SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Austin Peay 82, Evansville 73
@Chattanooga 87,
UT Martin 82 (OT)
Morehead State 75, @Lipscomb 55
AUSTIN PEAY 82, EVANSVILLE 73
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Overcoming a chilly start, Austin Peay State University women's basketball team defeated Evansville 82-73, Saturday.
Austin Peay (6-1) remained unbeaten at home, winning their sixth-straight game for the first time in 13 seasons. Austin Peay shot a collective 40.3 percent from the field (53.8 percent in the fourth quarter) including 35.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Senior forward Brianne Alexander was aggressive early, going 3-for-5 from the field in the first quarter scoring seven points as she battled down low. Evansville was nearly perfect from the field shooting 70.0 percent and going 4-for-5 from long range. The Governors defense struggled to generate turnovers, but made the most of their opportunities, scoring six points off two turnovers in the first quarter to keep the game within three points (23-20).
The Governors tightened up defensively in the second quarter, forcing Evansville into six turnovers converting them into eight points. Austin Peay's three-quarter court press rattled Evansville, stifling their offensive rhythm and dropping their field goal percentage to 27.3 percent. The Govs worked to share the ball and make the extra pass to kick start their offense, as five different Governors recorded points in the second period.
In the second half, it was Austin Peay's turn to light up the arc as the Govs shot 47.1 percent from the field and going 3-for-5 from three-point territory. Freshman Brianah Ferby scored seven points off the bench and Keisha Gregory was perfect from the field, racking up six points and four rebounds. The Governors outscored Evansville 23-11 in the third quarter, taking a 13-point lead into the final period.
The Governors wrestled with foul trouble early in the fourth quarter, requiring a carousel of substitutes to prevent key players from fouling out. Austin Peay turned to veteran point guard Bri Williams to provide consistency in the waning minutes of the game. She scored five points, pulled down two rebounds and dished out her 10th assist playing all 10 minutes of the final period. The Govs tallied 11 bench points in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated at home this season.
Brianah Ferby led the Govs in scoring with 17 points and four rebounds. Keisha Gregory and Falon Baker each scored 11 points as Gregory added nine rebounds, while Baker dished out four assists.
Kelen Kenol pulled down 10 rebounds and recorded four blocks in her sixth start of the season, while her front court partner, Brianne Alexander, scored 10 points with four rebounds.
The Governors have a quick turnaround as they will take their streak on the road 6 p.m., Dec. 5 at Northern Kentucky.
CHATTANOOGA 87, UT MARTIN 82
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team engaged in a heavy-weight fight with system-member school Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon in McKenzie Arena before ultimately falling just short 87-82 in overtime.
The Skyhawks (3-4) battled throughout a contest which saw the game become tied 10 times and featured 18 lead changes – including 15 after halftime. Offense would not be a problem for either team as UT Martin shot 60.4 percent from the field while Chattanooga was equally as impressive at 51.7 percent. UT Martin would lead by as much as 12 points in the contest, along with a five-point lead with 90 seconds left to play in regulation before five turnovers in overtime proved to be the difference in the contest.
Four of the team’s Skyhawk starters scored in double figures led by sophomore guard Kendall Spray with 20 points while tallying seven rebounds and three steals. The forward duo of Janekia Mason and Chelsey Perry both tallied 16 points each while junior guard Emanye Robertson notched 13 points and six assists. Also posting a strong performance off the bench was freshman Maddie Waldrop with seven points and 10 rebounds.
Chattanooga (6-3) overcame a 12-point second quarter deficit behind three players in double figures. Aryanna Gilbert posted a game-high 25 points along with eight rebounds to lead the Mocs in scoring. Joining her in double figures was Lakelyn Bouldin who tossed in 23 points and sister Keiana Gilbert with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
UT Martin would jump out to an early lead after knocking down five of its opening seven shot of the game, taking a 13-9 lead into the first media break of the contest with just over three minutes left to play in the first quarter. The Skyhawks would maintain their tempo by closing out the period strong by shooting 80 percent in the segment while taking a 21-11 lead into the second.
Neither team would make much progress in either direction to cut or expand the margin through the opening four minutes of the second. With the margin hovering around 10 points for much of the period, the Mocs would finish the second quarter strong with a 7-2 run over the final three minutes of action to trim the margin to as close as three points at the break.
Chattanooga would ultimately complete its comeback attempt for a 12-point deficit in the first half by opening the third on a quick run. The Mocs would knock down a pair of three-pointers in the opening minutes to erase the deficit and take a brief lead. The Skyhawks would respond however in a third quarter which would feature the score tied on five occasions and six lead changes as UT Martin took a 60-57 lead into the fourth.
Both squads continued to pass around the lead in the final quarter of play. The Skyhawks would hold a lead as high as five points with 90 seconds to play but five consecutive points by Keiana Gilbert would tie the game late following a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
With the game in overtime for the first time this season, action went back and forth as the lead changed hands five times in the five-minute period. The Skyhawks would lead by as much as three points early following a trifecta by Spray but five critical turnovers down the stretch sealed the team’s fate as Chattanooga escaped with an 87-82 victory.
UT Martin will hit the road again for its next contest with a trip to No. 4 ranked Louisville on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Tipoff from the KFC Yum! Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.
MOREHEAD STATE 75, LIPSCOMB 55
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Miranda Crockett poured in a career-high 28 points while two other starters logged double-doubles, propelling Morehead State women's basketball to a 75-55 win over Lipscomb on Saturday night at Nashville's Allen Arena.
The Eagles' fourth straight victory boosts the team to 6-3 overall, while the Lady Bisons fall to 2-6 on the season.
Crockett scored each of the Eagles' first eight points, but the first quarter transpired mostly in back-and-forth fashion. Three lead changes eventually led to a 16-12 advantage for Morehead State at the break. A 6-0 run to end the first half capped off the only quarter in which Lipscomb outscored the Eagles, but Morehead State went into halftime with a 29-26 lead.
MSU would go on to separate itself much further in the second half, anchored in part by an offensive explosion from junior center Tierra McGowan. The 6-foot-3 Chicago native was held scoreless on just one field goal attempt in the opening 20 minutes, but flipped the script for 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting (.667) in the latter 20. Her 16 rebounds notched a team-best sixth double-double of the season, as well as her ninth straight game with at least 10 boards.
Morehead State ended the third quarter on a 7-0 run and ultimately outscored Lipscomb 46-29 in the second half. Crockett dropped 16 of her career-best 28 points in the half, knocking down 13-of-16 (.813) shots on the day. In total, starting point guard Darianne Seward added 11 points and dished out a season-high 10 assists in the victory.
As a team, Morehead State outhustled Lipscomb 59-33 on the glass. The disparity paved the way for a 22-7 advantage in second-chance points, as Morehead State outscored the Lady Bisons 34-14 in the paint.
After churning out its first nine games in a span of just over three weeks, head coach Greg Todd will allow his student-athletes a chance to focus on final exams with more than a week away from the court. Morehead State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 10 for a 2 p.m. ET matchup at Evansville.