SATURDAY'S SCORES
Belmont 77, @Morehead State 57
Tennessee Tech 80, @UT Martin 76
Eastern Illinois 67, @Austin Peay 57
Jacksonville State 56, @Southeast Missouri 39
Tennessee State 57, @Eastern Kentucky 31
@Murray State 81, SIUE 75
BELMONT 77, MOREHEAD STATE 57
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Belmont women's basketball team's 10th straight win was a crucial one in the Ohio Valley Conference standings Saturday.
With a 77-57 victory at Morehead State, the Bruins completed a season sweep of the Eagles and moved to 11-1 in conference games (18-5 overall). Belmont now owns a two-game lead atop the OVC standings over a group that includes recently swept Morehead State (9-3 OVC, 18-7 overall).
Belmont's game was on full display in the first quarter. The Bruins made their first five 3-point attempts, three of them coming from senior guard Darby Maggard (Larwill, Ind.), but MSU showed in the second quarter why it's been a similar front-runner in the OVC this season.
The Eagles limited the Bruins to just five shot attempts in the second frame, but struggled to gain any ground. Despite a massive advantage in shot attempts – 38 to just 19 for Belmont – Morehead State still trailed by six points at the break, 26-20.
The Bruins didn't waste that head start, rallying for 30 points in the third quarter in a performance reminiscent of the last time these two teams met this season. Belmont topped MSU 77-50 in Nashville on Jan. 10 on the strength of a 40-point second half.
The Bruins scored 51 after the break Saturday.
After a turnover-filled second quarter, Belmont's halftime adjustments helped the team commit just one in the third quarter.
Belmont was 15-of-27 shooting 3-pointers on the day, including a three-quarter-court shot from freshman Jamilyn Kinney (Van Buren, Ark.) that beat the third-quarter buzzer. Maggard alone was 6-of-7 shooting from deep and finished with 22 points. Ellie Harmeyer (Kenosha, Wis.) was 3-of-3 on threes and finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Senior Jenny Roy (Brentwood, Tenn.) added 13 points with six rebounds and six assists, and Wright scored 11 with eight boards.
Graduate forward McKenzie Calvert paced the Eagles' scoring with a game-high 23 points. Calvert was 9-of-19 from the field with four assists and four steals. Senior Miranda Crockett scored 14 points to extend her double-figure scoring streak to 29 games. The Martinsville, Va., native also nabbed eight rebounds.Senior Tierra McGowan grabbed a game-best 10 boards for Morehead State
TENNESSEE TECH 80, UT MARITN 76
MARTIN, Tenn. - For the first time this season the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team could not defend its home court, snapping an 11- game winning streak inside the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center in an 80-76 defeat to Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Tech.
The Skyhawks (16-7, 8-4 OVC) dropped a critical head-to-head matchup against Tennessee Tech. With the two squads meeting only once this regular season, the Golden Eagles currently sit third in the league standings and hold the head-to-head tie-breaker while the Skyhawks dropped to fourth place with the decision.
Tennessee Tech dominated nearly every statistical category, winning the battle of the boards, points in the paint, second chance opportunities and bench points. While the Skyhawks struggled to keep pace statistically, the game played even for much of the contest. A give 15-0 run to end the third quarter by Tennessee Tech would later prove to be the difference in the game as the Skyhawks would tie the game twice in the fourth quarter but could never regain the lead, ultimately falling 80-76.
Sophomore forward Chelsey Perry scored a career-high 28 points for the Skyhawks – including 20 in the second half - while notching five rebounds and three blocks. Fellow sophomore Maddie Waldrop would approach a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds while senior guard Emanye Robertson notched a double-double with 10 points and 13 assists – finishing just one assist shy of the program record.
Tennessee Tech (17-6, 9-3 OVC) moved into sole possession of third place with the victory behind a team-high 26 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks from sophomore Mackenzie Coleman. Coleman was joined in double figures by Kesha Brady who almost tallied a double-double of her own with 23 points and nine rebounds while Kentoria Alexander notched 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 67, AUSTIN PEAY 57
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -Eastern Illinois women's basketball beat Austin Peay 67-57 at the Dunn Center Saturday afternoon snapping a 28 game road loss streak. The last time the Panthers won on the road was at APSU in the 2017 season. Four players scored double-figures for EIU in a shared effort to pick up their fourth conference win. The Panthers improve to 10-13 overall and 4-7 in the OVC, while the Govs fall to 11-12 overall and 6-6 in the conference.
APSU opened the game with four straight free throws to take a 4-0 lead over EIU early on. The Panthers went on a 6-0 run to take a two point lead out of the first quarter media time out. The Govs would tie the game 6-6 on a layup, but an 8-2 run to close the first ten minutes would give EIU a permanent lead over APSU.
