SATURDAY'S SCORES
Central Arkansas 61,
@Murray State 51
@Wright State 77,
Austin Peay 56
@Illinois 94,
UT Martin 74
@Jackson State 71,
Jacksonville State 65
Morehead State 99, @Georgia State 90
@Southern Illinois 79
, Tennessee State 70
@Eastern Kentucky 91, Western Carolina 62
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 61, MURRAY STATE 51
MURRAY, Ky. - Central Arkansas outrebounded Murray State by 21 (48-27) and outscored the Racers by 13 on second-chance points as the Murray State women’s basketball team lost its second straight game Saturday afternoon at the CFSB Center, 61-51.
MSU shot 34 percent (18-for-53) from the floor in the game while the Sugar Bears (2-1) shot 36.8 percent (21-for-57). The Racers hit six 3-pointers in the loss while UCA made five from long range. The Sugar Bears went 14-of-18 from the free-throw line while the Racers were 9-of-14 from the stripe. The Racers also forced five more turnovers of the Sugar Bears in the loss with both teams scoring 15 points off of miscues.
Central Arkansas’ slower pace held the Racer offense in check, holding MSU to 30 points below its season average of 81 and the 34 percent shooting was also a season-low.
Ke’Shunan James led the way for MSU with 14 points, but was just 4-for-12 from the floor, LeAsia Wright added nine points and a game-high four assists in the game and also tallied a career-high seven steals, including steals on three consecutive defensive possessions. Kyra Gulledge had eight points and eight boards in the game.
The Racers (2-2) got off to a sluggish start to the game as UCA opened the game with a 10-2 run. A Bria Bethea three-ball at the buzzer of the quarter tied the game at 13-13 heading into the second. Another slow start to a quarter came for the Racers in the second as the Sugar Bears scored the first nine of the period and carried a 31-23 lead into halftime.
MSU hit its first three shots to open the second half and was able to trim the deficit to 35-33 with 5:47 remaining in the third quarter. That’s when Central Arkansas went on a big 14-2 run to close the quarter and led by its biggest margin of the game, 49-35 heading into the final quarter. The Racers continued to fight back however, cutting the score to 55-51 with 46 seconds left. UCA was able to make all six of its free throws the final minute of the game and was able to salt away the victory.
The Racers return to the road Tuesday as they travel to Nashville for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off at Lipscomb. MSU and the Sugar Bears will meet again exactly one week from Saturday down in Conway, Ark.
WRIGHT STATE 77, AUSTIN PEAY 56
DAYTON, Ohio - Junior Tearra Banks notched her season’s first double-double in her seasn’s first start but Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team could not keep up in an offensive second half battle, falling 77-56 to Wright State in nonconference action at the Nutter Center.
Trailing by two at halftime, Austin Peay (2-3) forced two ties in the second half’s opening two minutes. Senior Tiasha Gray’s layup at the 8:01 mark forcing the game’s final tie, 33-33.
Wright State (3-1) slowly eased the game open over the next 4:30, with the lead hitting 10 points for the first time on a pair of Kim Demmings free throws at the 3:27 mark. The Raiders ultimately used a 23-9 run over the final 8:01 to build a 56-42 lead at quarter’s end.
The Raiders did not allow Austin Peay to close the deficit and built its advantage to 20 points four minutes into the final frame. Austin Peay closed to 17 points shortly after that, but would not get closer.
The second half was in stark contrast to the first two quarters that saw the teams exchange the lead 10 times. Wright State took a four-point lead at the quarter – the largest lead by any team in the first frame – after a JJ Williams three pointer and later free throw.
Demmings’ jumper at the 7:47 mark of the second quarter gave the Raiders their largest lead of the first half. Austin Peay responded with the game’s next seven points, Gray hitting a layup at the 5:35 mark for a 20-19 lead.
Moments later, Banks hit a layup to give the Govs their largest lead of the game, 25-22, with 3:59 left. The APSU lead would not hold as Wright State scored the next four points. From there the teams traded baskets the rest of the way before Demmings jumper gave the Raiders a 31-29 halftime lead.
Banks notched her seventh career double-double with APSU bests in both scoring (18) and rebounding (10) while tacking on two blocked shots and two steals.
