SATURDAY'S SCORES
Oral Roberts 73,
Austin Peay 60
Jacksonville State 63, @Central Arkansas 54
North Florida 62,
Eastern Kentucky 45
@Ball State 85,
Murray State 59
Belmont 72, @Denver 43
Loyola Chicago 63,
Eastern Illinois 52
Lipscomb 61,
@Morehead State 59
Norfolk State 63,
@Tennessee State 52
@UT Martin 84, Evansville 74
Georgia 74,
@Tennessee Tech 51
ORAL ROBERTS 73, AUSTIN PEAY 60
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team was unable to find an elusive road victory, dropping a 73-60 nonconference decision to Oral Roberts, Saturday, in the consolation game of the Southern Miss Thanksgiving Invitational at Reed Green Coliseum.
Austin Peay (1-6) had few answers for Oral Roberts center Vicky McIntyre, who was the talk of the first half, posting a 20-point, 20-rebound effort in the opening half. However, McIntyre scored six points in a half-ending 9-3 run that gave the Golden Eagles a 31-25 halftime lead.
The Lady Govs opened the game with a 9-4 run in the opening four minutes. Austin Peay then relied on its defense, which forced nine turnovers and scored 10 points off those miscues, to stay in the game through halftime.
Oral Roberts (3-4) opened the second half with an 8-0 run and temporarily broke the game open, leading by 14 points 39-25, at the end of the run which Jordan Doyle sparked with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws.
Austin Peay scraped back as Gray and Stainback again hit back-to-back three-pointers before Gray scored six straight points, her basket at the 13:06 mark slashing the lead to five points, 46-41. The Lady Govs then solved ORU’s McIntyre as she picked up her fourth foul with 12:16 left in the game. Junior center Tearra Banks hit the ensuing free throws to cut the lead to five points again at the 11:56 mark.
However, McIntyre’s departure seemed to spark Oral Roberts which broke the game open with a 19-4 over four minutes. The Golden Eagles made 8-of-13 from the floor during the run, including a trio of three-pointers. Dorottya Balla closed the run with two three-point baskets in a one minute span, giving ORU a 67-47 lead with 7:15 left that it would not relinquish.
Gray led Austin Peay with 20 points on 9-of-25 shooting with seven assists and eight steals. Stainback added 16 points and three assists. Banks recovered from a slow start to post 13 points and six rebounds.
Austin Peay shot just 31 percent from the floor in the loss as it could not recover from a 9-of-35 (25.7 percent) first-half effort. The Lady Govs defense did forced 21 turnovers, which it converted into 25 points.
McIntyre led Oral Roberts with a 22-point, 27-rebound performance. Dorottya Balla finished with 14 points, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. The Golden Eagles shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the floor for the game.
Austin Peay, which now has lost seven straight away from home, closes its four-game road trip with an 8 p.m., Saturday contest at Memphis.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 63, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 54
CONWAY, Ark. - For the first time in the program's NCAA Division I history, the Jacksonville State women's basketball team moved to 4-1 to start the season after a tough 63-54 road win at Central Arkansas on Saturday in the Farris Center.
The Gamecocks went in to the quick Thanksgiving break with the best start since 2006-07 with a home win against Wofford. The Sugar Bears dropped to 2-3 on the season after entering the contest on a two-game winning streak.
The win was fueled by the stellar play of senior Candace Morton in the second half. After struggling with just two points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field in the first half, the Lexington, Kentucky native exploded for 19 second-half points. With her play in the second half, Morton became the 10th JSU women's basketball player to reach 1,000 career points. She eclipsed the 1,000 point mark on a three-point play with 6:45 left to play. It came at an opportune time as UCA had erased a 45-38 JSU lead. Morton would go on to score 12 of the Gamecocks' final 17 points. She finished the game 9-of-10 from the free throw line and came up one rebound shy of a double-double.
It was an offensive struggle in the opening 20 minutes as both teams combined for just 19 baskets. JSU jumped out to its largest margin of the half at 10-4 with 11:28 left in the opening half. The Sugar Bears led by as many as five on two occasions and took a 25-22 lead in to halftime.
After UCA extended the lead out to 36-28 at the 15:28 mark of the half, the Gamecocks manufactured a 12-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 45-38 at the midpoint of the second half on a pair of Tyler Phelion free throws. The advantage quickly evaporated on UCA's nesxt two trips down the floor to even the contest. Morton's jumper with 6:45 left in the game gave JSU a lead it would not relinquish. The Sugar Bears cut the lead down to four with 2:13 left on the game clock, but the Gamecocks knocked down free throws down the stretch to secure the win. JSU's final 10 points came at the charity stripe. The Red and White had its best outings from the free throw line as it hit 17-of-20 (85%). As a team in the second half, JSU was 12-of-24 (50%) and limited UCA to just 38.5 shooting for the entire contest.
