SUNDAY'S SCORES
Ole Miss 58,
@Little Rock 40
@Missouri 62,
Southeast Missouri 50
@Eastern Michigan 71,
SIUE 62
@Eastern Kentucky 64,
Morehead State 55
OLE MISS 58, LITTLE ROCK 40
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Joe Foley’s teams over his 20 years at Little Rock have been known for their defensive pressure causing frustration that leads to turnovers and low scoring. On the day the court at the Jack Stephens Center was named for Foley, Ole Miss employed a similar tactic to claim the 58-40 win over the host Trojans.
Little Rock (1-1) may have forced 18 turnovers but Ole Miss (3-0) forced 20 turnovers out of Little Rock and used a 42.9 percent shooting mark and 38-25 rebounding advantage to claim the win Sunday.
Foley, now in his 20th season guiding the Trojans, was accepting of the outcome and not disappointed in the effort his team gave, knowing this was just another step in the meticulous process he cultivates to build a championship team. His record, with 834 wins, proves he right in that line of thought a lot more than not.
For Sunday’s effort, it involved Tia Harvey’s 13 points and six rebounds while Jaiyah Smith, guard that was on the Ole Miss roster a year ago, scored 11 bounds with eight rebounds and seven assists.
While Little Rock shot 37.8 percent from the field, it was the cold outings in the second and fourth quarters that became too much to overcome. The Trojans scored just 10 of their 40 points in those two quarters combined.
Marquesha Davis led Ole Miss with 13 points while Madison Scott was prevented from reaching a double-double, scoring just eight points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Davis was the only Rebel in double figures just days after Ole Miss had three reach double figures and scored 83 points in a win over Southeast Missouri, a new conference mate of Little Rock.
Angel Baker, last year’s SEC Sixth Woman of the Year, was limited to just nine points over nearly 33 minutes.
After two games over four days to start the season, Little Rock will now regroup for a week before hosting Arkansas on Sunday, Nov. 20 on the newly christened Joe Foley Court at the Jack Stephens Center.
MISSOURI 62, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 50
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Kennedi Watkins finished with 12 points and Rahmena Henderson added 11 points as Southeast Missouri women's basketball (1-2) fell to in-state rival Missouri (3-0), 62-50, Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena.
Watkins shot 6-for-11 from the field to go with four rebounds and a steal. She has now finished in double-digits in six-straight games dating back to the 2021-22 season. Henderson was 4-for-15 shooting for her third-consecutive game with 10 or more points, donning the SEMO Red and Black.
The Tigers opened the contest with a 4-0 lead before the Redhawks answered with a 6-0 run to take a 12-10 lead with 1:51 left in the first quarter.
Alecia Doyle, Henderson, and Halle Smith each had a bucket during the sequence for the SEMO advantage.
Missouri held a 14-12 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter before growing their margin to 29-22.
Diona Reed registered a pair of baskets to cut the deficit to 23-20 at 3:11 in the second. She had six points in just over three minutes during the second stanza and added two boards Sunday.
Henderson then converted a triple with 27 ticks left in the half to bring the Mizzou edge to 29-25.
The junior from Neptune, New Jersey, had seven points at the break on a 3-for-9 clip.
Out of the break, Watkins hit three-straight baskets to commence the third quarter to pull the Redhawks ahead 31-29 at the 8:06 mark.
Watkins, a Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Selection, shot 5-for-7 for 10 points in the third quarter with four rebounds.
Jaliyah Green then buried a trey to make the SEMO lead 36-34 before the home team went up 39-36 with 2:35 remaining in the third.
Green totaled five points with four rebounds, two steals and a block Sunday.
Doyle converted her two free throws to bring the Tigers lead to one (39-38) as Missouri would head to the final 10 minutes leading 46-42.
Mizzou would then distance itself from the Redhawks, 56-42, after a 12-0 run.
SEMO responded with a 6-0 rally to cut the lead to 58-50 after a jumper by Sophie Bussard with 1:51 remaining in regulation.
Bussard made her first start of the 2022-23 campaign, finishing with four points, a rebound and an assist in a team-high 32 minutes.
SEMO shot 36 percent from the field Sunday but concluded the game 3-for-13 in the fourth quarter. Mizzou in comparison finished with a rate of 43 percent including a 60 percent clip in the final stanza.
The Redhawks were a perfect 10-for-10 on free throws Sunday.
Doyle finished with six points including 2-for-3 from the field.
Kiyley Flowers led SEMO with a career-high (at SEMO) eight rebounds, five steals, and a trio of assists in 25 minutes.
Kori Tomlin grabbed three steals with two points and two assists.
SEMO forced the Tigers to commit 23 turnovers Sunday after forcing 21 at Ole Miss this past Thursday.
Both teams struggled from three-point range, combining for 4-for-23.
Four Tigers had double-digits scoring led by Hayley Frank (13 points, 6-for-14). Haley Troup had nine rebounds with four points.
EASTERN MICHIGAN 71, SIUE 62
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Niya Danfort led SIUE with 16 points while Mikayla Kinnard added 10, but Eastern Michigan prevailed to down the Cougars 71-62 on Sunday afternoon at First Community Arena. Danfort and Kinnard also co-led the Cougars with seven rebounds each.
SIUE (0-2, 0-0 OVC) fought in the second half after trailing by 19 after the first. The Eagles (2-0, 0-0 MAC) shot 48 percent (15-31) from the floor in the first half and finished the game shooting 46 percent (27-59).
The Cougars regrouped out of the locker room and shot 60 percent (6-10) in the third quarter. SIUE outscored the Eagles by 10 points in the second half and cut its deficit to seven points after a 12-0 run midway through the fourth quarter but came up short.
SIUE used its depth with six players coming off the bench to jolt the second-half run. The Cougars bench scored 29 points in the game, including eight from freshman Destine Duckworth.
Duckworth finished the game 2-3 from three-point territory and was 2-2 from the free throw line. She also had a rebound and an assist.
Eastern Michigan's ZaNiya Nelson led the game with 18 points.
SIUE hits the road on Thursday, Nov. 17 to continue its nonconference slate against Purdue at Mackey Arena.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 64, MOREHEAD STATE 55
RICHMOND, Ky. - Recap coming soon.