Gray chipped in 12 points and six rebounds prior to fouling out with six minutes remaining. Sophomore Madison Rich hit a trio of three pointers and finished with 10 points.
Demmings led all scorers with a Wright State-best 24 points. Antania Hayes added a nine-point, 11-rebound performance.
Austin Peay continues its season’s first road trip with a 6 p.m. (CT), Monday contest at Ball State.
ILLINOIS 94, UT MARTIN 74
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After playing its fourth game in the past seven days, the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team simply ran out of gas against Big 10 foe Illinois on Saturday afternoon before falling 96-72.
The Skyhawks (1-3) dropped their third straight contest in the past six days while the team’s shooting woes hit a season-low 37 percent from the field. The Skyhawks lost the battle of the boards 43-30 while winning the turnover battle and scoring 17 points off turnovers.
UT Martin was led by the play of freshman DaiJia Ruffin who notched a new career high with 22 points while tallying five rebounds and three assists. Joining in the action was junior Jessy Ward who also tallied 22 points, becoming the first duo to score 20 points or more in the same game since Feb. 21, 2015 against SIUE. Freshman Myah Taylor joined the duo in double figures, scoring 11 points on the afternoon.
Illinois (3-0) kept its perfect season alive while shooting a blistering 59 percent from the floor while never trailing in the contest. The team’s leading scorer kept to a similar script as Chatrice White led the Illini with 26 points while Alex Wittinger notched a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Cierra Rice also scored 21 points while notching five rebounds and five assists on the day.
The Illini would jump out a lead less than 40 seconds into the contest off a layup by Rice before notching another basket by White to take a four point lead early in the first quarter. The Skyhawks would answer back with back-to-back three-pointers from Ward to tie the game at 6-6, the game’s closest margin. The home squad would finish the half strong, taking an 18-11 advantage into the second quarter.
The Skyhawks would trim the margin to 22-20 midway through the second quarter off a jumper by Ruffin. The Illini would then close the first half on a 23-5 run behind five three-pointers during the segment. With the run, Illinois would take a 45-25 lead into the locker room.
Illinois would stay on the offensive in the third quarter, outscoring the Skyhawks 23-8 during the period.
The trio of White, Wittinger and Rice combined to score 20 of the team’s 23 points during the quarter.
UT Martin would battle in the final period, outscoring Illinois 39-28 – while ranking as a single-quarter record for the Skyhawks. The Skyhawks would nail seven three-pointers in the final quarter with Ward tallying 11 of her 22 points in the frame while Ruffin was just as impressive with 11 points as well.
Despite the powerful fourth quarter by the Skyhawks, the margin proved to be too great as Illinois picked up the 94-74 victory.
The Skyhawks will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 25 with a contest at Southern Illinois. Tipoff from SIU Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m.
JACKSON STATE 71, JACKSONVILLE STATE 65
JACKSON, Miss. - Jackson State connected on 48 percent from the field in the second half and put together a 23-point third quarter to hand the Jacksonville State women's basketball team a 71-65 setback on Saturday afternoon at the Lee E. Williams Athletic Activities Center.
The Gamecocks were looking to build off their first win of the season last Thursday at home against Kennesaw State, but dropped their third consecutive road contest of the season to fall to 1-3 on the season. The Lady Tigers of Jackson State collected their second home win of the season and improved to 2-1.
In a tale of two halves, Jax State controlled the game in the first half with a fast start by posting a 20-point effort in the first 10 minutes. The Gamecocks raced out to a 10-point, 12-2 lead near the midway point of the opening quarter after a free throw by Courtney Strain. The Tigers cut the lead in half with just over two minutes left in the quarter before the visiting JSU pushed the lead back out to 10 points at 20-10 after a Rayven Pearson free throw.
The Gamecocks extended the margin out to a game-high 12 points at the 6:34 mark of the second quarter before Jackson State began to chip away at the deficit. Trailing 26-14, the Tigers finished the first half with a 19-9 scoring run to draw within two at 35-33 at the halftime break.
Jax State had its struggles at the free throw line on the afternoon as it hit just 11-of-21 charity shots in the first half alone and finished the contest 18-of-33.
