SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 89, Morehead State 77
@Southeast Missouri 82, Eastern Illinois 52
@Belmont 70, Tennessee Tech 49
@Austin Peay 81, Murray State 72
@UT Martin 86, SIUE 50
@Tennessee State 50, Jacksonville State 40
EASTERN KENTUKY 89, MOREHEAD STATE 77
MOREHEAD, Ky. - A 20-6 run that spanned more than six minutes fueled an 89-77 win, as the Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team completed the sweep of in-state rival Morehead State University on Saturday at Johnson Arena.
Holding a 57-56 lead with 3:09 to go in the third, the Colonels commenced a 10-4 run to close the period and gain momentum for good.
Shameekia Murray knocked down a jumper in the paint to put the Colonels up three, before Michaela Hunter netted EKU’s eight final points in the last 1:55 of the third.
Hunter drained a runner in the lane, as the Colonels led 61-59, before pouring in back-to-back treys as time wound down in the third.
Behind back-to-back three-pointers from junior guard Alexus Cooper, EKU opened the final stanza on a 10-2 run in the first 2:50 to go up 15.
The Colonels’ (15-10, 9-5 OVC) defense limited Morehead State’s possessions, as EKU built a 16-point advantage –its largest of the game – with 4:49 remaining.
EKU outrebounded the Eagles 51-43 who entered Saturday’s game atop the OVC in rebounds and rebounds-per-game. Morehead State also led the OVC in scoring prior to Saturday, but the Colonels’ defense held the Eagles to nearly four points below their season average.
Hunter finished with a season-high 28 points and tied a season-high with four three-pointers. The Mount Vernon, Kentucky native also sank four three-pointers in the January 30th meeting against Morehead State.
Cooper finished with 16 points and 4-for-7 from deep. Murray added 21 points and seven rebounds in the win for EKU.
The win marked the fifth in the last six Ohio Valley Conference contests for EKU and the eighth victory over the Eagles in the last nine meetings.
Brianna McQueen led the Eagles with 17 points and five rebounds.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 82, EASTERN ILLINOIS 52
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's basketball (15-12, 8-6 OVC) clinched an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament berth with an 82-52 win over Eastern Illinois (3-23, 2-12 OVC) Saturday. Southeast will play in its first OVC Tournament since 2009.
The victory ensures a winning season for the Redhawks and at least a .500 conference record with two games remaining in the season. 2015-16 will be Southeast's first winning season since the 2008-09 season (15-15, 10-8 OVC).
Bri Mitchell was one point shy of tying a career high. The junior finished with 22 points in the contest.
The Redhawks found their first lead at the 5:54 mark when Adrianna Murphy picked off Grace Lennox and drained a layup to go ahead 7-5. The Redhawks would never trail again in the game.
Southeast finished the first quarter with a seven-point run over the final 2:39 to finish the frame ahead of EIU, 16-9.
The 7-0 Redhawk run continued well into the second quarter, extending to a 16-0 run, putting Southeast ahead 25-9 at the 5:04 mark of the second.
The Panthers hit their first basket almost five and a half minutes into the second quarter. The basket sparked an 8-2 run to cut the Redhawk lead to 10, 27-17.
The first half ended with Southeast Missouri in front, 34-18.
Erin Bollmann and Mitchell each tallied 11 points in the first half. Murphy finished with eight first-half boards to lead the squad.
Southeast scored 20 of its 34 points in the paint in the first half.
The Redhawks put up 30 points in the third quarter behind Mitchell's nine third-quarter points.
Southeast used three separate runs of five points or more to rack up 30 points in the frame to EIU's 20.
A 7-0 run by the Redhawks opened the fourth quarter to go up by 31 points, 69-38. An 8-0 run by the Panthers ensued to cut the lead to 23.
Southeast's 9-0 run towards the end of the game put the Redhawks up 33, their largest lead of the game, with 45 seconds to play.
The game finished with the Redhawks' second-straight 30-point home win, 82-52.
Bollmann finished with 15 total points in the game. Connor King tallied a season-high 13 points.
Corneisha Henderson dished out five assists with a block against the Panthers.
Imani Johnson earned the second double-double of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also had a pair of blocks.
Southeast shot 47.5% (29-of-61) from the field Saturday. The Redhawks also pulled down 54 rebounds, the most they have tallied in OVC play this season.
Jalisha Smith led the scoring for EIU with 12 points while pulling down five rebounds.
BELMONT 70, TENNESSEE TECH 49
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A high scoring fourth quarter led the Belmont University women's basketball (19-8, 11-3 OVC) team to a 70-49 victory over Tennessee Tech (9-18, 5-9 OVC).
