SATURDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 71, Eastern Kentucky 61
@Morehead State 67, Eastern Illinois 62
@UT Martin 67, Jacksonville State 47
@Southeast Missouri 68, Tennessee Tech 66 (OT)
Tennessee State 81, @Austin Peay 78 (OT)
Belmont 79, @Murray State 68
SIUE 71, EASTERN KENTUCKY 61
RICHMOND, Ky. - Sidney Smith erupted for a season-high six three-pointers, all in the first half, as SIUE women's basketball rolled over Eastern Kentucky 71-61 Saturday at McBrayer Arena.
SIUE won its fifth consecutive game to improve to 5-1 in the OVC and 10-9 overall.
The Cougars held a 41-29 lead at halftime and extended it to as much as 21 points in the second half.
Shronda Butts turned in another solid performance with 16 points on offense. She also recorded six of SIUE's 13 assists.
Tierny Austin joined Smith and Butts in double figures. She was 5 for 5 from the field, including a three-pointer, and added three free throws for 14 points.
Eastern Kentucky, 6-9 overall and 1-4 in the OVC, was down by double digits for most of the second half but made a run with seven offensive rebounds in a four-minute time span to pull within nine points with 5:12 to play in the game.
Michaela Hunter led The Colonels with 19 points while Shameekia Murray added 18 points and nine rebounds.
MOREHEAD STATE 67, EASTERN ILLINOIS 62
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Senior guard Almesha Jones tied her season high with 26 points and handed out a game-best eight assists to lead the Morehead State women's basketball team to a 67-62 triumph over Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon at Johnson Arena.
MSU moved to 7-11 overall and 3-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference with the program's second consecutive win over EIU. The series is now tied at 17 games apiece. The Panthers slipped to 7-12 overall and 4-2 in the conference.
Jones, who ranks in the league's top 10 in scoring and leads the conference in assists, scored 12 in the first half and added 14 in the final half. She hit 9-of-12 free throws. Jones moved into 17th place in career scoring at MSU with 1,203 points, passing Travece Turner, who played from 2000-03. She now needs just 11 more assists to set the school's career assist mark, held by Irene Moore with 499.
Sophomore forward Shay Steele registered 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, while McKee netted 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes. Viela caned two-of-three treys and notched 10 points.
The Eagles turned the ball over a season-low eight times.
EIU senior forward Sabina Oroszova was the lone Panther in double figures in the point column, tying her season high with 24 points. She had 14 markers in the second half.
The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes, and neither team gained more than a seven-point cushion. MSU held the advantage for more than 26 minutes.
The visitors secured their final lead at 58-57 with 2:31 remaining, but Jones drained a three-pointer 17 seconds after to give her team a lead it never relinquished. EIU trailed 62-60 with 36 ticks left following two free tosses by Arnisha Thomas, but Jones hit four free throws and McKee knocked down one to push the home team's margin out.
Morehead State finished at 41 percent (23-of-56) accuracy from the floor, while EIU managed 36 percent (20-of-55). The Panthers won the rebound battle, 38-31.
UT MARTIN 67, JACKSONVILLE STATE 47
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team defeated Ohio Valley Conference foe Jacksonville State behind a heavy dose of post play from sophomore Ashia Jones as she tossed in 30 points and 12 rebounds in the 67-47 victory.
The Skyhawks (9-9, 5-0 OVC) moved to .500 for the first time this season while pushing their unbeaten streak to five games to start out conference play. Jones continues to dominate the OVC, notching her third 30-point outing in the past four games while pulling down 12 rebounds for her eighth career double-double.
The home squad would make the most of Jones’ contributions while the duo of Tiara Caldwell and Monique Jackson combined to score 50 of the team’s 67 total points. Caldwell notched a new career high with 14 points while notching six rebounds as Jackson chipped in six points and nine boards.
Jacksonville State (12-6, 3-3 OVC) shot just 32.8 percent for the game while Destany McLin led the squad with 12 points and eight rebounds. Seven of the nine players contributed points for the Gamecocks but it would not be enough to outmatch the 53.3 percent field goal percentage by the Skyhawks in the second half.