The Tigers carried that momentum gained from the final six minutes of the opening half in to the third quarter and erased the halftime deficit with 7:54 left in the third quarter after a pair of free throws by Kierra Adams to take the first lead of the game at 38-37. It was a lead that the Tigers would not relinquish the rest of the way. JSU put together a 48 percent (13-of-27) shooting performance in the second half and turned in a 23-point effort in the third quarter. The Tigers connected on eight of their 13 field goals in the third quarter and 7-of-10 from the free throw line to extend the lead out to as many as 11 points at 54-43 with 3:04 left in the period. Jax State was 5-of-10 from the field in the quarter and cut the lead to 56-52 after three quarters after an 8-2 run to close out the quarter.
The Tiger bench sparked their fourth quarter scoring as it scored 12 of the club's 15 points. JSU's Chelsea Causey recorded eight of her 12 points in the final stanza to lift the Tigers to the win. Causey was 4-of-6 from the field and pulled down four rebounds in the period. After a three-point basket by Gretchen Morrison with 3:01 to get the Gamecocks within three at 64-61, Causey answered with a bucket on the other end. Jax State trailed 67-65 with 12 seconds left in the contest before dropping the six-point contest.
Morrison, who established a career high in points with 13 against Memphis in the season opener, turned in a new career mark in the scoring column with 14 points in 35 minutes of action. The South Lake, Texas sophomore was 4-of-10 from the field and drained three from beyond the three-point arc.
For the third consecutive game, junior Briana Benson reached double figures in scoring with 13 points. Benson matched Morrison with three treys in the contest. Jax State finished 7-of-27 from three point range. Sophomore Tyler Phelion added 10 points in 20 minutes of action. Strain led the Gamecocks with seven rebounds along with eight points. Pearson chipped in eight points and five boards.
The Gamecocks return home on Tuesday, November 24, hosting in-state rival Samford at 5:30 p.m
MOREHEAD STATE 99, GEORGIA STATE 90
ATLANTA, Ga. - Freshman guard Miranda Crockett recorded her first career triple-double, senior guard Natalie Greenwell set a career high with 26 points and junior guard Aaliyah Wells had a career-best 21 points in Morehead State women's basketball's 99-90 victory over Georgia State at the GSU Sports Arena Saturday night.
MSU improved to 2-2 on the season with its first road win of the season, and the Panthers fell to 1-2.
The Eagles set the tone early as Greenwell recorded 18 of her game-high 26 points in the first half. Crockett fed Greenwell consistently through the opening two quarters as the MSU freshman finished the first half with six points, six rebounds and six assists.
In the third quarter the Eagles and Panthers were tied at 59 with 5:44 remaining, but then Morehead State separated itself with a 19-7 run to end the quarter. Sophomore forward Eriel McKee contributed to the run, collecting 10 of her 14 points during that stretch.
MSU continued to push forward, claiming its largest lead of the game, 96-76, with 4:44 to play. The Panthers pushed forward with a 12-0 run, bringing the game to a 96-88 standstill with 2:10 left to play. Crockett finished off her night with three free throws in the closing moments, concluding her night with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The Eagles shot 47 percent from three-point territory, including Greenwell shooting six-of-eight from outside the arch. MSU outrebounded its third opponent in four games, 53-39.
The Eagles will host Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) at 6 p.m. ET
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 79, TENNESSEE STATE 70
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Despite a hard fought contest, the Tennessee State University women’s basketball team dropped a, 79-70, overtime decision to Southern Illinois in the final game of the Preseason WNIT Saturday night.
Tennessee State (1-2) battled the entire night but ran out of steam and was outscored 14-5 in the extra frame.
I’mani Davis led TSU in scoring for the second straight night with 19 points to go with eight rebounds. Jayda Johnson added 14 points while freshman Tiana Parker came off the bench to score 11. Samantha Palma finished the game with a career-high 10 points.
Although she struggled on the offensive end, senior Brianna Lawrence had a solid defensive effort, turning in a game-high eight steals to go with six rebounds.
Southern Illinois (2-1) was led by Dyana Pierre’s 27 points and 21 rebounds. Rishonda Napier (19) and Kylie Giebelhausen (16) also scored in double-figures.
Both teams went toe-to-toe in the opening five minutes of play, resulting in an 11-11 tie at the first media timeout. The teams continued to trade buckets the duration of the period before SIU hit a three-pointer to go ahead, 22-19, just before end of the first quarter.