Redshirt sophomore Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) led the charge with 21 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Two other Bruins added double-digit scoring with sophomore Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) knocking down 14 and freshman Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.) added 12.
McCabe recorded a double-double by adding 12 rebounds. Junior Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) grabbed eight rebounds while junior Lauren Thompson (Frankin, Tenn.) posted seven rebounds and seven points.
The fourth quarter was highlighted by a huge three from senior Natalie Cohlmeyer (Evansville, Ind.) with less then a minute left to play, Belmont then subbed her out for one last walk off the court, accompanied by a standing ovation from the crowd.
The Bruins and Golden Eagles went shot for shot in the first quarter. The score was locked in at 12 a piece at the end of the quarter with Smith recording six of Belmonts 12 points.
The second quarter went scoreless for the first minute and a half, the draught was ended when Roy sunk a layup and drew the and one.
The slow pace of the game continued throughout most of the second quarter until the last three minutes when the Bruins went on an 8-to-2 run. The two teams went into the break with the Bruins up 28-22.
The third quarter started when the teams traded baskets, each putting up six points. Tech recorded the next four and Belmont took eight of the next ten. Each team hit a free throw to end the third quarter with the Bruins up 42-35.
Belmont opened the fourth quarter on six-to-three run, which created a double-digit lead. After two free throws from and a layup by Tech the Bruins went on a 10-0 run, which put them up by 18. Tech added three more but five straight from Belmont, including a third three from Smith in just over two minutes, gave them a 20 points lead, the largest of the game.
Freshman Sam Ross (Cincinnati, Ohio) hit two free throws as the last two points of the game for the Bruins.
Samaria Howard led Tennessee Tech with 18 points.
With this victory the Bruins finished the season with an unblemished 13-0 home record.
AUSTIN PEAY 81, MURRAY STATE 72
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team needed big runs at the end of the second and third quarters to overcome a slow start and secure an 82-71 Ohio Valley Conference win against Murray State, Saturday night, at the Dunn Center.
In a game full of big swings, Austin Peay (8-19, 7-8 OVC) was at the wrong end of one to end the first quarter. After senior guard Tiasha Gray tied the game, 3-3, with a three-pointer at the 8:32 mark, Austin Peay could not get into an offensive flow. The Govs made just three field goals and committed six turnovers the rest of the quarter.
Murray State (11-18, 7-8 OVC) closed the first quarter with a 20-6 run, converting on eight of its final 16 possessions to take a 23-9 lead. The Racers carried that momentum into the second quarter’s start, building its largest lead, 33-15, after Ke’Shunan James hit a layup with 7:47 left.
Austin Peay began its slow climb back thanks to its front court. Junior center Tearra Banks scored on four consecutive possessions, trimming the deficit to 12 points in just 2:20 off the clock. Sophomore forward Sydney Gooch and sophomore center Brianne Alexander combined to score Austin Peay’s next eight points. When Gray converted a traditional three-point play with 21 seconds left it capped an 18-7 run and left APSU facing a 38-31 halftime deficit.
The teams traded baskets over the opening minutes of the third quarter, Murray State hanging on to a 45-40 lead after Jashae Lee’s layup with 6:13 left in the period. Gooch and Banks again teamed up to swing the momentum, scoring seven straight points. Gooch gave APSU its first lead with her traditional three-point play at the 4:05 mark.
Murray State’s Abria Gulledge hit a three-pointer for another exchange of the lead, but Austin Peay’s offense was in the middle of its takeover. An 8-0 run gave the Govs the lead for good and, after another Abria Gulledge jumper, freshman Keisha Gregory and Gray hit back-to-back three-pointers. All told, Austin Peay used a 21-5 run over the final 6:13 to build a 61-50 lead at quarter’s end.
The Racers would get the deficit back to single digits in the fourth quarter, but were never closer than six points. Austin Peay responded to that Murray State burst by making four straight free throws to put the game safely away.
Gooch finished with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists. Gray led Austin Peay with a 30-point effort that included six assists and three steals. Alexander and Banks each chipped in 10 points.
James led Murray State with a 19-point, six-rebound, four-steal performance. Jasmine Borders added an 18-point, five-rebound, three-steal effort.
UT MARTIN 86, SIUE 50
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team honored its four seniors with a standout performance against SIUE, moving one step closer to the team’s third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship with an 86-50 victory on Saturday evening.
The Skyhawks (19-8, 12-2 OVC) picked up their 25th consecutive OVC home victory while notching the team’s largest margin of victory this season with the 36-point win. The win gives UT Martin a full game lead in the OVC standings while possessing tie-breakers against the remaining teams in contention for the league title.
