SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 70, Morehead State 64
@Eastern Illinois 49, Southeast Missouri 48
Tennessee State 74, @Jacksonville State 66 (OT)
UT Martin 79, @SIUE 72
@Murray State 72, Austin Peay 67
Belmont 64, @Tennessee Tech 62
EASTERN KENTUCKY 70, MOREHEAD STATE 64
RICHMOND, Ky. - – Junior Shameekia Murray notched 22 second-half points to lead the Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team to a come-from-behind 70-64 win over in-state rival Morehead State on Saturday afternoon in McBrayer Arena.
Murray was held scoreless in the first half, only to come back and hit 7-of-10 shots (70 percent) in the second half to finish as the EKU’s (9-14, 4-9 OVC) leading scorer.
Morehead State (11-15, 7-6 OVC) led by 10 at halftime, 34-24, but EKU exploded out of the gates in the second half, going on a 14-4 run to tie the game at 38-38 with 13:47 remaining. Junior Miranda Maples got the rally going with a layup and Murray finished it with six consecutive buckets. The transfer from South Georgia Technical College scored 12 of EKU’s first 14 points of the half to get the Colonels back in it.
At the 10:30 mark of the second half, sophomore Nicole Bowers buried a three-pointer to give EKU its first lead since early in the game, 43-40. The Colonels never trailed again.
It was not without difficulty, though. Morehead State responded with a run of its own, and a three-pointer by Almesha Jones tied the game, 60-60, with three minutes remaining. However, Murray buried a baseline jumper on EKU’s ensuing possession to re-give the Colonels the lead and junior Shelly Harper sank four free throws in the last 11 seconds of the game to secure the EKU victory.
In all, EKU made all 18 of its free throws in the second half and 20 straight free throws to end the game.
EKU shot 29.6 percent (8-of-27) in the first half, but shot 50 percent (13-of-26) in the final 20 minutes of play. The Colonels also forced Morehead State into 15 second-half turnovers.
Harper finished with 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Bowers came off the bench to go 3-of-3 from three-point range and score a season-high nine points. She had not hit a three-pointer in her career before Saturday’s contest.
Jones paced Morehead State with 16 points and eight assists, while Casey Ryans finished with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) for the Eagles.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 49, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 48
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women’s basketball locked up a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers escaped with a 49-48 win over Southeast Missouri during the Pink Game at Lantz Arena.
EIU improved to 10-17 overall, 7-7 in the OVC. The Panthers will host UT Martin on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. for their senior night game. SEMO fell to 10-17 overall, 3-11 in the OVC.
Eastern Illinois led virtually the entire game after scoring the first points 39 seconds into game on a free throw by Shakita Cox. Erica Brown would add a jumper on the next possession before SEMO made it 3-2 with a basket by Erin Bollmann with 16:59 to play. That would be as close as the Redhawks would get until late in the game.
The Panthers pushed the lead to 11-2 with two lay-ups and a 3-pointer by Sabina Oroszova. Oroszova turned in a second straight dominating performance with 22 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks. EIU would lead by as many as 12 points in the first half as Oroszova’s lay-up with 4:22 to play made it 22-10.
EIU led 28-20 at the break and pushed its second half lead back out to double figures on a 3-pointer by Oroszova with 15:25 to play.
Brianna Mitchell and Jasmine Robinson were able to keep SEMO within striking distance in the second half as Mitchell had 14 second half points and Robinson 13. A 3-pointer by Robinson at 5:42 brought SEMO to within three points for the first time since the early portion of the first half. EIU answered with another Oroszova 3-pointer to push the lead back to six points.
Four straight points by Mitchell and a free throw by Robinson cut the EIU lead to one point with 3:06 left at 45-44. Alece Shumpert then hit a 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining that looked like it might be enough as the junior was 2-of-5 from 3-point range finishing with eight points.
Mitchell drove the lane on two straight possessions and hit four straight free throws to tie the game at 48-48 with 24 seconds left. Mitchell finished the game 10-of-10 from the foul line with 20 points.
Oroszova hit one of two at the free throw line with nine seconds left and EIU made a defensive stand to win the game.
Brown joined Oroszova in double figures with ten points for EIU. Robinson finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. SEMO won the battle on the glass 45-38 including 13 offensive rebounds.
TENNESSEE STATE 74, JACKSONVILLE STATE 66
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team defeated Jacksonville State, 74-66, in a hard-fought overtime victory Saturday afternoon in Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The win was TSU’s (13-12, 10-4 OVC) fifth straight and keeps the Lady Tigers in third place of the OVC standings.
Five Lady Tigers scored in double-figures led by Jayda Johnson and Chelsea Hudson’s 14 points each. I’mani Davis, Briana Morrow and Rachel Allen each chipped in 11 points.
Jacksonville State was led by Candace Morton’s 20 points while Courtney Strain added 10.
TSU was down, 13-10, in the first half before using an 11-0 run to capture a 21-13 lead over JSU. The opponents responded and cut the deficit down to two points moments before the half ended and the Lady Tigers only held 25-23 advantage at the break.