With just 59 seconds ticked off the clock in the next frame, SIU burned a timeout after five quick points from TSU. Despite TSU’s burst, the score remained close.
The Lady Tigers were trailing, 29-28, when I’mani Davis scored five straight points to give TSU the lead, 33-29. The Salukis answered with a spurt to pull even but Diamond Beatty sank her third three-pointer of the half to give TSU a slight, 39-36, advantage heading into the halftime break.
Brianna Lawrence christened the second half with a three-pointer and Michelle Cox scored on the ensuing possession to make the score, 44-36, in favor of TSU. The Lady Tigers took a double-digit lead and forced another Southern Illinois timeout on a putback by Jayda Johnson at the 6:58 mark.
Out of the timeout, SIU scored its first points of the half and cut the deficit down to eight points. TSU maintained at least a six-point cushion until SIU pulled within five just before the end of the period.
In the fourth, the Lady Tigers were outscored 9-4 and saw their lead disappear with 6:33 left in the game. The contest was knotted at 56-all with 4:54 left to play.
The next few minutes were fiercely contested as neither team would give. SIU gained the advantage on a timely three-point play with just over a minute left to play.
TSU pulled within one, 63-62, with 28.9 seconds remaining but had to foul on the next play. SIU made both free-throws and the Lady Tigers trailed, 65-62, with only 12.5 on the clock. Following a timeout, TSU was able to advance the ball.
TSU’s first shot attempt was off the mark but the Lady Tigers came away with the offensive rebound. After a scramble, Jayda Johnson was able to recover the ball. With seconds left, she buried a three-pointer from the corner to even the score. The game went to overtime when SIU’s final shot attempt bounced off the rim.
In the extra period, the teams traded the lead until SIU was able to build a four-point advantage. I’mani Davis made a free-throw to pull TSU to within three but on the next possession SIU made two freebies to go up, 75-70, and essentially put the game out of reach with 30 seconds remaining.
TSU shot 37.3 percent from the field but only 14.3 percent (1-of-7) in overtime. The Lady Tigers also lost the battle of the boards, 47-39.
The Lady Tigers return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at Big Ten member Illinois. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Parkland College (State Farm Center is under renovation).
EASTERN KENTUCKY 91, WESTERN CAROLINA 62
RICHDMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team cruised to a 91-62 win over West Carolina University Saturday in its home opener at McBrayer Arena.
The Colonels’ defense set the tone early. Shameekia “Polly” Murray forced a Western Carolina turnover on its first possession and found Jalen O’Bannon for the score to give Eastern the first points of the game.
Eastern carried an 18-13 lead into the second period, but the Catamounts strung together a five-point run to take a 23-22 lead—their first and only lead of the contest.
From there the Colonels took care of business, using a 13-0 run to gain momentum for good. O’Bannon capped the Eastern run with a lay-up off yet another Western Carolina turnover.
The Catamounts cut the lead to 11, 39-28, before freshman Jada Triplett nailed her second career three-pointer to give the Colonels their largest lead of the first half. Following a tip-in from Western Carolina, Eastern took a 42-30 lead into the locker room.
The Colonels added a 10-point cushion to their lead in the third period, limiting the Western Carolina offense to a mere 11 points.
Eastern demonstrated its presence down low in the third, outscoring the Catamounts 14-2 in the paint.
Freshman Abby Wright laid it in to give the Colonels an 18-point advantage near the midway point of the third. A tip-in from senior Miranda Maples put Eastern up 26 with 1:05 to play.
Shortly after, a Katie Pippen long ball from the corner gave the Colonels an 89-60 lead as the Colonels notched their first win of the young season. The 29-point win marked the largest win for the program since a 73-48 win over Asbury December 2, 2014.
Junior Jalen O’Bannon led all scorers with 21 points and nine rebounds, finishing just shy of her first career double-double. Murray added 20 points, eight rebounds and five steals. The talented roster of the Colonels proved itself as 10 Colonels scored in the win.
Sherae Bonner paced the Catamounts with 12 points, along with 10 from Erika Joseph.
The Colonels (1-1, 0-0 OVC) travel to Miami (OH) Tuesday for a 12 p.m. contest.