SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 64, Southeast Missouri 59
@Jacksonville State 55, Tennessee Tech 46
UT Martin 85, @SIUE 79
@Belmont 72, Eastern Kentucky 61
@Murray State 75, Austin Peay
@Tennessee State 78, Morehead State 76
EASTERN ILLINOIS 64, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 59
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's basketball snapped their 21 game losing streak with a 64-59 victory over Southeast Missouri Saturday [Feb. 6] afternoon. The Panthers relied on a big second half effort to end the nation's second longest streak.
With the win EIU improves to 2-21 and 1-10 in the OVC earning their first conference win of the season, while SEMO falls to 14-10 and 7-4 in the OVC.
Three different Panthers recorded double figures as Erica Brown earned a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Redhawks jumped out in front to start the game going on an 11-4 run following a layup from Erin Bollman at the 4:30 mark in the first quarter. Bollman finished the game with 14 points. EIU then went on a quick 7-2 run to pull the game close ultimately closing out the quarter trailing SEMO 15-11.
The Panthers went cold in the second period only shooting 20 percent as SEMO extended their lead throughout the closing minutes of the first half. EIU managed to keep the Redhawks within striking distance despite finishing the first half down 29-18.
EIU came out of the locker room fired up opening the second half matching Southeast Missouri shot for shot. A layup from Shakita Cox at the 7:56 mark sparked a 9-1 run for the Panthers as EIU pulled to within two points. Cox earned seven points in the game to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
Back-to-back jumpers from Phylicia Johnson made the score 34-32 in favor of SEMO with 5:23 left in the third quarter. Both teams traded points until a big three-point bucket from Alece Shumpert, her only points of the game, gave the Panthers their first lead of the night 39-37 with 2:26 left in the period. SEMO scored the final six points of the third quarter to head into the final period up 43-39.
It was all Panthers in the fourth quarter as Brown opened up the period with three points the hard way following a foul from SEMO's Hannah Noe. Johnson would build on EIU's fourth quarter start with back-to-back three-point buckets to give EIU the lead 48-43 with 8:03 left in the game. Johnson scored 15 points in the final quarter for EIU to keep the Panthers in front the entire period. Johnson finished the game tying her career high with 19 points all coming in the second half.
Both teams traded shots the rest of the fourth quarter as EIU managed to keep the Redhawks at arm's length leading by as much as seven points following a free-throw from Johnson with 23 seconds left in the game.
The Panthers shot 46.4 percent in the second half outscoring Southeast Missouri 46-30. Halle Stull had a notable game coming off the bench for EIU recording 11 points and six rebounds. Grace Lennox spent all 40 minutes of the game on the court for EIU finishing the game with six points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Southeast Missouri's Bri Mitchell turned in her second-straight double-figure performance with 17 total points.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 55, TENNESSEE TECH 46
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - After putting together multiple runs throughout the first half, it took Rick Pietri's squad one final run during the game's last minute and a half to earn its 55-46 win over Tennessee Tech.
Following a made free throw by Tennessee Tech's Samaria Howard, as part of her game-high 21 points, Destiny James drained a shot from behind the 3-point arc milliseconds before the 30-second shot clock sounded. The basket extended the Gamecock lead to five with 1:31 left.
30 seconds later, James made a layup in transition to give Jax State a seven-point lead with under a minute to play. She went on to sink two free throws, to cap her nine-point performance, with 12 seconds left in the game to make it a three-possession game and give the Gamecocks their third straight 10-win season, all of which have come since Pietri has taken over at the helm.
The mark is the first such streak in the program since the 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.
JSU took a 19-18 lead into halftime following a Kelly Naughton layup with 1:02 left in the second quarter. It was the first lead for the Gamecocks since James made her first basket of the game with 5:50 left in the first quarter to make it 7-6 JSU.
Briana Benson added to the 36-point second half performance by Jacksonville State as she had 14 points, all in the second half. She also brought down five rebounds. Additionally, Courtney Strain added seven points and seven rebounds.
In her first game since Jan. 16, 2016 against UT Martin, Rayven Pearson scored 10 points and brought down four rebounds in 20 minutes of game action. Tyler "Cocoa" Phelion chipped in with seven rebounds, six points, two blocks and two assists.
In addition to Howard's 21 points for Tennessee Tech, Yaktavia Hickson had seven points and seven rebounds while Mariah Dean added six points, five rebounds and three blocks. Alliyah Smith and Candace Parson both had four points each.
BELMONT 72, EASTERN KENTUCKY 61
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont University women's basketball team (16-7, 8-2) won its eighth-straight game as it knocked off the visiting Eastern Kentucky Colonels, 72-61 Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.
Kylee Smith (Alpharetta, Ga.) paced the Bruins with 19 points and eight rebounds while Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.) finished with 17 points, all in the second half. Sally McCabe (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) scored in double figures with a 11 point, 13 rebound performance.
After facing a 28-29 deficit at the half, Belmont came out with a renewed sense of urgency in the second half. The Bruins utilized a 13-0 run to open the third quarter. The Bruins held EKU scoreless for the first five minutes of the frame and outscored their opponent 21-11 in this quarter as a whole. Maggard's play was a large component to BU's success in this quarter as she scored nine points on three 3 pointers.
