SATURDAY'S SCORES
SIUE 65, @Eastern Illinois 56
@Austin Peay 81, Morehead State 80
UT Martin 80, @Southeast Missouri 73
Tennessee Tech 77, @Belmont 72
Jacksonville State 62, @Tennessee State 52
@Murray State 81, Eastern Kentucky 63
SIUE 65, EASTERN ILLINOIS 56
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Micah Jones and Jay'nee Alston both recorded double-doubles Saturday as SIUE women's basketball corralled a 65-56 road victory in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Jones and Alston were two of SIUE's four players who finished in double figures. Allie Troeckler was SIUE's leading scorer with 13 points, missing a double-double of her own by a single rebound. Alston recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jones pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with her 12 points. Nakiah Bell added 11 points.
Bell, a redshirt senior, said the grind of the OVC season is just getting started as she looks to help her younger teammates navigate through the long season.
Bell had three three-pointers while Alston added two more.
SIUE's three-point defense, ranked No. 6 nationally statistically was once again stingy, holding Eastern Illinois to 2-of-16 shooting (12.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Karle Pace led three EIU players scoring in double figures with 15 points. Grace McRae and Grace Lennox each added 10 points as the Panther dropped to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in the OVC.
SIUE's switches made for some lopsided numbers on the stat sheet. SIUE outrebounded EIU 54-26, including 17-4 on the offensive glass. The Cougars turned those 17 offensive rebounds into 21 points while EIU picked up just three on second opportunities.
The Cougars' bench also overpowered the Panthers 31-8.
AUSTIN PEAY 81, MOREHEAD STATE 80
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team earned its first 2-0 start to Ohio Valley Conference play since the 2015-16 season, defeating Morehead State in a nail biter, 81-80, Saturday, at the Winfield Dunn Center.
Down seven in the fourth quarter with just under four minutes to go, the Governors (7-6, 2-0 OVC) closed the game on a 10-2 run to end up with their first victory at home over the Eagles (10-5, 1-1 OVC) since the 2011-12 season.
Unlike the blazing hot start in the game against Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, both teams took a little bit to going, assumingly feeling each other out as each team tried to assert its dominance. The Eagles seized early control of the game, with an Aliyah Jeune three sparking a 7-0 Morehead run as they led by as many as eight in the first quarter. The Eagles, who came into the game ranked in the top 10 in the country in scoring offense at almost 85 points per game, ramped up the pace tremendously. The Govs weathered the storm, as Morehead hit their next eight shots from the field after starting one of four. After a run in which APSU did not score a field goal for almost four minutes, Maggie Knowles hit the first three for the Govs at the 3:35 mark in the first period, scoring seven of the next nine Austin Peay points. Brandi Ferby also hit a three and then a layup on the ensuing possession to tie the game at 18 and 20, respectively, but Morehead State led 22-20 after the first period.
The Govs used their momentum at the end of the first, as Arielle Gonzalez-Varner scored the first six points of the quarter to give the Govs their first lead since the opening two minutes. The Govs used a 10-of-12 shooting stretch across the first and second quarters to get back in the game after starting just 2-of-9. The Eagles responded with an efficient 7-0 run before Keisha Gregory scored five of her first-half 14 points on back-to-back possessions to reclaim the lead once again. It was a back-and-forth affair in the first half, with the score being tied 10 separate times and having seven lead changes. The Govs seemed to be taking the lead into the break, but Jeune launched an astonishingly deep three-pointer to give Morehead a 46-45 advantage.
Morehead came out of the break reenergized, going on a quick spurt that forced a timeout from coach David Midlick. Much like the start of the game, the Govs endured a tough shooting patch, going 1-of-10 at one point, but did not let Morehead run away. After the Eagles went up seven, Knowles had a putback and then hit a pair of free throws to cut it to five. Knowles had a new career-high with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds as the Govs went into the final frame just down three points.
The offenses for both teams found it difficult to score to the start the fourth quarter. The Govs did a better defensive job on Jeune, who just had six points in the second half, but Miranda Crockett led Morehead with 16 points, including eight in the fourth. After a Govs turnover, Jeune finished on the break to put the Eagles up seven with 3:49 left, but that was when the Govs made their run. Brandi Ferby hit a huge three with just over two minutes left as she cut the Morehead lead to just one point. The Govs thought they had a stop and a rebound but Nieja Crawford was called for a questionable foul as she fouled out of the game. The Govs got another stop though and Brianah Ferby hit one free throw to tie the game at 78.