For the third time in the last four games, JSU had three or more players turn in double figures in the scoring column. Aiding Morton on Saturday was fellow senior Miranda Cantrell. The College Park, Georgia post player turned in her first double-double of the season and the ninth of her career with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Cantrell paced JSU in the opening half with seven points and nine boards. Sophomore Briana Benson came off the bench to add 11 points and drained a trio of three-point baskets. Benson also grabbed five rebounds in 22 minutes of floor action. The Gamecocks have out-rebounded three of the first five opponents.
UCA was led by Kendara Watts' 15 points, while Kelsey McClure pitched in 10 points. JSU limited UCA's leading scorer, Maggie Proffit, to just five points. Proffit entered the game averaging 16.6 points per game.
The Gamecocks return home for a pair of home games this week as they host Georgia Southern on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. JSU will play its final home game until after Christmas on Friday, Dec. 5 against Jackson State.
BELMONT 72, DENVER 43
DENVER, Colo. - It was a complete team effort that secured Belmont women's basktball's (1-5) first win of the season in the consolation game of the University of Denver Thanksgiving Tournament on Saturday. The Bruins opened with a 10-2 run and never looked back en route to defeating host- Denver (0-5), 72-43.
The Bruins exploded to open the contest going on a 10-0 run with baskets coming from sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.), freshman Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.), senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) and sophomore Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.). A stunned Denver bench called timeout to regroup but Belmont continued to put in serious work on both sides of the ball. By the 12 minute mark, BU led 16-7 with half of its points coming off Pioneer turnovers.
Denver finally got its collective legs under it three minutes later and surged to close the gap to four, 22-18, but Belmont redoubled its efforts. The tough defensive effort for BU kept Denver from scoring for almost five minutes as the Bruins continued to rally. Belmont went on an 11-3 run to close the half with Luffman-Hartsfield, Joubran, seniors Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) and Blair Bryce (Red Oak, Texas) and Thompson all finding the bottom of the net. The flurry sent the teams to the locker rooms separated by 12 with Belmont leading, 33-21.
After the break, Jones resumed the scoring onslaught for BU, quickly adding four more points to the tally. Another stringent defensive effort kept Denver off the board for the first four minutes and had managed to keep them scoreless from the 3:26 mark of the first half. Denver sparked itself behind a three pointer and tried to build momentum but BU shut down every rally their opponent attempted. Senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) put on a one-woman show and scored six consecutive points for Belmont to put it ahead, 50-29, with just under 11 minutes left in regulation.
Back-to-back triples by freshman Katelin Bundy (Lexington, Ky.) pushed the Bruins to a 26-point lead, 63-37 with six and a half minutes left. BU kept rolling and soon grabbed its largest lead of the afternoon, 30 points, 70-40, after a pair at the line by senior Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.). Denver launched one final three but Bundy netted a pair at the stripe to secure the 72-43 victory.
Denver shot 28.8 percent from the floor, 26.7 percent from three-point range and 60 percent from the free-throw line.
The Pioneers had only one player reach double digits – Jacqlyn Poss, who led with 10 points. Jordan Johnston led the team with seven rebounds.
Belmont shot 34.2 percent from the hardwood, 28.6 percent from behind the three-point arc and 70 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins pulled down a season-high 60 rebounds.
BU was led in scoring by Luffman-Hartsfield, dropped in 14 points. She also notched her first double of the season with 10 rebounds. Joubran added 13 points and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Jones contributed nine points and Bundy picked up a season-high eight points, aided by a pair of threes. Tarrence finished with three assists and two steals.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, December 2 at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host Lipscomb in the annual Battle of the Boulevard dual. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.
BALL STATE 85, MURRAY STATE 59
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Murray State women's basketball team fell to Ball State 85-59 in the first game of the Ball State Federal Credit Union Thanksgiving Classic in Muncie, Indiana. MSU will face Jackson State in the Consolation game Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Cardinals (3-2) took the lead, but the Racers (3-3) were able to tie everything 8-8. However, Ball State went on a 20-0 run to take a 28-8 lead. Murray State went on a 5-0 run, but it was not enough to stop the Cardinals as they continued to lead 35-16 at the five minute mark. The Cardinals went into the locker room with a 46-24 lead over the Racers. Murray State was shooting .281 from the field.
