SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Central Arkansas 53,
Little Rock 49 (OT)
@Murray State 77
, Southern Indiana 59
Northern Illinois 71 ,
@Eastern Illinois 69
@Tennessee State 74, Lipscomb 64
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 53, LITTLE ROCK 49
CONWAY, Ark. - Little Rock rallied back from a 10-point second half deficit to force overtime but a season-high 21 turnovers – including three in the extra period – prevented the Trojans from claiming a Governor's I-40 Showdown win Saturday afternoon at the Farris Center.
Nikki Metcalfe scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to lead all players in the 53-49 overtime loss, scoring 10 of those points in the second half as Little Rock (1-5) clawed back from a double-digit deficit to add five extra minutes of playing time to the game.
Little Rock's 21 turnovers – five of which came in the final 7:05 – prevented the Trojans from recording a fourth consecutive win over the Sugar Bears (4-2).
"We committed way too many turnovers," Little Rock Head Coach Joe Foley said. "We are still looking for our go-to player in those close moments but we can't find that player if we keep turning the ball over."
Central Arkansas (4-2) gave the Trojans a chance to win the game outright in regulation as Kierra Prim turned the ball over with 33 seconds remaining in a tie game but a pair of missed shots by the Maroon and Silver added five minutes to the clock.
While the Trojans would not miss a free throw in overtime, Little Rock committed three turnovers in the extra period and was just 1 of 3 from the floor while UCA was 5 of 7 (71.4%) to push ahead for the win.
Prim, who entered the game leading the nation by averaging 5.0 offensive rebounds per game, was severely limited due to the effort of Little Rock's Angelique Francis, whose defense held Prim to just four points, four rebounds (one offensive) and forced a pair of turnovers. In addition to that defensive effort, Francis scored six points and grabbed five reboubnds.
UCA was led by Randrea Wright's 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting while Parris Atkins scored 14 points and Kayla Mitchell added 10.
Tia Harvey scored 10 points for Little Rock while Jaiyah Harris-Smith dished out a game-high seven assists, five of which came before halftime. But she was also responsible for seven turnovers and was held to just three rebounds.
After back-to-back road games, Little Rock returns home to the Jack Stephens Center on Tuesday evening as the Trojans will host Texas A&M.
MURRAY STATE 77, SOUTHERN INDIANA 59
MURRAY, Ky. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball had its season-long five-game road swing begin with a 77-59 loss at Murray State University on Saturday, as a strong start by the Racers was difficult for the Screaming Eagles to overcome.
Murray State (5-1) started the game hot, shooting 5-for-7 from the field to take an early 13-2 lead midway into the first quarter. USI (3-3) was 1-for-5 to start from the floor, as sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) got the Screaming Eagles on the board. Over two minutes after the five-minute mark in the first, Shafford and graduate forward Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) each drilled a three-pointer to make it an 18-8 game in favor of the Racers. Brown capped off the first quarter offensively for USI with a layup, but Murray State led 22-10 after one.
Trailing 24-10 early in the second quarter, USI made a 9-0 run to battle back and narrow the gap against the Racers. Part of the scoring run for Southern Indiana included a kick out pass by Shafford to senior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) who splashed home a three-pointer. With Murray State ahead 29-21 and 5:22 left in the second quarter, the Racers organized an 8-0 run before Shafford swished her second made triple of the game to snap the Racers' run. Later, Handley pulled up and made another jump shot for USI with under two minutes remaining until halftime to make the score 39-26 Racers. Murray State made another small run at the end of the quarter to take a 45-26 lead into the intermission.
In the first half, Southern Indiana was 10-for-28 (36 percent) overall while Murray State shot 17-for-30 for an efficient 57 percent. USI entered Saturday's game as one of most efficient three-point shooting teams in the Ohio Valley Conference, converting at a high rate. The Screaming Eagles continued to convert from outside in the first half, hitting four of six attempts from three.
After a couple of baskets early in the third quarter, neither team scored for over two minutes in the middle of the third, as both defenses forced tough shots to cause the scoring drought. With Murray State ahead 56-30 and 2:49 left in the third, USI scored six straight points. Senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri) scored back-to-back buckets for USI before junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) made a layup of her own. The Screaming Eagles' defense also drew a pair of offensive fouls during the same stretch. The Racers took a 58-37 advantage into the final period.