The Gamecocks would jump out to a 4-0 lead out of the gates before the Skyhawks finally took their first lead of the game at the 15:48 mark off a jumper from Jones. McLin would storm out of the gates with eight points in the first five minutes, giving the Gamecocks a 10-9 advantage at the first media break.
JSU would put together a 6-0 run over the course of 40 seconds behind the hot shooting of Gretchen Morrison who came off the bench and hit back-to-back three-pointers on consecutive possessions.
The Skyhawks would respond with a 9-2 run of their own to retake the lead at 20-18 with 7:43 to play in the first half. Much of the success of the Skyhawks came from the low post presence of Jones and Caldwell who combined to score nine points – including seven consecutive points by Caldwell during the span.
The next four minutes would see both the lead change hands and the score be tied on a pair of occasions. Jones and Ward would both score for the home squad while Candace Morton and Destiny James notched two points each.
UT Martin would take a 28-25 advantage into the halftime break behind the play of Jones who notched 16 first half points. For the Gamecocks it was McLin who tallied a team-best 10 points in the opening frame. As a whole, the lead changed hands on seven occasions while the score would be tied three times.
The Skyhawks would open the second half by outscoring the Gamecocks 10-4, including a 6-0 run. Included in the run was six points from Jones, reaching the 20-point plateau for the seventh time in the last nine games.
UT Martin would stretch the run eventually to as large as 16-0, holding Jacksonville State scoreless for over seven minutes. Jones would chip in another six points along with a couple of rebounds to give the sophomore her eighth career double-double.
Both teams would play pretty evenly following the run with Jacksonville State holding a slim advantage during the four minute period, outscoring UT Martin 8-7. Briana Benson would tally six of JSU’s eight points during the span while the collection of Katie Schubert, Jessy Ward and Jackson each produced for the Skyhawks.
The game would stay balanced over the next segment with JSU once again outscoring the Skyhawks 8-7 during the stretch. Four players would contribute for the Gamecocks while Caldwell tallied five points during the stretch to reach double figures and set a new personal best.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 68, TENNESSEE TECH 66
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (8-11, 1-5) earned a 68-66 overtime victory over Tennessee Tech (5-14, 2-4) on Saturday afternoon at the Show Me Center. Erin Bollmann led the Redhawks with a career-high 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season in her first career start.
Southeast built a 15-point lead early on but Tech would fight back to force the extra period in a contest that featured six ties and two lead changes.
Yelena Rosado hit a crucial 3-pointer to tie the score at 63-63 with 53 seconds remaining in overtime. Bollmann added a steal and drew a foul on the following possession and drained a free throw to give the Redhawks a lead that would not be surrendered. Hillary Lively and Allyson Bradshaw drained four consecutive free throws to clinch the game.
The Redhawks opened the game on a 12-2 run behind a strong defensive presence, forcing seven turnovers in the first six minutes of action. Bradshaw drained her 152nd career 3-pointer and Rosado followed with a 3-point play to cap the run.
Tech fought back with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the lead to 12-9 with 12:19 remaining in the first half.
Jasmine Robinson hit a triple and Bradshaw drained two free throws to increase the lead to 19-12 with 8:51 left before halftime.
Southeast went on a 10-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Hannah Noe to stretch the lead to 29-14 with 5:05 remaining in the first half. For the second consecutive game and third time on the season, Noe connected on two shots from beyond the arc.
The Redhawks hit four consecutive shots to pull ahead 33-18 with 3:07 left before intermission, capped by two straight baskets from Bollmann.
At halftime, Southeast held a 37-24 lead, led by Bollmann's eight points in the first 20 minutes. Olivia Hackmann tied a career-high with five assists at the break. The Redhawks shot 46.4% (13-for-28) in the opening half while Tech shot 42.1% (8-for-19) from the floor.