Coming out of the locker room, the Racers looked like completely different team from the first half. It would be tough to catch up, but MSU started off grabbing down offensive and defensive rebounds to hopefully get a chance. In the first four minutes of the second half, Murray State only allowed Ball State to score three points to still trail 49-28. Ball State was able to continue to keep their advantage and hold off MSU as they took the game 85-59.
Ke'Shunan James was one rebound short of a double-double as she had 20 points and nine rebounds. Keiona Kirby added 13 points. Netanya Jackson grabbed down seven rebounds, while the Racers were outrebounded by 10.
Murray State will face Jackson State in the consolation match Sunday at 11:00 a.m. CT to conclude their time at the Ball State Federal Credit Union Thanksgiving Classic. MSU and Jackson State have not faced each other since 2003 where the Racers fell to the Tigers 69-56.
LIPSCOMB 61, MOREHEAD STATE 59
MOREHEAD, Ky. - - Lipscomb's Ashley Southern hit a pair of free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining Saturday as the Morehead State women's basketball team dropped a 61-59 decision to the Bison at Johnson Arena.
Lipscomb improved to 2-4 overall and evened the series with MSU, 2-2. Morehead State, which nearly eliminated a nine-point deficit late in the second half, slipped to 3-3 overall and 1-1 at home.
MSU senior forward Casey Ryans canned two free throws with 48 ticks left to tie the contest at 59. Following a missed layup by the hosts with 20 seconds left, Southern got an entry pass, turned and tossed up a shot, but was fouled. She hit both free tosses, and MSU never managed to get a final shot off.
Southern finished with a game-high 23 points and also had nine rebounds.
The Bison built their largest lead at 55-46 with 6:22 remaining, but junior guard Natalie Greenwell drilled three straight three-pointers, and MSU trailed only 57-55 just two minutes later.
The game featured 14 lead changes and five ties. MSU led by as much as seven in the first half before securing a 33-31 at the half.
Sophomore forward Shay Steele led the Eagles with 17 points, her fifth double-figure game, while also blocking a career-best five shots. Freshman forward Eriel McKee produced her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Greenwell finished with 12 points, all three-pointers.
Senior guard Almesha Jones, who leads the nation in assists, handed out 11 today. She added eight points and is now only 10 points shy of 1,000 for her career.
Morehead State held a 45-28 rebounding edge. Ryans pulled down nine boards. Lipscomb turned the ball over just nine times and forced 16 Eagle miscues.
The Bison shot 40 percent (23-of-58), while MSU managed 37 percent (22-of-59).
Morehead State travels to Ohio on Wednesday. The game will feature a special 11 a.m. ET start
LOYOLA CHICAGO 63, EASTERN ILLINOIS 52
CHICAGO, Ill. - Eastern Illinois turned the ball over 16 times leading to 12 Loyola-Chicago points as the Ramblers walked away with a 63-52 win over the Panthers on Saturday afternoon at the Gentile Arena.
EIU drops to 2-4 on the year and will host Omaha next Friday at 6 p.m. in Lantz Arena. Loyola improved to 2-3.
The Panthers were cold from the field to open the game as Phylicia Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 13:17 to play for their first field goal. The Ramblers answered with a 3-pointer by Bailey Farley.
Johnson made her second 3-pointer of the game with 11:40 to play in the first half to bring EIU to within two points at 12-10. Johnson would finish with 11 points for the Panthers.
Taylor Johnson would hit a pair of lay-ups as Loyola went on an 11-0 run to lead 21-10. Johnson had 16 points to lead all players. Loyola shot 43 percent in the opening half to lead 35-22. EIU shot 28 percent for the game.
The Panthers missed their first three shots of the second half as Loyola extended the lead to 18 points with 19:06 left to play. EIU was able to stay within striking distance with good defense and by getting to the free throw line. EIU hit 15-of-20 from the stripe in the second half and 23-of-30 for the game.
Sabina Oroszova had 11 points and 17 rebounds scoring seven points at the free throw line. Erica Brown had seven points all at the free throw line. Her free throws with 4:21 to play cut Loyola’s lead to 54-46.
EIU would turn it over two times on the next two possessions as they could not get closer than eight points. Becca Smith made three free throws in the final four minutes to finish with 13 points. Destiny Washington had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Chicago native Bh’rea Griffin hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for EIU’s final points as she finished with seven points.
NORTH FLORIDA 62, EASTERN KENTUCKY 52
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Junior forward Shelly Harper notched her first double-double of the season, but it was not enough as a cold-shooting Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team fell to North Florida, 62-45, on Saturday in the UNCW Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic at Trask Coliseum.
