SUNDAY'S SCORES
Delaware 66,
Eastern Illinois 37
@UT Martin 62, Western Carolina 54
Morehead State 79, @Chicago State 40
@Seton Hall 73,
Jacksonville State 54
Austin Peay 71, @Lipscomb 63
DELAWARE 66, EASTERN ILLINOIS 37
PHILADELPHIA - The Panthers fell on the road to Delaware in the second game of the Saint Joseph's Thanksgiving Tournament. EIU struggled from the field resulting in a 66-37 loss to the Blue Hens.
Grace Lennox was named to the All-Tournament Team and was the Panthers leading scorer with 16 points as EIU shot a season low 18.8 percent from the field and 2-of-21 from behind the arc. Lennox connected on four field goals and shot 77.8 percent from the free throw line. She also grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists.
The Blue Hens finished with 57 rebounds to the Panthers 41 collecting seven of their 16 offensive boards in the first quarter. Delaware's Nicole Enabosi finished with a double-double and game-high of 21 points and 12 rebounds. Bailey Kargo added 13 points.
EIU's bench scored 11 points of the teams 37. Jalsiha Smith finished with four points and grabbed eight rebounds. Karle Pace, Taylor Steele, and Halle Stull also connected from the field for the Panthers. Steele finished with a game high three steals.
Jennifer Nehls added seven points in EIU's loss while Grace McRae grabbed a career high of eight rebounds.
The Panthers will close out their road trip with a game at Cleveland State Tuesday Nov. 28 at 6 p.m.
UT MARTIN 62, WESTERN CAROLINA 54
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team used a 12-3 run over the game’s final three minutes to secure a 62-54 comeback victory over Southern Conference member Western Carolina on Sunday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (2-3) snapped a brief two-game losing skid with a strong comeback victory after trailing by as much as nine points in the second half. UT Martin would play stingy defense, limiting the Catamounts to just 38.3 percent shooting from the field while forcing 32 turnovers, but it was the team’s 29.6 percent shooting effort which proved costly for much of the contest.
Despite the poor shooting performance, the Skyhawks placed three players in double figures led by junior guard Emanye Robertson which tallied a game-high 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds to go along with four steals and three assists. Sophomore Kendall Spray also tallied 12 points while senior Janekia Mason notched 12 points to round out the trio in double figures.
Western Carolina (1-4) saw two players score in double figures led by Lauren LaPlant with 12 points. Meanwhile Tembre Moates approached a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds while Sherae Bonner tallied seven points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams would play even through the opening media timeout as each team tallied seven points each. The first quarter wouldn’t present too much separation throughout, as the Skyhawks led by as much as six points with less than a minute left in the period before taking a 15-13 lead into the second.
The second quarter wouldn’t prove to be much more exciting as the Skyhawks’ offense went silent. The Skyhawks would notch six offensive rebounds but could not capitalize as the team shot just over 20 percent from the field in the quarter. Due in large part to UT Martin going scoreless over the final eight minutes of the second quarter, Western Carolina would head into halftime riding a 13-2 run while holding a 28-21 advantage.
The Catamounts would push their margin out to as high as nine points on three occasions in the third quarter. The margin would continue to sway in the final minutes of the period with the Skyhawks cutting the margin to as close as three points with just over a minute left. Despite UT Martin outscoring Western Carolina by two in the period, the Catamounts would take a five-point margin into the fourth quarter.
UT Martin would turn up the intensity in the fourth quarter, not only digging its way out of a large hole, but taking five leads in the period alone. The Skyhawks would take their final lead off a three-pointer by Spray with just under three minutes to play, a lead in which they would not relinquish. As a whole, UT Martin would take control of the contest down the stretch with a 12-3 run over three minutes to lift the squad to a 62-54 victory.
UT Martin will return to action with another home contest against North Carolina A&T on Thursday, Nov. 30. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.
MOREHEAD STATE 79, CHICAGO STATE 40
CHICAGO, Ill. - After falling below .500 for the first time since opening the season 0-1 in 2016-17, Morehead State women's basketball (3-3) bounced back behind junior center Tierra McGowan for the first road win of its 2017-18 campaign with a 79-40 decision over Chicago State (0-6) on Sunday afternoon in the Windy City.
Morehead State won the scoring battle in each quarter, jumping out to a 17-12 lead after the first. The MSU defense intensified in the second period, holding Chicago State to just 10 points. The Eagles controlled the battle for points in the paint with an 18-6 first-half advantage, leading 35-22 at the break.