Lauren Thompson (Franklin, Tenn.) finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
With the lead in hand, Belmont would not relinquish it and managed to ramp of its offense to dispatch visiting EKU. The Bruins scored 44 points in the second half after just 28 in the first 20 minutes of action.
After Sierra Jones (Huntsville, Ala.) knocked down a three pointer as time expired, the Bruins and Colonels were knotted at 18 apiece after the game's first quarter. Smith, picking off right where she left off a game ago, poured in eight first quarter points.
At the game's intermission, Belmont faced a 29-28 deficit. The Bruins and Colonels both struggled to find a rhythm offensively as each team shot less than 40 percent from the field. Smith finished with 15 first half points.
McCabe notched her third double double of the season.
Belmont improves to 11-0 in home games this season.
Eastern Kentucky's Jalen O'Bannon led the team with 19 points.
UT MARTIN 85, SIUE 79
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team would overcome a 13-point fourth quarter deficit en route to picking up an 85-79 road victory at preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite SIUE on Saturday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (16-7, 9-1 OVC) picked up its ninth consecutive victory in a thrilling game which saw the score be tied on three occasions and featured eight lead changes. Facing a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, UT Martin would string together a 20-2 run over the course of five minutes to propel the visitors to the team’s eighth road win of the season.
Touted as a matchup of the OVC’s top two squads with both teams heading into the contest with a combined 17-2 league record, the game did not disappoint. Each team held significant leads in the contest, only to have their opponent stage a significant comeback attempt and retake control of the contest. UT Martin would hold five leads in the contest, including the game’s final advantage, notching the team’s 52nd win in its last 55 contest against league foes.
Hailed as the nation’s top three-point shooting threat, UT Martin made 12 three-pointers on the day while placing five players in double figures. Katie Schubert and Jessy Ward would both score 19 points while combining for seven three-pointers, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in the contest. Shy Copney tied a career-high with 15 points while Haley Howard (14) and Myah Taylor (13) rounded out the top Skyhawk performers.
SIUE (14-10, 9-2 OVC) saw its six-game winning streak come to an end despite an impressive performance. The Cougars also posted five in double figures, led by the play of OVC Preseason Player of the Year Shronda Butts who recorded a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Sharpshooter Sidney Smith tallied five three-pointers, scoring 18 points while Donshel Beck also notched a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Gwen Adams (13) and CoCo Moore (10) also scored in double figures.
The first quarter would consist of back-and-fourth play with the Cougars scoring 18 points in the paint. SIUE would depend heavily on the post play of Beck and Adams who combined to score 15 of the team’s 21 points in the quarter.
The Skyhawks would turn to the play of Copney to keep the Skyhawks in the game, scoring eight of the team’s 10 bench points in the opening frame. With post play making the difference, SIUE would take a 21-19 lead into the second quarter.
UT Martin would open the second quarter on a 6-0 run behind back-to-back three-pointers from Taylor and Howard in the first two minutes, forcing a SIUE timeout. With the Skyhawk deficit eliminated, the squad would push its advantage out to as high as eight points with four minutes to play in the half. SIUE would quickly answer however, finding back-to-back three-pointers from Smith and another bucket from Adams to take a 34-33 lead with a minute to play. With the lead gone, UT Martin would turn to Schubert who would nail a three-pointer to retake the lead before a trifecta from Ward just prior to the buzzer would give the Skyhawks a 39-34 lead heading into the half.
The Skyhawk would push their lead out to seven points four minutes into the third quarter following a three-pointer from Schubert. SIUE would quickly respond by taking control of the third quarter from there, putting together a 9-0 run with three points coming from the trio of Butts, Moore and Smith during the span to take a 45-43 lead. The Cougars would finish the quarter strong, outscoring the Skyhawks over the final four minutes to take a 60-53 advantage into the fourth behind nine points from Smith.
The game nearly seemed out of reach for UT Martin as SIUE stretch its lead out to 13 points with 8:53 to play in the contest, leading 66-53. The Skyhawks would respond however, stringing together a 12-0 to trim the margin to just one point. Following a bucket by Butts, the Skyhawks would go on another run, this time for eight points, not only overcoming the deficit but taking a four point lead following a layup by Schubert to make it a 73-69 UTM advantage with 3:50 to play.
The score would fluctuate in the final four minutes as both teams continued to answer the opponent’s effort. UT Martin pushed its margin out to as high as seven points with 40 seconds to play while SIUE answered by trimming the deficit to just two with 14 seconds remaining. The final seconds would see the Skyhawks knock down four free throws to bring the game to its final resting place with UT Martin notching an 85-79 victory.
TENNESSEE STATE 78, MOREHEAD STATE 76
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Senior Brianna Lawrence sank a floater at the buzzer to give the Tennessee State University women’s basketball team a much needed win over Morehead State, 78-76, Saturday night in the Gentry Center.
After Morehead State tied the game with five seconds remaining, Tennessee State had one more chance. The Lady Tigers made good on their opportunity and Brianna Lawrence knocked down the game winner just before the buzzer.
