 14 steals and forced 20 ISU mistakes.
Keyed by the trio of the triples by Robinson, the Eagles stayed with the Redbirds in the opening half. ISU opened on a 6-2 run but Robinson tied the contest at 11 at the 13:57 mark with her third three-ball. The hosts built their largest lead of the half thanks to a six-minute, 13-2 run. The Redbirds pulled ahead by nine, 24-15, with 6:42 left, but a three-pointer from Almesha Jones and a lay-in by Robinson cut it back to four, 24-20.
Russell knocked down her 13th point of the half with 1:36 left give her team a 31-26 advantage it took to the locker room. The Eagles shot 50 percent (11-of-22) in the period but coughed up the ball 12 times.
MSU trimmed the Redbird lead down to 48-41 with 8:28 left in the game, but ISU pulled ahead by double digits, eventually using the final margin as its largest lead.
MSU shot 37 percent for the game. ISU managed 42 percent.
Morehead State falls into the consolation round of the WNIT now. The Eagles will find out their next matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles are guaranteed to play two games next weekend, starting on Friday.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 78, WRIGHT STATE 66
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Four Southeast Missouri players scored in double figures and the Redhawks led by as many as 21 points in a season-opening 78-66 win over Wright State on Friday night.
Southeast (1-0) won its season opener for the first time since the 2009-10 season and its 78 points were more than the Redhawks scored in all but one game during the 2011-12 campaign.
“This was an exciting game,” Southeast head coach Ty Margenthaler said. “I was really proud of our young team for building on a lead in the second half. We had a few valleys down the stretch to let them back in it, but I was proud of everyone for knocking down free throws towards the end. Our players should feel really good about this win.”
After trailing 6-4 early, the Redhawks got consecutive three pointers from Kara Wright and Brittany Harriel to grab a 10-6 lead. Jordan Hunter followed with a free throw to extend the run to 7-0.
The Raiders battled back with an 11-3 spurt, which put them in front 17-14. Undeterred, Southeast countered with an 18-4 surge to take a 32-21 lead with 4:24 left.
Southeast's lead grew as big as 35-23 after Allyson Bradshaw connected from long-range for the Redhawks seventh three-pointer of the half with 2:35 left in the opening stanza. Southeast ended up taking a 39-29 lead to the break, making more three-pointers (seven) than two-point (five) field goals in the half.
WSU cut the Southeast lead down to 42-34 one minute into the second half. The Redhawks blew the game open on the strength of a 13-0 run to put them up 55-34 with 12:48 to play. Four different Redhawks contributed baskets during that surge. Harriel made a layup and three free throws, Patricia Mack scored two baskets, Dru Haertling hit a layup and Bailie Roberts connected on a jumper.
With Southeast up 67-50, WSU scored eight in a row to cut the deficit to 67-58, but Allyson Bradshaw and Courtney Shiffer each went 2-for-2 at the line on the next two possessions to spoil WSU's comeback bid.
Southeast shot 39.1 percent from the field and held WSU to 32.1 percent shooting. The Redhawks connected on 10 of their 28 three-point attempts (35.7 percent) while holding the Raiders to 6-of-24 (25.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Southeast also outscored WSU by eight form the line, making 18-of-24 (75.0 percent) at the foul stripe compared to the Raiders' 10-of-22 (45.0 percent) figure.
The Raiders held a slight advantage in rebounds (54-50) while the Redhawks won the turnover battle with 14 turnovers against 16 WSU miscues.
Roberts posted her fourth career double-double, leading all players by scoring 16 points and tying a career high with 13 rebounds. Harriel tallied 13 points and pulled down nine boards herself, Bradshaw scored 13 points of her own and Haertling added 10 points, seven rebounds and a game-high three assists (no turnovers) off the bench.
Southeast returns to action on Monday when it travels to UMKC. Opening tipoff is at 7 p.m.
TENNESSEE STATE 52, CUMBERLAND 49
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team went down to the wire in a hard-fought season-opening win over a feisty Cumberland University team, 52-49, Friday night in the Gentry Center.
TSU improved to 1-0 while CU fell to 3-1 on the season.
Simone Hopes led TSU with 14 points and just missed a double-double with eight rebounds. Chelsea Hudson also registered eight rebounds to go with seven points for the Lady Tigers.
Cumberland’s Jessica Pace and Briannica Tye each tallied 11 points to lead the Bulldogs. Pace also registered a game-high nine boards.
It was a slow start for both teams as the score was only 2-1, in favor of the visitors, at the 16:09 mark. Cumberland, however, would quickly take control of the game after nailing three straight triples to go up, 13-3.
The TSU offense finally showed a little life after Simone Hopes connected in the paint to snap a four-minute skid.
Over the next several possessions, the Lady Tigers outscored the Bulldogs, 10-2, to pull within two.
TSU briefly took the lead, 21-19, before going into halftime trailing CU, 24-22.
In the second half, the teams traded buckets as the score wavered back and forth. With 11:06 on the clock, TSU had a slight, 35-34, lead when a score by Avery Jones put the Lady Tigers on top, 37-34.
The see-saw battle continued over the next several minutes as neither team was able to pull away. A three-point play by Simone Hopes gave TSU a, 43-39, lead but CU responded with four unanswered to pull even with 4:48 remaining in the game.
With the game winding down, Cumberland used three free-throws to capture a, 49-46, lead with 1:31 on the clock. On the next possession, Rachel Allen scored before finding Destiney Gaston in the paint on the next trip down to put TSU up, 50-49.
The Bulldogs missed on their next shot attempt and were forced to foul with 25.8 seconds left. After TSU split on the freebies, Cumberland had another opportunity to take the lead.
CU, however, missed two close range shots and Simone Hopes came away with the rebound. Hopes was fouled and made 1-of-2 to give the Lady Tigers a slight, 52-49, advantage with 5.1 seconds remaining.
Cumberland had a chance for one last play but the three-point attempt was off the mark.
TSU struggled shooting the ball tonight, only knocking down 33.3 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the charity stripe but the Lady Tigers recorded 16 steals in the contest.
The Lady Tigers return to action on Monday, Nov. 12 at South Alabama. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. in the Mitchell Center.
NORTHWESTERN 79, UT MARTIN 69
EVANSTON, Ill. - Junior guards Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome combined for 50 points but it wasn’t enough for The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team to knock off host Northwestern Friday night.
Butler netted 26 points, while Newsome scored two dozen points. Butler made 5 3-pointers.
Northwestern, from the Big Ten Conference, jumped out to a 37-28 lead at halftime, but the Skyhawks battled back in the second half.
With 13:08 to play in the game, UT Martin built a 3-point lead, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Northwestern.
Northwestern was led by Maggie Lyon with 21 points and Kendall Hackney with 20 points. Dannielle Diamant tossed in 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.
The Skyhawks will return to action Monday, Nov. 12, when they host Arkansas State from the Sun Belt Conference. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.