Morehead State separated further from the Cougars in the third quarter, pouring in 23 points while Chicago State managed just six. The Eagles' performance was capped off with a 21-point final period.
As a team, Morehead State shot 30-for-71 (.423) from the floor, and 13-of-15 (.867) at the free throw line. McGowan, a Chicago native, proved to be the Eagles' highlight in her homecoming, recording 14 points, 15 rebounds (nine offensive), three steals, and two blocks in a team-high 28 minutes. McGowan has pulled down at least 10 boards in each of her first six showings in a Morehead State uniform.
On the game, Morehead State dominated 46-14 in the paint, 41-11 in points off turnovers, and 30-3 in second-chance opportunities. Miranda Crockett (12), Erin Blaine (12), and Darianne Seward (11) complemented McGowan with double-digit scoring outputs of their own.
After two games on the road, Morehead State returns to Johnson Arena for two home games on the week. The Eagles tip off with Kentucky Christian on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.
SETON HALL 73, JACKSONVILLE STATE 54
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Jacksonville State women's basketball team fell to tournament host, Seton Hall, in the championship game of the Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday afternoon at historic Walsh Gymnasium.
The Gamecocks (4-2) held tough against their Big East foes for the first half, before SHU (4-1) used a strong third quarter to pull away on its home court.
Junior Rayven Pearson had 13 points and eight boards to lead JSU. As the Gamecocks claimed their runner-up trophy following the game, Pearson was joined by senior Ki-Ki Patterson as selections to the All-Tournament team. Senior Tyler Phelion finished with nine points and five rebounds as Jax State fell for only the second time this season.
The scoring started slow as Morrison's triple midway through the first gave JSU a 5-3 advantage. SHU then went on an 11-2 run forcing the Gamecocks to call timeout down seven late in the opening period. Still a seven-point different nearing halftime, McKenna Lawrence banked home a three from the top of the key to make it 29-25 with just under three minutes to play. The Gamecocks maintained the four-point margin heading into the locker room trailing 32-28.
In the third, SHU broke the game open with a 22-3 run. The Pirates outscored the Gamecocks 28-13 in the third period to take a commanding 60-41 lead into the final ten minutes of play. JSU scored the first six points of the fourth to pull within 13, but SHU followed with a couple of big shots to reclaim a comfortable margin. Huntsville product, Jayla Walker, entered in the closing minutes and hit a three in her only shot attempt as JSU fell 73-54.
The Gamecocks return home briefly before taking off against to face New Orleans on Thursday, Nov. 30.
AUSTIN PEAY 71, LIPSCOMB 63
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Riding Keisha Gregory's double-double, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team overcame a nine-point deficit to win on the road at Lipscomb.
The back-and-forth matchup featured six ties and 12 lead changes before the comeback Govs struck again, erasing an 8-0 third-quarter run to win 71-63 in Nashville.
The Govs came out cold, shooting 23.5 percent from the floor in the first quarter, going 1-8 from three-point range. The Govs fight on the defensive end, with nine defensive boards and lack of turnovers, only coughing the ball up once in the first period, kept the game close with Austin Peay (4-1) trailing by three after the first 10 minutes of play.
The Govs traded baskets with Lipscomb through much of the second quarter. The Governors back-court trio of Gregory, Falon Baker and Bri Williams threw punch after counterpunch, scoring a combined 13 of the Govs 19 second quarter points. Sophomore Nieja Crawford and newcomers Jemiah Harrison and Brianah Ferby added six bench points as the Govs headed into the half only down by one.
Coming out of the break, the Governors were put on their heels as Lipscomb jumped out to a nine-point lead. Austin Peay set up full-court pressure to change the momentum mid-way through the third quarter, and the Govs veteran leadership took over. Senior forward Brianne Alexander dominated down low, scoring nine points, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out an assist, as the Governors closed the gap to three points with one quarter to go.
The Governors full-court pressure continued to stifle the Bison in the final period, as Austin Peay forced Lipscomb into nine second-half turnovers, scoring nine points off those opportunities. Senior point guard Bri Williams scored ten points in the final quarter, including five free-throw shots to secure the Govs fourth-straight win.
Gregory led the Govs with 14 points and 10 rebounds in her third career double-double. Baker and Williams added 13 points each with Baker padding her stat line with six rebounds and five assists. Alexander had 12 points and six rebounds in her 26 minutes down low for the Governors.
Freshman guard Brianah Ferby once again scored in double figures, adding 13 points, four rebounds and three steals to her impressive five-game resume.
The Govs return home 7 p.m., Nov. 29 to host Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first of two home games in the next five days.