The win snapped a five-game losing skid for TSU and moved the team to 10-14 (5-6 OVC). Lawrence finished with 18 points and four steals while Jayda Johnson scored 17. I’mani Davis notched her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go with six assists and three blocks.
Miranda Crockett led Morehead State (9-16, 3-8 OVC) with 20 points while Eriel McKee (17), Brianna McQueen (14) and Natalie Greenwell (12) also reached double-figures.
The Lady Tigers got off to a fast start and made their first seven field goal attempts. A three-pointer by Diamond Beatty followed by a bucket from Jordan Brightwell gave TSU a 17-6 lead midway through the opening quarter.
Despite a 7-0 run from Morehead State, TSU led 21-15 heading into the second frame. The Eagles continued to push and outscored the Lady Tigers 8-3 to pull within one (27-26).
TSU once again built its lead up, 35-26, but MSU answered and sliced the deficit to one, 40-39, late in the quarter before the Lady Tigers went into halftime leading, 41-39.
Morehead State scored the first points of the second half and from there the teams traded buckets. The teams played to a 46-46 tie when scores from TSU including a reverse lay-up by Franceska Brown gave the Lady Tigers a, 51-46, cushion.
On the ensuing possession, however, MSU used a three-point play to make the score, 51-49. TSU created a little distance when Diamond Beatty knocked down a three-pointer near the two-minute mark. But seven consecutive points from opponent made the score, 61-61 with seconds on the clock. As time winded down, Brianna buried her fourth triple of the game at the buzzer to give TSU a, 64-61, lead heading into the final stanza.
Four unanswered points from Morehead State to start the fourth, gave the Eagles a 65-64 lead. On TSU’s next trip down the floor Asia Sims connected from long range to give the lead back to the Lady Tigers.
The next several minutes were a battle. At the final media timeout of the game, TSU was holding on to a slight, 71-70, lead. Out of the break, Asia Sims knocked down her second three-pointer of the game to make the score, 74-40, in favor of the home team with less than four minutes remaining.
With 37 seconds remaining and TSU up by two, I’mani Davis came away with an offensive rebound that kept the possession with the Lady Tigers. After seconds ticked off the clock, TSU used a timeout to draw up a play.
TSU’s shot attempt, however, was off the mark and MSU grabbed the rebound. The Eagles burned a timeout to advance the ball with 10.9 seconds left. The Eagles were able to score with five seconds left to even the game at 76-all.
With time winding down, Brianna Lawrence drove the length of the court to drain a floater at the buzzer to give the Lady Tigers the victory.
MURRAY STATE 75, AUSTIN PEAY 72
MURRAY, Ky. - Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team closed to within one point with a big second-half rally but could not complete the comeback in a 75-72 Ohio Valley Conference loss to Murray State, Saturday, at the CFSB Center.
For the second straight game, Austin Peay (7-16, 5-5 OVC) had trouble at both ends of the court in the opening quarter. The Govs did not make a field goal in the first four minutes and allowed the Racers to make six of their first seven shots en route to a 14-0 lead.
The Govs would break through thanks to guard Falon Baker, who scored five straight points, getting APSU back to within nine points. But Austin Peay would not get closer the rest of the first half. Murray State pushed its lead to 20 points in the second quarter after Jashae Lee made back-to-back jumpers for a 41-21 lead at the 4:05 mark.
Murray State (7-14, 3-7 OVC) would end the first half making 52.6 percent (20-of-38) of its shots. Austin Peay shot 44 percent in the opening half, but saw 10 turnovers hamper the offense. The Govs would trail by 18 points, 48-30, at halftime.
Austin Peay guard Tiasha Gray started the second half – her first action after serving a one-half suspension – but her appearance didn’t prove immediately beneficial. Murray State scored the third quarter’s first seven points, extending its lead to a game-high 25 points, 55-30, less than two minutes into the period.
The Govs found their stride at that point, finishing the third quarter with a 25-11 run. Austin Peay’s defense was pivotal in the run, holding Murray State without a field goal for nearly four minutes and only one field goal in the final 5:16. Austin Peay scored on seven of its 10 possessions down the stretch and trailed by 11 points, 66-55, at the end of the third.
After the teams exchanged salvos to start the fourth quarter, Austin Peay made its biggest charge at the three minute mark. Forward Sydney Gooch scored on a drive down the middle of the lane to start the burst. Guard Shelby Olszewski then hit her first three pointer of the season followed by a pair of free throws by Gray to slash the deficit to one point, 72-71, with 1:46 left.
Murray State LeAsia Wright broke the Racers three minute scoring drought with a three pointer just before the shot clock expired with 1:23 left. Trailing by three points after a Gray free throw, Austin Peay had two chances to tie the game in the final 20 seconds but could not find the basket they needed before time expired.
Gray led Austin Peay with 18 points in 20 minutes of action, making 5-of-12 from the floor. Gooch added a season-best 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with six rebounds. Baker finished with 11 points and senior Tearra Banks chipped in 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Ke’Shunan James led Murray State with 18 points, making 6-of-14 from the floor. Abria Gulledge added 17 points and Wright had 14 points