Tech cut the lead to single digits at 45-36 on a short jumper by Mariah Dean with 10:56 remaining. Catherine Taylor drained a 3-pointer to trim the margin the 45-39 with 10:20 left.
Bradshaw hit two free throws to stretch the lead to 47-39 with 9:10 left.
The Golden Eagles pulled within five at 49-44 on a free throw by Taylor with 6:44 remaining. She cut the lead to 49-47 with a 3-pointer on the following possession.
Hannah Goolsby tied the game at 49-49 on a layup with 5:00 left. Robinson answered with a layup of her own the next time down the court to recapture the lead. Taylor and Robinson traded baskets the next two times down the court as Southeast led 53-51 with 4:03 remaining.
T'Keyah Williams again tied the score at 53-53 with 2:58 left before Robinson answered with a layup at the 2:29 mark to again put the Redhawks ahead.
Bollmann hit a jumper off of an inbounds pass with 1:51 remaining to set a new career-high in points and increased the lead to 57-54.
Following a jumper by Dean, Robinson drew a foul and made both free throws to push the lead to 59-56 with 1:12 to play.
Howard scored again with 50 seconds left to trim the lead to 59-58. She hit one of two free throws with 12 seconds remaining to tie the score.
Robinson drew a foul on the other end and went to the charity stripe with 5.9 seconds left. She missed both foul shots and the teams headed to overtime.
In the second half, Southeast shot only 28.6% (8-for-28) while Tech shot 58.3% (14-for-24) to erase the 15-point lead.
Tech took its first lead of the contest at 61-59 on a jumper by Taylor with 2:58 left in overtime. Bollmann hit one of two free throws on the other end before Taylor connected on a jumper to increase the lead to 63-60 with 2:12 remaining in the extra period.
From there, Rosado's clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key paved the way for victory. For the game, Southeast shot 36.1% (22-for-61) from the floor, 27.8% (5-for-18) from beyond the arc and 79.2% (19-for-24) from the foul line. Tech shot 51.0% (25-for-49) from the field, 33.3% (2-for-6) from 3-point range and 46.7% (14-for-30) from the free throw line.
Robinson finished with 14 points, two assists and two steals. Bradshaw scored nine points while King added six points and eight rebounds.
Tech was led by Taylor and Howard, who both had 12 points. Williams grabbed seven rebounds.
TENNESSEE STATE 81, AUSTIN PEAY 78
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team overcame a 14-point deficit in an, 81-78, overtime victory at Austin Peay Saturday evening in the Dunn Center.
Tennessee State (7-9, 4-1 OVC) outscored Austin Peay (6-12, 3-2 OVC) 41-27 in the second half and forced 31 turnovers. TSU turned the APSU miscues into 31 points.
Senior Chelsea Hudson led TSU with 23 points (20 in the second half) and 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Hudson also recorded her 1,000th career point and now has a total of 1,020. Jemilah Leonard came off the bench to score 13 points while Jayda Johnson chipped in 12. I’mani Davis registered 11 points and seven boards. Briana Morrow tallied eight points in only 18 minutes with six of her eight points coming in overtime.
Tearra Banks had 25 points and 10 rebounds while Tiasha Gray notched 19 points and 12 rebounds for Austin Peay. Jennifer Nwokocha also pulled down ten boards.
TSU got off to a slow start and only made one of its first fourteen field goal attempts. With 13:16 on the clock, Rachel Allen knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to end a five minute scoring drought but Austin Peay increased its advantage to 19-11 a few possessions later.
A 10-3 spurt fueled by TSU’s defensive pressure briefly pulled the Lady Tigers to within one, 22-21, but the Lady Govs countered with a 14-1 run of their own. APSU led, 36-22, at halftime.
TSU struggled from the field in the opening frame only making 19.5 percent (8-of-41) of its shot attempts, including 9.1 percent from three-point range (1-of-11).
In the second half, the Lady Tigers cut the deficit down to single digits after outscoring the Lady Govs, 11-2, to begin the stanza.
