MONDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 68, @Jacksonville State 62
@Morehead State 75, SIUE 72
@UT Martin 84, Austin Peay 57
@Eastern Kentucky 63, Eastern Illinois 62
@Southeast Missouri 70, Murray State 58
@Tennessee Tech 80, Tennessee State 77
BELMONT 68, JACKSONVILLE STATE 62
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - A 15-2 scoring run midway through the second half propelled Belmont past Jacksonville State, 68-62, on Monday afternoon in women's basketball action at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The Bruins, newcomers to the Ohio Valley Conference, moved their conference mark to 3-1 and evened their overall record at 8-8. The Gamecocks fell to 0-16 on the season and have dropped their first four league contests.
Jax State, who held its lone three-point lead of the contest early on in the first half, fought back to within a point at 41-40 with 9:57 left in the game after sophomore Bria'unna Buckner drilled one of her career-high four three-pointers. BU responded with its 15-2 scoring run to push the lead out to double figures and take its largest lead of 14 points at 56-42 at the 4:50 mark of the second half. JSU dwindled the lead down to six points on two occasions the rest of the way, including the final deficit.
Buckner, from Detroit, Mich., led the Gamecocks with a career high 17 points in 19 minutes of action off the bench. Buckner finished the contest 6-of11 from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc. As a team, JSU knocked down a season-best seven treys as Buckner and senior guard Amanda McCarthy combined to hit all seven. McCarthy posted 11 points and three assists in the setback.
Sophomore Marikate Gardler followed up her career day on Saturday with another solid effort with her second consecutive double digit scoring output. After her 22 point effort Saturday against Tennessee State, the Springfield, Pa.-product added ten points and three assists. Gardler was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line and finished the two-game homestand 11-for-11 at the charity stripe.
For the third time in four OVC games, JSU out-rebounded the opposition with its 46 total rebounds and it held the Bruins to 36 in the contest. Sophomore Gia Banks pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive end of the floor.
BU used a balanced scoring attack in the road win, led by Katie Brooks' game-high 19 points. Katie Carroll registered nine points, while five other Bruins added eight points each.
MOREHEAD STATE 75, SIUE 72
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sophomore guard Almesha Jones poured in 30 points, junior guard Terrice Robinson chipped in 21 markers, and the Morehead State women's basketball team shot a season-best 18-of-20 from the free throw line Monday night in defeating visiting SIU Edwardsville, 75-72, at Johnson Arena.
The Eagles improved to 5-11 overall and 1-1 in the league, while the Cougars fell to 7-8 and 1-2 in the conference. The last three games the two teams have played have been decided by a total of eight points. MSU led by as much as 17 early in the second half and withstood a gradual second-half rally by the visitors.
Jones drained four three-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws, coming within one of the career-high 31 she set earlier this season. She also added a team-high five assists. In three career games against SIUE, she has scored 61 points. Robinson, who ranks fourth in the league in scoring average, connected on all three of her three-pointers and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe in registering her second straight 20-point output.
The Eagles also got career-high performances from their frontcourt duo of sophomores Casey Ryans and Mackenzie Arledge. Ryans grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds and added eight points, while Arledge scored a career-high 10 points and collected six boards.
MSU led 41-24 at the start of the second half and held a 53-36 advantage at the 13:59 mark, but a 13-3 SIUE scoring spurt kept the game fairly close through the remainder. The Cougars trimmed their deficit all the way to 73-69 with 1:32 left, but a trio of missed three-pointers and pair of Cougar turnovers allowed the Eagles to hold on.
Michaela Herrod led SIUE with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Raven Berry scored 12 and grabbed nine rebounds, and Valerie Finnin and Tierny Austin each tallied 16 points. Berry also had a game-high seven assists.
The Eagles opened the contest with two straight triples from Arledge and Robinson and led 8-2. SIUE tied the game at eight, but a 10-0 run, started with a Robinson three-pointer, pushed the Eagles’ lead to 18-8.
MSU canned 9-of-14 from long distance in the half, including a 4-for-5 effort by Jones, as it built its largest lead of the first 20 minutes at the break, 39-24.
The Eagles finished with 11 three-pointers, marking their fourth straight game with double digit triples. MSU now has 43 long-rangers in the last four outings. The Eagles shot a season-best 52 percent (23-of-44) overall. SIUE managed to hit 39 percent (27-of-69) and out-rebounded the hosts, 40-30.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 63, EASTERN ILLINOIS 62
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team ended a 10-game losing skid to visiting Eastern Illinois Monday night thanks to a 63-62 triumph. The Lady Colonels are now 7-1 in McBrayer Arena this season.
