MONDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 60, UHSP 48
@Eastern Michigan 71,
Lindenwood 56
@USF 87,
Morehead State 40
@Tennessee State 85, Fisk 61
@Eastern Illinois 65, UMSL 54
@Southern Indiana 87, Oakland City 39
Tennessee Tech 68, @Ball State 63
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 60, UHSP 48
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Four Redhawks finished in double-digits scoring as Southeast Missouri women's basketball (1-0) overcame the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (1-2), 60-48, Monday at the Show Me Center.
Kiyley Flowers and Kennedi Watkins led the Redhawks with 11 points each while Rahmena Henderson and Kori Tomlin each chipped in 10 in SEMO's annual Classroom on the Court game in front of 2,225 fans Monday.
Flowers also registered four rebounds, four steals, and an assist, while going 3-for-4 from three-point range in her Redhawks debut.
Watkins, a 2022-23 Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Selection, hauled down seven boards to pace the Redhawks to go with two steals and a block while shooting 40 percent.
SEMO jumped out to a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest Monday.
Tomlin would add a triple at 4:59 in the opening quarter to make the SEMO lead 10-6.
The Eutectics would trim the advantage to two (10-8 and then 14-12) after baskets from Elizabeth Allanach before Flowers added a lay-up with 24 seconds left in the quarter to put the SEMO margin at 16-12.
UHSP and the Redhawks then exchanged, 20-5, second and third, quarters, respectively.
The Eutectics utilized a 16-0 scoring run to pull ahead 28-16 in the second stanza and would take a 32-31 lead at halftime.
UHSP shot 58.3 percent during the second quarter.
Grace Beyer paced the Eutectics with 23 points in the opening half and shot 8-for-15 from the field during the half. She finished with a game-high 35 points with seven rebounds, shooting 9-for-25 and 16-for-18 at the charity stripe.
Out of the break, SEMO then went on a 14-0 scoring run to switch the lead in favor of the home team, 41-35. The Redhawk were 8-for-17 (47 percent) in the third quarter shooting including 75 percent from beyond the arc.
Flowers hit a triple before consecutive buckets by Sophie Bussard cut the deficit to 35-34 at 4:10 in the third. Bussard would add another basket before Henderson hit a trey to regrow the SEMO edge to 41-35.
Bussard made her return to the hardwood after suffering a season-ending injury prior to the 2021-22 campaign. The Silver Lake, Indiana, redshirt junior guard, totaled eight points with six rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench. Bussard also recorded an assist, a block, and a steal in the contest while shooting 3-for-7.
SEMO would then have a 41-37 edge after three quarters.
The Eutectics answered and cut the margin to a basket (49-47) with 4:33 left in regulation.
Henderson knocked down her second three-pointer of the day before a lay-up from Watkins made the score 56-47.
Henderson, a junior Kilgore College transfer from Neptune, New Jersey, made her first career start at SEMO, shooting 4-for-14 (2-for-4 on threes) with five rebounds, three steals, a block, and an assist for 10 points in a team-high 34 minutes.
SEMO would wrap the game on an 11-1 run and took its largest lead of the day, 60-48, after a basket by Tomlin with 13 ticks remaining in regulation.
The Redhawks shot 37 percent from the field including 44 percent during the second half while UHSP had a rate of 13.3 percent in the final 20 minutes.
SEMO posted 19 steals including 12 in the second half. The Redhawks also shot 50 percent from distance.
Tomlin dished out a game-high four assists with three steals to complement her 10 points in 31 minutes of court time. She was 4-for-6 from the field and 2-for-3 on three-pointers.
Halle Smith totaled five points including a three-pointer to go with three rebounds in the start.
Jaliyah Greene forced a team-high four steals with two rebounds in the start.
Six SEMO student-athletes made their Redhawk debuts in the season opener including freshman Alecia Doyle who was also featured in the Starting Five with Henderson.
Doyle, a Herrin, Illinois, native, tallied five points (2-for-10) with five boards, two assists, and a steal in 22 minutes.
Tamia Stallings, one of SEMO's three captains in 2022-23 with Tomlin and Bussard, grabbed a pair of rebounds with a block.
Tyra Brown and Julia Sion also made their SEMO debuts in the win.
The Redhawks next face Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponents Ole Miss and Missouri this week on the road, Thursday, and Sunday, respectively. Thursday's game at Ole Miss is slated for a 7 p.m., CT tip at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.
EASTERN MICHIGAN 71, LINDENWOOD 56
YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell in a 71-56 loss to the Eastern Michigan Eagles in Ypsilanti, Michigan on Monday night.
After a relatively even first quarter of play, the Lions trailed the Eastern Michigan Eagles 16-19 going into the second quarter. Paige Craft, who got the starting nod for Lindenwood, fell victim to injury early on in the game, sidelining her to the Lions' already short bench. Both teams were plagued with limited subs in this game as it was, requiring various girls to step up on both sides of the court.
The Eagles began to swing the momentum in their favor during the second quarter, going on a nine point run heading into the half, leading the Lions 24 to 36. Emily Benzschawel fell into stride and quickly became one of the Lions' key players, instantly stepping in to fill Craft's role.
The third quarter consisted of more EMU offensive pressure, but Lindenwood looked to close things up regardless. The Lions were down 34-51 with three minutes remaining in the quarter, until Masyn McWilliams knocked down back-to-back three pointers, giving the Lions a breath of fresh air late in the third.
The Lions had an upward battle for the remainder of the game, heading into the fourth down 40-55. The Eagles just kept their foot on the gas, making it tough for Lindenwood to come back.