After slowly chipping away at the lead, TSU took a 49-48, lead on an offensive rebound and putback by Jayda Johnson with 7:52 left to play. The next several possessions were intense as the teams played to a 55-55 tie with 3:46 on the clock.
TSU was trailing, 61-60, when Austin Peay made two free-throws to go up, 63-60, with 40.8 seconds remaining.
On the next trip down the floor, Jemilah Leonard buried a timely triple to knot the score, 63-63. Austin Peay attempted a shot as time expired but it was off the mark and the game went to overtime.
The extra period was a battle from the onset as neither team would let up. The game was tied when Chelsea Hudson sank a three-pointer with less than a minute on the clock.
The Lady Tigers were up by four when APSU’s Tiasha Gray hit a three to make the score, 78-77, in favor of TSU with 19.3 seconds left.
Austin Peay was forced to foul and Jemilah Leonard went to the line. The sophomore made both free-throws and gave TSU an 80-77 lead. The Lady Govs hit one freebie to cut the deficit down to, 80-78, before having to foul again. Jayda Johnson made another free-throw to give TSU a three-point cushion and Austin Peay’s final three-point attempt was off the mark.
TSU shot 48.7 percent (19-of-39) in the second half and 85.7 percent (6-of-7) in overtime.
BELMONT 79, MURRAY STATE 68
MURRAY, Ky. - The Belmont women's basketball team (5-14, 2-4 OVC) battled back from a deficit to notch its first OVC road win on Saturday. The Bruins knocked off Murray State (5-13, 0-5 OVC), 79-68, improving to 2-4 in conference play.
The Bruins clamped down on the Racers on both sides of the ball from the opening whistle. By the 14:06 mark, BU had hustled and built a 10-0 run to go up, 13-6, after back-to-back layups by sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) and senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.), forcing the MSU bench to burn a timeout. Belmont kept up the pressure, battling for every loose ball and rebound. Murray State closed the gap to a single possession but Belmont streaked again, fueled by triples by senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.). The quick flurry put the Bruins on top by nine, 29-20, with five minutes left on the clock.
Murray State began whittling away at the lead and used a three to knot the score at 32 with 20 ticks remaining on the clock before the break. Belmont attempted to hold for the final shot of the half but the Racers came up with the steal and a fast break layup to take a narrow 34-32 lead into the locker room.
After the break, the Bruins found their rim lidded for the first three and a half minutes, allowing the Racers to pull away by as many as nine, 41-32. Suddenly, the Bruins found a terrific offensive rhythm that fired on all cylinders from all over the floor. BU saw point production from freshmen Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) and Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.), Joubran and capped by a three pointer by Luffman-Hartsfield that tied the game at 46.
Murray State went ice cold from the hardwood as the Bruins continued to produce in the paint. By the 4:11 mark, BU was on top by 11, 67-56. The Racers would not go down without a fight, however. MSU tried to used being in the double bonus in the final two and a half minutes but the Bruins redoubled their efforts to hold on to their lead. MSU would inch to within seven but Belmont beat back the surge. A triple by Jones and a pair at the charity stripe by Carroll gave BU its largest lead, 74-64, with 1:07 left in regulation. The Bruins used the clock to their advantage and used three consecutive trips to the stripe to seal the 79-68 victory.
Murray State shot 35.8 percent from the hardwood, 18.8 percent from three-point range and 63 percent from the free-throw line.
The Racers were led in scoring by Olivia Cunningham, who netted 16 points, followed by Netanya Jackson's 14 and Keiona Kirby's 10 points. Kirby also led the team in rebounds with 12 rebounds.
Belmont shot 46.8 percent from the hardwood, 35.7 percent from behind the three-point arc and 66.7 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 47-42, assists, 15-13, blocks, 7-2, and steals, 5-2.
Five Bruins reached double digits, led by Joubran's game-high 20 points. She also notched her ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 14 rebounds. Luffman-Hartsfield and McCabe each contributed 15 points, Jones added 12, followed by Carroll with 10 points. McCabe finished with a game-high three blocks.