The senior trio of Jade Barber, Raechele Gray and Alex Jones led the way for Eastern Kentucky (8-6, 2-1 OVC). Barber posted a season-high 22 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Gray recorded a personal best and equaled an OVC season high with 10 assists and no turnovers. Finally, Jones tallied her 28th career double-double behind 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Ta’Kenya Nixon paced Eastern Illinois (8-7, 2-1) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mariah King (15 points) and Kelsey Wyss (13) also chipped in with double figures. The loss snapped a three-game road winning streak for the Panthers.
Eastern Illinois jumped out to an early 18-7 lead as the Lady Colonels hit just 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) shots from the floor at the start. However, back-to-back three-pointers from junior Marie Carpenter put EKU ahead late in the stanza, 28-27.
The second half was full of runs and began with eight straight Eastern Kentucky points to give the Lady Colonels a slight 36-33 advantage. Midway through the half, Eastern Illinois strung together 12 consecutive points to go back in front, 51-44.
The Panthers had a chance to extend their lead to nine points, but a Gray steal and Jones put-back bucket cut the deficit back to five points with 8:54 left to play, 51-46. A few minutes later, Barber netted five straight points to help EKU close the gap to one point, 52-51.
Barber’s final points with 2:02 left gave the Lady Colonels the lead for good, 59-57. A coast-to-coast lay-up from senior Brittany Coles made the score, 61-57. Gray then made two free throws with 10 seconds showing on the clock to keep EKU ahead by four points, 63-59.
EIU’s Nixon responded with a three-pointer two seconds later to slash the lead back to one point, 63-62. Nixon then had a chance at a game-winning shot, but her desperation half-court shot missed the rim and the rebound was blocked by Barber as time expired.
TENNESSEE TECH 80, TENNESSEE STATE 77
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech remained unbeaten in Ohio Valley Conference play with a ,80-77, victory over Tennessee State.
Tech (9-7/3-0 OVC) led by as many as 14 points in the opening seven minutes after a 17-0 run. The Tigers (5-9/1-2 OVC) fought their way back and went up by nine to begin the second half with a 13-0 run.
Guard Diamond Henderson drained two of the biggest baskets of the night, back-to-back 3-pointers with about four minutes to play that allowed the hosts to get the upper hand and coach Jim Davis’ team held on for the win.
Henderson finished the night with 24 points, including 5-for-6 accuracy from long range, to lead Tech and pace all scorers. Jala Harris added 20. Tech also got nine points and seven rebounds from Molly Heady and eight rebounds from T’Keyah Williams.
TSU was led by Jasmin Shuler with 17 points. Chelsea Hudson added 11 points and nine rebounds while Simone Hope had 10 points and seven rebounds as the Tigers claimed a 42-34 advantage in rebounds, including 29-14 edge in the second half.
Down 6-3 after two minutes, Tech went on a scoring binge that counted points from four different players. Katherine Barker ignited the 19-2 run that included seven from Harris and five from Heady. It left Tech with a 20-6 lead with 13:18 to play in the half.
Tennessee State found a combination that worked, forcing some missed shots and five turnovers during a six-minute span, and six different players contributed points in a 17-6 streak that brought the Tigers back within a basket, 29-27, with 5:35 to play.
The Golden Eagles led by six a couple more times in the half before heading to the break with a 39-35 advantage. Tech shot 55.6 percent in the first half, including 5-for-11 from long distance, and had a 20-13 margin on the glass. TSU shot 38.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes but was a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line.
Hope scored the first basket of the second half and TSU didn’t stop until it had run together a 13-0 stretch and grabbed a 48-39 lead. Shuler notched five in the run and Hope had four, including the first and last baskets.
Tech’s comeback included a 3-pointer by Henderson with 9:58 remaining that lifted the Golden Eagles back into the lead, 57-56.
From there, the score was tied three more times before back-to-back 3-pointers by Henderson gave the Golden Eagles a 71-66 lead with 4:24 remaining.
Tech made seven of eight free throws in the final 3:03 to hold off a late push by the Tigers before a 3-pointer by TSU’s Brianna Lawrence with one second left made it a three-point final.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 70, MURRAY STATE 58
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Bailie Roberts erupted for a career-high 22 points to lift the Southeast Missouri women's basketball team to a decisive 70-58 win over Murray State at the Show Me Center on Monday night.
The senior scored 15 of her points in the second half to give the Redhawks (7-8, 2-1 Ohio Valley) two-straight wins for the first time since Dec. 4-7, 2010. Southeast is 2-1 in OVC play for the first time since the 2007-08 season, its last regular season conference title.