The back-and-forth affair continued as Morehead hit one of two from the line before Gregory, who finished two points shy of her career-high with 25 points, hit a pair of free throws to give the Govs their first lead of the second half. Brianah stole the inbounds pass out of the timeout, but the Govs could not advance the ball in the ten second window, giving the ball back to Morehead. Crockett tied the game at 80 with a free throw with eight seconds left, before a long pass down the court to Brianah forced Morehead to foul her. She stepped up to the line, made the first, but missed the second as the Eagles grabbed the ball and immediately called timeout with 3.9 seconds left. Darianne Seward had a good open look at the basket around the free throw line, but she was forced to shoot off-balanced and the ball hit the rim and bounced out as the Govs earned a crucial win.
Crockett led the Eagles with 22 points to go with nine rebounds while Juene recorded 21 points and seven boards. Seward also reached double-digits in points with 15. Tierra McGowan nearly had a double-double with nine points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
UT MARTIN 80, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 73
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Trailing by as much as 18 points in the third quarter, the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team rallied behind a strong fourth quarter to notch an 80-73 road victory at Ohio Valley Conference foe Southeast Missouri on Saturday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (9-4, 1-1 OVC) faced a heavy deficit for much of the contest as the home Redhawks shot close to 60 percent from the field through the opening three quarters of play. Despite facing a deficit as large as 18 points in the game – including a 17-point deficit with 1:51 to play in the third quarter – the Skyhawks gave a late game push.
Facing the significant margin, UT Martin finished the third quarter on a 9-1 run to cut the deficit down to nine points heading into the fourth. The Skyhawks would continue to dig themselves out of the hole in the fourth quarter before a foul and a flagrant foul resulted in a seven-point swing with just over six minutes to play to give UT Martin its first lead since the first quarter. With new life, the Skyhawks would hold strong in the fourth to push the margin out to as large as eight points to secure the come-from-behind victory.
With the victory, head coach Kevin McMillan notched his 182nd career win for the Skyhawks to move into third place in OVC history.
Sophomore Maddie Waldrop posted another career performance for the second time this week by leading all Skyhawks with 20 points, knocking down 6-of-7 shot attempts, while going perfect from the free throw line and beyond the arc. The forward also tallied eight rebounds and two critical steals in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Chelsey Perry ranked second on the team with 17 points while Emanye Robertson notched 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Freshman Damiah Griffin ranked as the team’s fourth scorer in double figures with 13 points off the bench.
Southeast Missouri (6-7, 1-1 OVC) led for over 28 minutes in the contest behind a hot shooting approach which saw the squad shoot 50 percent from the field and nail 11 three-pointers. Missouri transfer Carrie Shephard paced the Redhawks with 25 points while senior Adrianna Murphy tallied 18 points and seven points in the losing cause.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 62, TENNESSEE STATE 52
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Jacksonville State's women's basketball team snapped its three-game skid with a big 62-52 road win at Tennessee State on Saturday to secure its first Ohio Valley Conference win of the year.
It marked the fourth-straight win for JSU (7-6, 1-1 OVC) over the Lady Tigers who remain winless on the season.
Sophomore Taylor Hawks had 11 second-half points to lead the Gamecocks with a team-high 15 points, just two shy of her season high which also came in the Music City with 17 at Lipscomb in November. Fellow sophomore Jayla Walker finished one off her career high with 10 points, while senior Rayven Pearson notched her sixth double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 boards.
After a 9-9 deadlock at the first media timeout of the game, TSU closed the opening period with a 6-0 run to grab its largest lead of the game for the home squad.
Hawks drove to the rim early in the second and drew a foul to create a three-point play the old way and cut the deficit to 15-12. TSU maintained its slim lead until just Walker hit the Gamecocks' first trey to propel JSU ahead, 21-20. Like the Lady Tigers in the first quarter, Jax State made a run to close the period on a 9-2 stretch to lead 27-22 at intermission.
JSU continued to stave off the TSU offense for the first three minutes of the second half as Yamia Johnson, Hawks and Pearson scored the opening seven points of the third to increase JSU's run to 16-2 going back to the second period. The lead grew to 17 at 43-26 following Johnson's second triple of the afternoon.
In the fourth, Jessie Day made it a 53-35 advantage with a short jumper in the lane. Overall, JSU outscored TSU 36-16 in the paint, despite losing the turnover battle, 19-12. A late 7-0 run by TSU cut the deficit to single digits with just under two minutes remaining, but the Lady Tigers were unable to take advantage of their 34 free throw attempts on the day, missing 14 of them. Elliott and Hawks iced the game with free throws in the final 30 seconds to push the lead back to 13, before TSU sank a long three at the buzzer to make the final decision 62-52.