Benzschawel was the dark horse off the bench tonight, shooting an impressive 3-3 from behind the three-point line, as well as leading the Lions with 14 total points. The senior guard also knocked down 3-4 of her free throws, and also added one block, one steal and four defensive rebounds to her stat line.
USF 87, MOREHEAD STATE 40
TAMPA, Fla. - The Eagles fought to the end but couldn't overcome South Florida, falling to the Bulls in their season opener, 87-40.
Morehead State shot over 50 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter, good for 23 points, and were led by senior Veronica Charles, who finished with nine points. The Eagles also saw nearly half of their points come off the bench, with Hallie Rhodes leading the charge with seven points in her first collegiate game.
Next up, the Eagles head to in-state SEC foe Kentucky on Friday. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 PM ET.
TENNESSEE STATE 85, FISK 61
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - he Tennessee State women's basketball team kept Fisk to just 0 percent from deep in a 0-for-10 shooting performance on the way to an 85-61 win against the Bulldogs at home Monday. TSU also forced 40 turnovers in the process.
The Lady Tigers (1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Gia Adams, who had 20 points and four assists. Erica Haynes-Overton added 13 points and five steals, while Saniah Parker chipped in as well with 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Led by Lyric Cole's three offensive rebounds, Tennessee State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 15 boards that resulted in 14 second-chance points.
Tennessee State's defense held Fisk to only 30.8 percent shooting from the field, including 0 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Tigers also limited Zipporah Davis to 3-of-14 shooting and 10 points in the game.
Tennessee State started off strong, putting together a 29-13 lead heading into the second quarter. Tennessee State did most of its first-quarter damage in the paint, scoring 18 of its 29 points close to the basket.
The Lady Tigers maintained their lead in the game's second frame and entered halftime with a 41-30 edge. Tennessee State dominated in the paint, scoring six of its 12 points close to the basket.
After intermission, Tennessee State added to its advantage and owned a 61-43 lead heading into the fourth quarter. TSU knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter to score nine of its 20 total points.
The Lady Tigers coasted to the win from there, increasing their margin of victory by outscoring the Bulldogs 24-18 in the fourth quarter. Tennessee State took advantage of 12 Fisk turnovers in the quarter, scoring nine points off of those takeaways.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 65, UMSL 54
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Recap coming soon.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 87, OAKLAND CITY 39
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball started the 2022-23 season and the first as an NCAA Division I program with an 87-39 win over Oakland City University Monday night at Screaming Eagles Arena.
Graduate Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) scored the first basket of the NCAA Division I era for USI Women's Basketball with a layup under the basket.
The Screaming Eagles went to work in the paint early in the game. Through the first quarter, USI scored 14 points in the paint and had six of their 13 rebounds on the offensive glass. Southern Indiana also built a couple of sizable runs in the first, including an 8-0 run over a two-minute span early in the quarter and a 10-0 run toward the tail end of the first. Sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) got off to a solid start, scoring seven points in the opening quarter. USI led 24-11 after one period of play.
USI turned to their defense to increase their lead in the second quarter, getting a charge drawn by Brown. The USI defense also had seven takeaways and forced Oakland City into 10 turnovers in the second quarter. The Screaming Eagles went on to convert those turnovers into 18 points, eventually leading to a 27-point lead at halftime.
At the break, USI totaled 20 rebounds, 16 assists, 12 steals, 29 points off turnovers, and 24 points in the paint, while shooting 53 percent from the floor and 4-5 from three. Shafford led the Eagles at halftime with 12 points, six rebounds, and five steals. Senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) was also in double-figures by halftime, scoring ten in the first half. Oakland City was limited to 33 percent shooting and 2-10 from three. The Mighty Oaks had 14 rebounds, 21 turnovers, and four assists in the first 20 minutes.
USI started the third quarter just as strong as they finished the first half. Southern Indiana started the third on a 13-0 run, getting multiple contributions from junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana). Raley had four points at halftime, but she quickly tallied ten in the third period, including an old-fashioned three-point play. USI outscored Oakland City 25-4 in the third.
In the fourth quarter, USI was able to go to their bench and get a sense of the team's bench depth. Sophomore forward Claudia Gallegos (Naperville, Illinois) and sophomore center Lauren Carie (Vincennes, Indiana) each scored a bucket in the final quarter for the Screaming Eagles.
For the game, USI outrebounded Oakland City 53-32, as the Screaming Eagles pulled down 20 offensive rebounds. The Screaming Eagles also had assists on 26 of their 33 made baskets. USI shot 49 percent overall, 7-14 from three, and 14-18 from the charity stripe. On the defensive end, Southern Indiana finished with 19 steals and forced 33 turnovers. USI recorded 35 points off turnovers and 42 points in the paint.
Individually, USI was led in scoring by Haithcock with 16 points. Raley totaled 14 points with five rebounds and four assists. Shafford scored 12 points with nine rebounds and five steals.
For Oakland City, the Mighty Oaks shot 21 percent overall, hitting 12 of 58 attempts. The Mighty Oaks went 3-22 from three and 12-18 from the free throw line. They were led in scoring by junior guard Marissa Austin with 11 points.
The Screaming Eagles will return home Friday evening at 6 p.m., as USI welcomes Western Illinois University to Screaming Eagles Arena. Friday's game is part of a buy one, get one fandom deal where fans can buy a ticket to Friday's game or Sunday's USI Men's Basketball home game and get the other game free. Fans can buy tickets online at usiscreamingeagles.com.
TENNESSEE TECH 68, BALL STATE 63
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.