The Panthers held the Govs to just 16 points in the first half, which is the second lowest point total in a half this season that EIU has held an opponent to. The Panthers led 28-16 heading into the break.
EIU saw the free throw line 16 times in the fourth quarter as APSU tried to chip away away at the Panthers lead. The Govs got within five of the Panthers, but the Panthers 11 of their 16 attempts in the final 10 minutes. Jalisha Smith went 5-for-7 at the line and carried EIU with 11 of her 13 points scored in the second half. Smith's 13 points is a season-high, and she also finished with six rebounds.
The Panthers shot 45.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from the arc. In addition to Smith's 13 points, Grace McRae tied her career-high with 16 points and she recorded a game-high eight rebounds. Grace Lennox and Abby Wahl each added 11 points for EIU. Lennox tallied four assists bringing her closer to that 500 assist career mark.
APSU shot 37.3 percent from the field and only 18.2 percent from the arc. Gabby Gregory led the Govs with 11 points off the bench knocking down 2-of-4 from three-point range. Arielle Gonzalez-Varner finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Keisha Gregory added 10 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 56, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 39
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Jacksonville State's women's basketball team displayed its stingy defense in full force on Saturday, limiting Southeast Missouri State to just 39 points as the Gamecocks won their seventh road game of the season.
JSU's 56-39 victory marked the second-fewest points allowed this season, after setting a Division I school record allowing just 31 to Florida A&M in the season-opener. The Gamecocks improved to 11-12 overall and 5-7 in Ohio Valley Conference action with the program's second all-time win inside the Show Me Center, and first since Feb. 11, 2010.
The Redhawks fall to 11-12 and an even 6-6 in OVC play. JSU will have the potential tiebreaker for postseason seeding curtesy of winning the only regular season meeting.
While defense was the show in the Show Me State on Saturday, a trio of Gamecocks still managed to reach double figures with senior Rayven Pearson, sophomore Taylor Hawks and freshman Yamia Johnson all finishing with 10 points. Pearson also led the way with 15 rebounds in her third-straight double-double game and 20th of her career. The Hazel Green, Ala., native is now one shy of tying Shanika Freeman's program record of four-straight double-doubles set during the 2004-05 season.
Four of JSU's first six points came at the free throw line where Jax State would finish 13-of-20 overall. Tied at 10-10, Jayla Walker hit JSU's first triple of the afternoon to give the Gamecocks the lead again, but SEMO would add a couple of late baskets to lead 14-13 at the end of the opening period.
The two sides exchanged the lead throughout most of the second until a three by Elliott made it 24-20. JSU would carry the four-points advantage into halftime at 26-22.
In the third, Johnson's first bucket of the day was a three-[pomyet that made the lead double digits at 38-28. The Gamecocks would tack on a few more to make it 41-28 after three quarters. The lead reached as many as 17 early in the fourth after Johnson muscled her was inside for a layup that made it 48-31 and forced a Redhawk timeout.
The margin would remained similar the rest of the way as JSU went on to hold an OVC opponent below 40 points for the first time since Jan. 14, 2015 - which coincidently came against SEMO in a 70-34 win in Jacksonville.
Tesia Thompson finished with 11 points, her 14th-straight double-digit scoring game. Thompson posted six points in the first quarter.
Carrie Shephard tied former Redhawk, Ashton Luttrell, for seventh in 3-point field goals made in a single-season. Shephard sank two treys to push her total to 57 this season.
Jocelyn Taylor posted 10 points in the first half and scored 12 for the game. Taylor accounted for eight of SEMO's 14 points in the paint.
TENNESSEE STATE 57, EASTERN KENTUCKY 31
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Tennessee State University women’s basketball team captured a, 57-31, win at Eastern Kentucky Saturday night in McBrayer Arena.
TSU improved to 4-20 (4-8 OVC) while EKU fell to 2-21 (0-12 OVC).
The contest was tied, 21-21, midway through the second quarter when the Lady Tigers turned up their defensive pressure and outscored the Colonels 36-10 the rest of the way.
Tia Wooten led TSU with 15 points while Jaden Wrightsell added 11. Andreana Wrister pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to go with five steals.
Eastern Kentucky was led in scoring by Bria Bass’ eight points while Shay Soloman recorded a team-best eight rebounds.
MURRAY STATE 81, SIUE 75
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State won its second straight game as it defeated visiting SIUE, 81-75, on Saturday night.
Murray State's Evelyn Adebayo led all players with 27 points and 16 rebounds. She wehtn 10-for-14 from the line. Macey Turley scored 20 points and dished out seven assist. Turley made all 10 of her free throw attempts. Lex Mayes added 15 points in the win.
Micah Jones led the Cougars with 22 points while Riana Everidge scored 15 points. Christen King added 12 points. Sydney Bauman nearly had a double-double with six points and a team-best 10 rebounds.