Tennessee State redshirt senior Tia Wooten recorded her second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while freshman Jazmine Young registered 12 points.
MURRAY STATE 81, EASTERN KENTUCKY 63
MURRAY, Ky. - Bria Bass scored a season-best 22 points to go along with three rebounds, but the Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team fell on the road to in-state rival Murray State University, 81-63, Saturday night in Murray.
MSU used a 14-0 run, capped by a basket from Janikea Griffith-Wallace, to take a 37-22 lead with 2:41 left in the first half, and the Racers never looked back.
EKU (2-11, 0-2 OVC) got off to a quick start led by Bass who had 12 points in the first quarter, and helped the Colonels take a 17-14 advantage after the opening stanza.
Eastern cut the Racer lead to eight, 41-33, after a corner three by Hailey McCoy with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter, but EKU did not get any closer the rest of the game.
Shay Solomon posted her first double-double of the year with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Abby Wright pitched in eight points of her own.
The Racers (5-8, 1-1 OVC) were led by Evelyn Adebayo who had a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Lex Mayes posted 16 points and four rebounds. Alexis Burpo pitched in 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Eastern Kentucky shot 35 percent from the field. Murray State shot 42 percent. The Colonels got out-rebounded 44-40 for the game and allowed 24 second-chance points.
TENNESSEE TECH 77, BELMONT 72
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It's been more than two years since the Belmont women's basketball team has seen a loss in its Ohio Valley Conference ledger, but Tennessee Tech did the honors of ending the Bruins' 47-game stretch of league dominance on Saturday, downing the Bruins 77-72 in BU's Curb Event Center.
It marks the first time Tech has beaten Belmont in 10 tries, and the program's first win at Curb Event Center since Feb. 2, 2013.
It's also Tech's 10th win of the year, which matches the high-water mark in the Rosamond era (10 wins in 2016-17), and makes TTU the second-fastest OVC team to reach double-digit wins this season (Morehead State).
While Tech's triumph was – and had to be – the epitome of a complete team victory, the scoring tandem of Abby Buckner and Jordan Brock generated one of the top storylines.
Both sophomores poured in 18 points, and combined for nine of TTU's 10 3-pointers in the contest. Tech's 10 connections from deep came on 23 attempts (40.6 percent), giving them back-to-back outings with a clip of 40 percent or better.
For Buckner, the 18 points and five made threes were both career highs.
The Murfreesboro native, frequently called a team leader by Rosamond, sparked the offense in the first quarter with a pair of trifectas, added another in the second, and another in the third.
Her final trey may have been the most important, as it pushed TTU's lead back to nine points midway through the fourth quarter, and answered a Belmont run that had cut the deficit to six.
She also matched a career-high with 38 minutes played, and ripped down four rebounds.
Brock, known for her long-range archery, turned in a diverse offensive game that included a perfect 4-of-4 mark from distance, as well as an ability to create and make shots off the dribble.
Her first 3-pointer ended Tech's first half on a high note, as she beat the buzzer to give TTU a double-digit lead at the break, 39-27, and a whole lot of momentum heading into the second 20 minutes.
The collective performance of Tech's bench players made a crucial impact on the game as well, led by 11 points and 10 rebounds from Kesha Brady, her first career double-double.
Mackenzie Coleman played a large supporting role as well, contributing eight points and eight rebounds.
Together, Brady and Coleman combined for 18 of TTU's 45 rebounds in the contest, and Kentoria Alexander and Anacia Wilkinson each had six, as Tech won the battle on the glass, 45-40. In doing so, the Golden Eagles moved to a perfect 7-0 when they outrebound their opponent.
As she's done all season, Alexander dabbled in several statistical categories, adding nine points, three assists and one steal to her final line.
Akia Harris joined Alexander in doing a little bit of everything, scoring seven points and doling out a team-high six assists.
Wilkinson finished with four points, along with one violent block on BU's Preseason OVC Player of the Year, Darby Maggard, in the fourth quarter.
A recent Achilles' heel for the Golden Eagles has been their high turnover totals, but on Saturday, it wasn't a problem. Tech never panicked, even when the game tightened down the stretch, and registered a season-low nine turnovers as a result.
Maura Muensterman was one of three Bruins with at least 16 points, led by another powerful performance from junior forward Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wis.). Harmeyer racked up 22 points with nine rebounds – she's averaging 20.5 points and 10.0 boards her last four games – and Maggard added 19 points.
It's Maggard's second straight game with 19 points. That bumps her into fifth place on Belmont's all-time scoring list her with 1,661 career points.