SUNDAY'S SCORES
Xavier 73,
@SIUE 65
@UCF 67,
Southeast Missouri 41
@Tennessee State 74, Omaha 72
XAVIER 73, SIUE 65
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Cougars went to the locker room with their first lead of the season ahead 38-30 but couldn't hold on as Xavier bested the Cougars 73-65 on Sunday afternoon at First Community Arena.
SIUE dropped to 0-5 on its 2022-23 campaign while Xavier improved to 6-1.
The Cougars led by as much as 11 in the first half, shooting 43 percent from the floor and outrebounding Xavier 24-17. Xavier found its footing in the third quarter and shot 56 percent (9-for-16), taking a five-point advantage after the quarter. The Musketeers held its lead for the remainder of the contest.
Lowis led the Cougars with 17 points in the game and shot 7-of-16. She also grabbed six rebounds, good for a career high.
SIUE collected a season-high 40 rebounds, led by Ajulu Thatha who recorded a career-high 14. She also added 16 points for a double-double, the fourth of her career and the first by a Cougar this season.
The Cougars also limited their turnovers to 16 after averaging 26.8 through the first four games.
KK Rodriguez led SIUE with four assists. The Cougars finished with a season-best 13 total assists.
Xavier had four players with points in double figures, led by Mackayla Scarlett with 21.
SIUE will travel to Ames, Iowa to take on Iowa State at the Hilton Coliseum. First tip is slated for 6:30 p.m.
UCF 67, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 41
ORLANDO, Fla. - Sophie Bussard notched a team-high 10 points while Alecia Doyle chipped in a career-best nine as Southeast Missouri women's basketball (2-4) fell to tournament host, Central Florida (5-0), 67-41, to cap the UCF Thanksgiving Classic Sunday afternoon at Addition Financial Arena.
Bussard shot 4-for-7 from the floor with a trio of rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Doyle, a freshman from Herrin, Illinois, was 3-for-11 on field goals with two rebounds and an assist. She was 3-for-3 at the charity stripe in a personal-best 30 minutes.
The Knights commenced the game, scoring five-straight points before the Redhawks answered with a 7-0 run to take a 7-5 lead at 6:59 in the opening quarter.
Kiyley Flowers nailed a three-pointer to even the game at 5-5 before a jumper by Doyle provided the Redhawks a slight edge.
UCF then went on an 8-0 run (13-7) and headed to the second period up 15-8.
The Knights continued the momentum and grew their advantage to 25-8 after a 12-0 rally.
Bussard trimmed the margin in half with a second chance bucket before hitting a triple at 1:08 remaining in the stanza to decrease the UCF lead to 30-18.
Doyle was then fouled in the waning seconds of the half on a trey before converting all three free throws to cut the deficit to 32-21.
She had seven points at the break (2-6 on field goals, 3-3 on free throws).
The Knights then outscored the Redhawks, 35-20, in the second half including 16-4 in the fourth quarter for the win. UCF shot 38 percent in the final half including 40 percent in the third period.
SEMO in comparison had a game-high 35.3 percent in the third quarter and went on a 7-0 run to bring the UCF lead to less than 10 (46-37) with 86 seconds left in the frame.
The Knights took their largest lead of the day, 67-39, after a basket by Bryana Hardy with 2:41 left in regulation.
Kennedi Watkins and Rahmena Henderson both finished Sunday with six points each. Watkins also had a team-high six rebounds and three blocks (career-best matching). Henderson added five boards.
Julia Sion registered a personal-best (at SEMO) four points with five rebounds.
Diona Reed swatted away a personal-best matching two blocks with two rebounds.
Kori Tomlin and Flowers both had two steals.
Taylor Gibson led four Knights in double-figures with 17 points (5-for-14 on field goals) with 10 boards for the double-double. Destiny Thomas also grabbed 10 rebounds with 12 points to go with four steals, two assists, and two blocks.
SEMO finished 15-for-62 shooting and only made two triples (2-for-12). The Redhawks converted at a rate of 82 percent from the charity stripe.
SEMO compiled 18 points off UCF turnovers.
The Redhawks scored a season-low 41 points on 15 field goals. SEMO was out rebounded 53-33.
The Redhawks next return to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to host Rust College Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Show Me Center. Tip is set for 6:30 p.m., CT.
TENNESSEE STATE 74, OMAHA 72
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State women's basketball team went into the half tied with Omaha 33-33, but took control in the second half to beat the Mavericks 74-72 at home Sunday.
The Lady Tigers (3-3) had two players score in double figures, led by Erica Haynes-Overton, who had 32 points and five steals. Gia Adams added 16 points and Sierra McCullough added six points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Lyric Cole pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into 13 second chance points.
Tennessee State forced 27 Omaha turnovers while committing 18 themselves in Sunday's game. The Lady Tigers turned those takeaways into 33 points on the other end of the floor. Haynes-Overton's five steals led the way for Tennessee State.
After falling behind 18-16, Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run with 1:15 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Haynes-Overton, to take a 23-18 lead. The Lady Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 23-21 advantage. Tennessee State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 23 points close to the basket.
The Lady Tigers surrendered their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime with the score tied 33-33. Tennessee State dominated in the paint, scoring six of its 10 points close to the basket.
After intermission, Omaha snatched a 52-48 lead before Tennessee State answered back by going on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Haynes-Overton, to grab a 56-52 lead with 16 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 23 points in the paint.
The Lady Tigers then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. Tennessee State took advantage of five Omaha turnovers in the quarter, scoring seven points off of those takeaways.
TSU will be back in action next Saturday as they are set to take on Lipscomb at home