Harper went for 10 points and a career-high 13 boards to pick up her third-career double-double. It was her second straight game with double-digit rebounds.
Sophomore Michaela Hunter was the only other Colonel in double figures, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Junior Shameekia Murray added eight points, while junior Jasmine Henshaw contributed six points and six boards.
EKU (2-3) shot 28.3 percent (17-of-60) from the field and a season-low 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from three-point range.
The Ospreys, meanwhile, connected on 9-of-18 three-pointers (50 percent).
UNF’s Destinee Smith led all players in the game with 19 points.
Eastern took an early 4-3 lead when Henshaw converted a layup less than two minutes into the game; however, UNF responded with a 20-3 run and captured a 23-7 lead when Kadesia Johnson completed a three-point play at the 10:10 mark of the first half.
EKU pulled to within eight, 36-28, on a layup by Harper to open the second half, but UNF responded with a bucket of its own on the ensuing possession, and the Ospreys led by double digits the rest of the game.
The Colonels return to action on Tuesday when they host Asbury in their home opener at 7:00 p.m.
NORFOLK STATE 65, TENNESSEE STATE 58
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State women’s basketball team dropped its first game in the Teresa Phillips Thanksgiving Classic to Norfolk State, 65-58, in overtime on Saturday.
Chelsea Hudson led TSU (1-4) with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting (46.1 percent) and tallied a game-high 11 rebounds.
Kayla Robberts poured in 23 points for Norfolk State (1-4) and secured a team-best eight boards.
Jemilah Leonard canned a three at the 12:47 mark, ending a seven-minute drought to start the game. The hoop ignited a 9-0 run – which Leonard capped with a jumper – and gave TSU an, 11-10, lead.
The Spartans built a five-point advantage later in the half, but two Rachel Allen triples in a two-minute span put the Lady Tigers within one with 3:07 to go in the half.
Each side had just one point during the final three minutes of the first half and NSU went into the break clinging to a, 23-22, lead.
The Lady Tigers crushed the Spartans on the glass during the opening 20 minutes, 23-14, but 12 TSU turnovers led to the gap on the scoreboard.
Hudson converted an old-fashioned three-point play 25 seconds into the second period and Briana Morrow had one, too, a minute later. Hudson then converted an easy lay-in to give the Lady Tigers a, 30-23, lead.
The Spartans fought back with a 12-3 run later in the half and went up by four with a jumper at the 8:58 mark. TSU was 1-for-6 (16.7 percent) during the stretch while NSU made 4-of-8.
The Lady Tigers were down two with 1:40 left in the game when Hudson nailed a layup to tie the game at 52. Hudson was fouled on the play, but missed the ensuing free throw.
NSU canned a three on the next trip down the floor, but Imani Davis answered right back with a three of her own with 36 seconds left to tie the game again at 55.
The Spartans were called for an offensive foul on their next possession, but the refs called Allen for one on TSU’s next chance, forcing overtime.
Jayda Johnson had the first hoop in the extra period, but the Lady Tigers could only muster one more point from there, and fell by seven.
TSU shot 56 percent from the charity stripe (9-of-16) and NSU had more chances (22) and eight more makes (17).
Tennessee State will close out the Teresa Phillips Thanksgiving Classic against Youngstown State tomorrow at 2 p.m.
UT MARTIN 84, EVANSVILLE 74
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team never trailed while snapping a brief three-game losing streak behind a complete team effort in a 84-74 victory over Evansville, notching head coach Kevin McMillan’s 100th career victory at the helm of the Skyhawks.
The Skyhawks (2-4) placed four players in double figures for the second consecutive game while dominating on boards and shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and knocking down a season-best 14 three-pointers. Career nights from both sophomores Jessy Ward and Tiara Caldwell proved to be enough to defend the Elam Center in a non-conference bout.
Ward tallied a career high 25 points in the victory, knocking down seven three-pointers on the evening. Caldwell tallied her first career double-double with 12 points and a career best 14 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. The duo was joined in double figures by Ashia Jones (15) and Katie Schubert (10).
“We’ll obviously take every win we can get and I thought we played a good Evansville team and had a good team performance,” said McMillan. “I thought Jessy Ward was great for us down the stretch. We needed someone to make some big shots for us and she did. Caldwell had a big night with her 14 rebounds, which was huge for us on the inside. We are inching along, but we’re getting there.”
Evansville (1-4) saw career nights from a pair of shooters as well. Sara Dickey led the Purple Aces with a new career high with 28 points while Ladd notched 25 points in the loss. The Purple Aces shot 55.6 percent from the floor during the game while Sasha Robinson led the team with eight rebounds in addition to her eight points.