UT Martin honored the team’s four seniors in Katie Schubert, Chelsea Roberts, Haley Howard and Barianne Taylor prior to the contest. The squad represented its senior class in thrilling fashion, placing four players in double figures while seeing all nine players score in the contest. Freshman Myah Taylor led the team in scoring with 19 points while sophomore Shy Copney tallied a new career-high with 18 points. Howard tallied 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Roberts notched 10 points to round out players in double figures for UT Martin.
SIUE (15-12, 10-4 OVC) dropped to third in the conference standings with its third loss in the last four games – including two against the Skyhawks. The Cougars were led by Donshel Beck who posted a dominating double-double with 26 points and 18 rebounds, both serving as career highs. Senior CoCo Moore also scored in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds. Preseason OVC Player of the Year Shronda Butts was held to a season-low eight points while tallying six rebounds and seven turnovers.
Neither team would lead by more than a single possession in the first quarter with UT Martin leading by as much as three points and SIUE by two. Beck would pace the Cougars with eight points in the opening quarter while the trio of Schubert, Howard and Copney all chipped in five points each. UT Martin would take a 19-16 lead into the second quarter.
UT Martin would get some separation in the opening minutes of the second quarter. The Skyhawks would stretch their margin out to seven points following five consecutive points from Copney, forcing SIUE to call the game’s first timeout just three minutes into the second quarter. Outscoring the Cougars 20-12 in the second quarter, the Skyhawks would take a 39-28 lead into intermission behind 14 points from Copney.
The second half would see UT Martin push its lead out to as high as 22 late in the quarter after hovering around 14 points on three difference occasions during the segment. Outscoring SIUE 19-11 during the third quarter, the Skyhawks would rely on Myah Taylor who scored nine points while Roberts chipped in six to pace the squad. Despite Beck scoring seven points for the Cougars during the quarter, UT Martin would take a 58-39 lead into the fourth.
UT Martin would control the fourth quarter from the first possession, stringing together an 18-2 run to push the team’s lead out to 37 midway through the period. Seven different Skyhawks would score in the fourth quarter as Ward and Howard each chipped in seven points in the period before being removed with nearly four minutes to play in the contest. With the bench emptied, Barianne Taylor and Tory Reedy would score their first buckets of the season en route to picking up an 86-50 victory.
TENNESSEE STATE 50, JACKSONVILLE STATE 40
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee State led nearly the entire way and finished strong in a, 50-40, win over Jacksonville State Saturday night in the Gentry Center.
Defense was the name of the game as neither side was able to generate much offense. TSU held its opponent to six points in the third quarter and that ultimately proved to be the difference.
I’mani Davis paced the Lady Tigers (11-16, 6-9 OVC) with her fourth consecutive double-double (18 points, 13 rebounds) while Jayda Johnson also reached double-digits with 12.
Jacksonville State (10-17, 5-10 OVC) was led in scoring by Tyler Phelion’s 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Fueled by its defense, TSU used a rally to go ahead 9-3 before the first media timeout.
Later in the period an offensive rebound and putback by Davis increased TSU’s advantage to 11-3 before the visitors used a 6-0 spurt to pull within two. A triple from Davis, who had 10 points in the opening frame, made the score, 14-9, in favor of the home team just before quarter ended.
Neither team scored for the first three minutes of the second period. Diamond Beatty drove down the lane for a layup to get the Lady Tigers on the board at the 6:22 mark but that would be TSU’s only field goal of the quarter.
Jacksonville State answered with a triple on the next its next possession to cut TSU’s lead down to three. The Gamecocks would go on to outscore the Lady Tigers in the second frame but despite only posting five points in the frame, TSU held a, 19-18, lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, a steal and breakaway layup by I’mani Davis sparked a rally that gave the Lady Tigers a nine point cushion, 31-22, at the 2:07 mark. With 1.9 seconds of the clock, Brianna Lawrence sank two free-throws to give TSU a, 35-24, advantage heading into the final frame.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Jacksonville State sliced the TSU lead down to five within the first minute of the fourth quarter. After a number of empty possessions by both teams, four unanswered points by the Lady Tigers put them back on top, 39-30.
The Gamecocks scored the next four to once again pull within five but the Lady Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to move ahead, 45-34, with a little more than two minutes remaining.
TSU maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Down the stretch, the Gamecocks committed a number of fouls but the Lady Tigers made their free-throws to secure the win.
Tennessee State shot an improved 81.0 percent (17-of-21) from the free-throw line while holding the advantage in points-in-the-paint, 26-12, and fast break points, 12-0.