The second frame was a battle from the onset as neither team would let up. TSU and JSU traded buckets and played to a 30-all stalemate by the 16-minute media.
The game was locked in yet another tie when JSU scored seven unanswered points to build a, 48-41, cushion. On the Lady Tigers’ next possession Briana
Morrow connected in the paint to end a four-minute scoring drought.
TSU trailed for the next several minutes but stayed within striking distance.
With time winding down and the Lady Tigers behind, timely buckets from Jemilah Leonard and Rachel Allen helped TSU take a 55-54 lead.
Holding on to a one-point advantage, TSU had the ball with 32.3 seconds remaining. JSU was forced to foul and sent Leonard to the line.
The sophomore made the first to give TSU a 56-54 lead. The Lady Tigers committed a foul on the next possession but the Gamecocks only managed to connect on one of the freebies. TSU regained the ball and JSU had to foul again.
Jayda Johnson stepped up to the line for TSU with 6.8 seconds remaining and sank both free-throws. TSU was up, 58-55, with only seconds remaining but JSU drove the length of the floor and banked in a three-pointer to force overtime.
In the extra period, Rachel Allen buried a triple from the top of the key before a Jayda Johnson jumper gave TSU a, 67-60, lead. The Gamecocks threatened but the Lady Tigers were able to keep them at bay.
Tennessee State outrebounded Jacksonville State, 49-36 and shot a scorching 71.4 percent from the field in overtime.
MURRAY STATE 72, AUSTIN PEAY 67
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State women’s basketball team topped Austin Peay 72-67 Saturday at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. The Racers now hold a three-game home winning streak against the Lady Govs.
Right before tipoff, head coach Rob Cross and Murray State fans honored the three seniors, Netanya Jackson, Chanyere Hosey, and Keiona Kirby, for all of their contributions to the team and school.
Kirby helped get the Racers (8-20, 3-12 OVC) get off to a hot start by scoring the first eight points. Austin Peay (8-19, 6-9 OVC) did not want to take an Ohio Valley Conference loss as they were currently sitting in the eighth seed spot for the tournament. MSU led by as much as nine, but the Lady Govs continued to fight back and kept the game close. Murray State shot 32.4-percent from the field, while shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. The Racers went into the locker room with a 36-29 lead.
Murray State led for most of the second half, with a slight lead for the Lady Govs coming at the 50 second mark. Down the stretch, both teams fought for the conference win. Beth Rates put Austin Peay on top with free-throw shots, but the Racers would not go quietly. Murray State took the lead again on free-throw shots by Kirby. With six seconds left the Racers led 70-67 with APSU having control of the ball. Ke’Shunan James grabbed the inbound pass and passed it to LeAsia Wright, who then made two free-throws to give the Racers a 72-67 victory.
James led the Racers with 18 points, and a new career-high 11 rebounds. Keiona Kirby and LeAsia Wright both added 14 points. Hosey’s two steals tie her career-high for steals. MSU shot an impressive 90.5-percent from the free-throw line. The team outrebounded Austin Peay by two, and scored 16 points off of the 17 turnovers they forced the Lady Govs to commit.
Tiaha Gray scored a game-high 36 points to lead the Lady Govs. She tied a school-program record with eight three-pointers made.
UT MARTIN 79, SIUE 72
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball notched the program’s second consecutive and third Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship in the last four years following a 79-72 road victory at SIU Edwardsville.
The Skyhawks (18-9, 14-0 OVC) picked up the program’s fourth OVC season title while remaining unbeaten in conference play after picking up the team’s first win at SIUE since Feb. 22, 1992. Along with the OVC crown and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming OVC Tournament, the Skyhawks notched their 14th consecutive victory - tying the program’s record for consecutive victories set during the 2011-12 season.
UT Martin captains Katie Schubert and Ashia Jones led the way for the Skyhawks, becoming the first Skyhawk duo to both reach the 20 points plateau since Jan. 15 at Tennessee Tech. Schubert led all scorers while setting a new career high with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. Jones joined Schubert with 20 points of her own while also tallying five rebounds.
Joining the Skyhawk pair in double figures was Jessy Ward who tallied 17 points – including five three-pointers – while Chelsea Roberts tossed in 10 points of her own. Tiara Caldwell flirted with yet another double-double, tallying seven points while notching 12 rebounds in the victory.
SIUE (16-11, 11-3 OVC) threatened throughout the game while receiving all 16 of Shronda Butts’ points in the second half alone. Gwen Adams tallied 15 points on the day while Tierny Austin notched 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Cougars.
The Skyhawks would come out of the game on a 10-2 run heading into the first media timeout at the 15:49 mark. Four of the Skyhawks five starters would each get on the board in the opening four minutes of play, making four of six attempts.
The following four minutes would see both teams struggle to get much going on either ends. Both teams would score four points each during the span while combining to shoot just 3-of-11 from the floor.
Both offenses would begin to get things going over the ensuing span, combining to score 19 points, while holding a 23-16 lead with 7:46 to play in the first half. Gwen Adams would lead the Cougars during the span with six points while the Skyhawks countered with five points from Schubert.