The Skyhawks opened the game on a 9-4 run after Ward knocked down a pair of three-pointers while Schubert notched a trifecta of her own. The run would continue with a 15-8 advantage at the first media timeout. The home squad would knock down five of seven three-pointers during the span, led with three by Ward.
Evansville would open the following few minutes on a 7-0 run behind five points from Dickey. The game would be tied at 15 at the 14:48 mark after Kenyia Johnson scored a fast break layup following a Skyhawk turnover. UTM would rally with a 5-2 run of their own to hold a 22-17 advantage with 11:39 to play in the first.
The Skyhawks would continue on their previous run, extending it out to 13-0 over the course of four minutes, forcing Evansville to call a timeout with just under 10 minutes to play. During the run, the Skyhawks would tally another pair of three-pointer behind the hot shooting of Ward and Haley Howard, leading 30-17.
The Purple Aces would look to get back in the game over the next four minutes, outscoring the home team 10-6 during the span. Dickey and Ladd would take over the game for the visitors as Ladd knocked down a pair of three-pointers and Dickey tallied four points.
UT Martin would take a 46-32 lead into the halftime break. Finishing the first half on a brief 6-3 lead, the Skyhawks were led in scoring by Ward with 11 points while five players scored six points or more in the opening half. Evansville was led in scoring by Dickey with 18 points in the opening period.
Both teams would come out of the half with nine points in the opening five minutes. Evansville would get points from Robinson, Dickey and Ladd while four Skyhawks scored during the span. The Skyhawks would hold a 55-41 lead at the 14:56 mark of the second half.
The Purple Aces would put together a substantial run to get back in the ballgame. Stringing together a 28-14 run, Evansville would end up tying the contest at the 6:37 mark with a three-pointer from Dickey to knot the game at 69-69. During the run, Ladd would score 15 points for the Purple Aces.
Ward’s fifth trifecta of the game gave the Skyhawks the lead back after a brief tie, putting the home squad back on top with at 72-69. A jumper by Schubert would put the Skyhawks up by five before Khristian Hart would knock down a three-pointer to trim the margin to two points going into the final media timeout.
The two point margin would be as close as Evansville would get in the final minutes as the Skyhawks finished the game on a 10-2 in the game’s five four minutes of play. Ward would tally eight of her career high 25 points down the stretch to hold onto the 84-74 victory – snapping a three game losing streak.
UT Martin will return to action on Thursday, Dec. 4 when the Skyhawks travel to Southeastern Conference foe Alabama.
GEORGIA 74, TENNESSEE TECH 51
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech played pretty much dead-even with No. 22 Georgia for more than 30 minutes Saturday night in Eblen Center, both on the scoreboard and throughout the stat sheet.
It was the first few minutes that proved the difference as the visiting Bulldogs used a tenacious full-court press to force early Tech turnovers and build a double-digit lead at 15-5.
After that, things stayed static nearly all the way to the end when Georgia pulled away in the final four minutes for a 74-51 victory to keep the Bulldogs unbeaten at 7-0. The win also gave UGA head coach Andy Landers – a Tennessee Tech grad coaching against his alma mater – his milestone 850th win at the Athens school.
Tech had the margin down to nine points with 10 minutes to play, before Georgia closed on a 30-16 run to stretch the difference. After the Bulldogs opened the contest with a 10-0 lead, Tech pulled to within five points at 19-4 with 11:35 to play in the opening period. The Golden Eagles were within six twice in the half, including a 31-25 at the break.
Shacobia Barbee led Georgia with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, one of four Bulldogs to score in double digits. Merritt Hempe added 12 points and five boards, Krista Donald had 11 points and six rebounds, and Tiaria Griffin finished with 10.
Junior guard Samaria Howard was the stat leader for the Golden Eagles (1-4) with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Mariah Dean added 12 points and seven boards.
The biggest difference on the stat recap was found at the free throw line, where Georgia went 26-for-39 and Tech was 17-for-29. Georgia's edge in other areas was slim, much of it coming in the final three minutes.
The Bulldogs had a 38-32 edge on the boards, had 10 assists compared with eight by Tech, and shot 43.4 percent while Tech finished at 39 percent. Tech wound up with 24 turnovers while forcing 19. Both teams were 2-for-8 from long range.
The Golden Eagles are back on the bus next week to open a three-game road trip, beginning on Wednesday (Dec. 3) with a 5 p.m. CT tipoff at Southern Mississippi. After that, Tech plays at Clemson on Saturday (Dec. 6) and Georgia State the following week (Dec. 13) before the next home contest. That comes on Dec. 16 against South Alabama.