Raley, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference co-Player of the Week, had eight points entering the fourth quarter and put together a solid effort in the fourth. The junior scored seven points in the period, tallying four points from the field and three more at the free-throw line. Two of Raley's four points from the floor in the quarter came on a catch-and-shoot inbounds play by Handley. The Screaming Eagles ended the game with a strong effort on both ends, penetrating toward the hoop and causing late turnovers by the Racers. Sophomore guard Aubrey Burgess (Linton, Indiana) scored six points off the bench in the last minute and a half of the fourth quarter. USI outscored Murray State 22-19 in the fourth quarter, but the Racers maintained their margin on the scoreboard to seal the victory.
10 players recorded points for Southern Indiana in the game, led by Raley's 15 points. The Haubstadt, Indiana native also picked up four rebounds and four assists. Raley has scored in double figures in each of USI's six games this season. Overall, USI shot 37 percent (22-60) from the field and 45 percent (5-11) from behind the arc. The Screaming Eagles were also 10-for-12 for 83 percent at the stripe. USI had its best game this season in terms of taking care of the basketball with only 10 turnovers compared to Murray State's 16.
The Racers were led on the day by redshirt senior guard Macey Turley, who scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 3-of-5 from three. Junior forward Katelyn Young registered a consecutive double-double effort with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Young shot 4-of-7 from the floor. Murray State shot the ball for 52 percent (29-56) in the contest, including nine makes from outside. The Racers won the rebounding battle 40-27.
Next, Southern Indiana's December travels will take the Screaming Eagles to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana next Wednesday for a midweek matchup against the Butler University Bulldogs at 6 p.m. CT
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 71, EASTERN ILLINOIS 69
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's basketball suffered their first defeat of the 2022-23 season in a 71-69 loss to NIU. With the loss, the Panthers drop to 6-1 overall on the season.
It was a rough start for the Panthers, as EIU found themselves in an early 10-2 hole. Back-to-back layups from Miah Monahan cut it to four, but NIU widened the gap back to eight before three-pointers by Monahan and Lariah Washington cut it to 14-12. An NIU basket by Chelby Coker made it 16-12 at the end of the first quarter. Five straight points from Coker to start the second quarter made the Huskie lead 21-12. Washington scored four straight to cut the deficit to five, but NIU was able to stretch the lead back to 26-18. EIU drew back to within 1, but a 12-3 NIU run to end the half made it 38-28 at halftime.
The Panthers found their offensive groove in the second half, beginning the third quarter with an 11-3 run that was capped by a Morgan Litwiller three-pointer. The Huskies responded with an 11-4 run to up their lead back to nine at 52-43. Hannah Purcell then made a layup, which was followed by Monahan finding Jackie Maulucci all the way down at the other end for a converted and-one to make it a four-point game going into the fourth quarter.
The two teams traded baskets for the first three minutes of the final stanza before a Washington steal and layup tied things up at 58. Following a defensive stop, Monahan was fouled and subsequently went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to give the Panthers their first lead of the game. Another Coker bucket gave NIU the lead back before Macy McGlone made a layup and got fouled to give EIU the lead back. After a missed free throw, NIU's A'Jah Davis converted an and-one opportunity at the other end to give the Huskies a 63-61 lead and then made another layup following a Monahan miss to put EIU in a four-point hole. A converted Washington jumper was answered by two Davis free throws before back-to-back 1-for-2 trips to the line by Taris Thornton and McGlone cut the lead to two. Following McGlone's miss, Thornton came up with a big offensive rebound, but McGlone went 0-for-2 in a subsequent trip to the free throw line. After a defensive stop, Washington and Davis traded baskets before another jumper from Washington tied it up at 69 with 20 seconds remaining. Koker made a pull-up jump shot with three seconds to go that proved to be the game-winner, as EIU was unable to get a shot off in their final possession.
Monahan scored 12 points, 11 of which came in the first half, and had five rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals. Macy McGlone scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and had five rebounds to go along with a career-high four blocks. Julia Bengtson had five points and four rebounds, while Litwiller scored five points and had five rebounds.
Playing all 40 minutes for the Panthers, Washington led all scorers with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field. She also contributed five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
As a team, EIU had 15 assists on 27 made shots.
The Panthers will look to bounce back with another home game on Tuesday, December 6. The Panthers will take on the Bradley Braves with tipoff scheduled for 6:00 PM CT.
TENNESSEE STATE 74, LIPSCOMB 64
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Recap coming soon.