After a quick turn of events which saw the Skyhawks see their lead cut to as slim as four points, the visitors would string together a significant run. The Skyhawks would respond to the close margin with a 14-2 run which saw Schubert, Ward and Roberts push the team’s margin back out to 16 with less than three minutes to play.
With a full mix of roster changes at the final media timeout of the first half, both teams finished the first half with a combination of bench depth and role players. The Skyhawks would preserve their lead heading into the break, holding a 42-29 advantage going into the locker room. Schubert would lead all scorers with 12 points for the Skyhawks while Adams paced the Cougars with 11 points of her own.
The second half would begin with neither team gaining much ground, scoring seven points each. Two players joined Schubert in double figures in the opening minutes of the second half as both Ward and Jones joined the fold. Meanwhile a trio of Cougars would score during the span, including buckets from Butts, CoCo Moore and Austin.
SIUE would begin to challenge UT Martin, posting an 8-2 run during a span which saw the Cougars cut the margin to just seven points at the 11:34 mark. The Cougars would find baskets from Adams while Austin and Donshel Beck each contributed during the run.
Both teams would find their respective offensive strides over the ensuing six minute span, seeing the Skyhawks narrowly outscore the Cougars 15-13 during the stretch. Four players would score three points or more for the Skyhawks, including baskets from Schubert, Ward, Caldwell and Jones. For the Cougars, Butts paced the squad with nine points during the span while joining Austin and Adams in double figures despite facing a nine point deficit.
Looking to trim the margin and get within shooting distance, the Cougars cut the lead to as close as five points in the final minutes, but an even scoring margin in the game’s final three minutes of play wouldn’t be enough to complete the comeback attempt.
BELMONT 64, TENNESSEE TECH 62
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Comeback was the name of the game for the Belmont women's basketball team's final road game of the regular season on Saturday evening. The Bruins (12-15, 9-5 OVC) battled to the wire to defeat in-state rival Tennessee Tech (5-22, 2-12 OVC), 64-62, for their fourth-straight OVC win.
The Bruins turned up the heat from the opening whistle and jumped out to a 5-0 lead with baskets coming from senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) and sophomore Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.). BU's defensive effort kept the Golden Eagles from scoring for the first three and a half minutes. Even after their first points, Tennessee Tech struggled to connect from the floor as BU blew its lead up to double digits, 15-5, by the 13:44 mark.
Belmont grabbed its biggest lead of the game, 13 points, 22-9, before TTU used a quick flurry to finally break the double digit mark with 10 minutes left on the clock. The Bruins continued to hustle and maintained their advantage, using another three by Carroll to put Belmont back up by eight, 28-20, with 4:45 remaining. BU controlled the tempo in the waning minutes and did not allow Tennessee Tech to get closer than seven as Thompson, and freshman Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) pushed for layups. A stringent defensive effort kept TTU from scoring for the final 54 seconds as Belmont carried a 32-25 lead into the locker room.
Tennessee Tech came out of the break firing on all cylinders and used an 8-0 run to grab its first lead of the game, 33-32, by the 18:10 mark. Spotty shooting continued to plague the Bruins early in the half but freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) did great work in the paint for consecutive tip-ins to keep BU in the game. Belmont found an offensive rhythm and used a trifecta by senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) to cut the deficit to one point, 46-45, with 10:55 remaining on the clock. Tennessee Tech's largest lead of the day, six points, was quickly whittled away, thanks to a pair of three pointers by Luffman-Hartsfield and a McCabe jumper. At the end of the surge, BU had knotted the score at 50 with 8:07 left on the clock.
TTU traded baskets with Belmont before using a three pointer and a three point play to inch to within one, 59-58, with 3:10 left in regulation. The Golden Eagles briefly regained the lead behind back-to-back baskets in the paint, 62-59, with just over two and a half minutes left. Belmont then turned up the defensive heat to hustle for crucial stops. A triple by Carroll knotted the game at 62 with 70 seconds left in regulation and after a fruitless possession by the Golden Eagles, she was able to find the bottom of the net again from nearly the same spot, this time just inside the arc to put Belmont ahead, 64-62.
TTU attempted to hold for the final shot but missed and was forced to foul with eight ticks left on the clock. The shot at the stripe rimmed out and BU leaned on its defense again to maintain the lead as time expired to give it the win by the same score.
Tennessee Tech shot 40 percent from the floor, 55.6 percent from three-point range and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line. The Golden Eagles held the advantage in blocks, 2-0, and steals, 6-2.
TTU was led in scoring by Samaria Howard, who scored a game-high 21 points. T'Keyah Williams and Shunice Herron also reached double digits, adding 11 and 10 points, respectively. Candace Parson grabbed 10 rebounds.
Belmont shot 44.6 percent from the hardwood, 34.8 percent from behind the three-point arc and 50 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in rebounds, 41-30, and assists, 20-10.
Three Bruins reached double figures in the win led by senior Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.), who netted 19 points, including five three pointers, which matched her career-best. Freshman Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) dropped in 12 points and senior Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.) added 11 points, including nine from behind the three-point arc. Sophomore Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) led the Bruins in rebounds with a total of seven. Senior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) matched her career high of nine assists.