MSU (8-6, 1-2 OVC) opened the scoring on a Mariah Robinson three-pointer, but Southeast scored six straight on a Roberts jumper and free throw along with a Brittany Harriel three-pointer that made it 6-3. After Robinson's three tied it up, Southeast scored six-straight points on two Roberts field goals and a Patricia Mack layup, making it 12-6 with 14:44 left in the half.
The Racers pulled within one point after a three-point play by Keiona Kirby and a jumper from Robinson, but Southeast countered with seven points in a row to up the lead to 19-11. Four of those points came on layups by Courtney Shiffer and another on a three by Allyson Bradshaw.
A Jessica Winfrey layup ended Southeast's run at 7-0, but Jordan Hunter drilled a three-pointer to up the lead to nine points. After a Robinson jumper, Southeast scored six-straight points to go up 28-15 with 4:23 left in the half.
The Redhawks went cold for the rest of the first half and the Racers capitalized with a 9-0 run to close the opening frame. That spurt left Southeast with a 28-24 lead at halftime. Southeast shot 40.7% in the stanza and held MSU to only 26.7 percent from the floor. The Redhawks also owned a 25-16 rebounding advantage in the opening 20 minutes.
Southeast scored the first four points of the second half to double the lead back to eight points. Mack ended a five and a half minute scoreless drought with a baseline jumper and Kara Wright scored in transition to make it 32-24. After a Kelsey Dirks jumper pulled MSU within six, Roberts made a jumper and two free throws to make it a 36-26 Southeast lead with 16:50 to play.
Tessa Elkins pulled MSU's deficit down to seven with a three from the corner, but Harriel's layup and Hunter's three forced a Racer timeout and put the Redhawks up 41-29 at the 12:59 mark. Less than a minute later, Hunter found Roberts wide open on an inbounds pass for a layup, making it a 14-point Southeast lead.
Roberts wasn't done there, she promptly drilled a three-pointer to up the lead to 17 and Wright scored in transition with a mid-range jumper to pump it up to 48-29. Olivia Hackmann then scored with another transition jumper to give Southeast a commanding 50-29 lead with 9:33 left, capping a 14-0 Redhawks run and put them in control.
MSU cut the deficit to 54-40 on the strength of a 9-2 run, but Southeast countered with a 7-0 spurt of its own to make it a 61-40 game with 4:10 left. The Racers never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
The Redhawks shot 43.1 percent from the floor offensively. Their defense smothered the Racers throughout, holding them to 27.7 percent shooting. Southeast made 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) three-pointers and kept MSU to 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Southeast also enjoyed a 49-37 advantage in rebounding and forced 17 MSU turnovers, though committed 20 of its own. The Redhawks recorded a season-high 20 assists.
Roberts' outing is the most a Southeast player has scored this season. Hunter also scored in double figures, tallying 19 points while dishing out four assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Mack grabbed 12 rebounds to lead all players while Wright recorded a career-high five assists.
Robinson led the Racers on the night with 21 points, while Erika Sisk and Elkins followed with 11 each.
UT MARTIN 84, AUSTIN PEAY 57
MARTIN, Tenn. - UT Martin defated visiting Austin Peay, 84-57, on Monday night.
UT Martin's Heather Butler led all scorers with 32 points, including 19 in the second half. Jasmine Newsome added 21points while Sydney Vanlandingham and Rickiesha Bryant had 10 points each.
Senior Leslie Martinez finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lady Govs. Martinez scored 13 points in the first half, including consecutive six points during a 14-4 run that gave Austin Peay (5-9, 0-2 OVC) a 17-9 lead with 13:49 remaining. Martinez would later hit a three-pointer that pushed the Lady Govs lead to nine points, 26-17, with 7:48 left in the half.
UT Martin (7-10, 2-1 OVC) stiffened its defense at that moment and found its stride offensively. The Skyhawks would hold the Lady Govs to one field goal the half's remainder and closed the period with a 21-2 run.
The Skyhawks would extend that run into the second half and ultimately produced an incredible 44-8 scoring burst that lasted 16 minutes and ended with UTM holding a decisive 61-34 advantage at the 11:49 mark of the second half.
Austin Peay was ineffective at the offensive end of the court during the run, making just 4-of-21 from the floor and committing 12 turnovers. The situation proved dire enough for head coach Carrie Daniels to pull her entire starting five at the 17:05 mark of the second half.
Martinez was the only Austin Peay player to reach double-digit scoring territory. Three Lady Govs - junior Nicole Olszewski and seniors Meghan Bussabarger and Kaitlyn Hill, finished with eight points each.