WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Southern Illinois 100,
Tennessee State 72
@Southeast Missouri 63, Western Illinois 55
@Butler 58,
Southern Indiana 48
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 100, TENNESSEE STATE 72
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Tennessee State women's basketball team got a 33-point performance from the bench, but fell 100-72 to the Southern Illinois Salukis on the road Wednesday afternoon.
The Lady Tigers (4-4) had three players score in double figures, led by Saniah Parker, who had 16 points. Ashley Malone added 13 points and two steals and Erica Haynes-Overton chipped in as well with 12 points from the bench.
Tennessee State took advantage of excellent ball movement in Wednesday's game, piling up 16 assists on 26 made field goals. Individually, Zyion Shannon dished out the most for the Lady Tigers with four assists.
The Tennessee State defense caused its share of mistakes in Wednesday's game, forcing 23 Southern Illinois turnovers while committing 20. Those takeaways turned into 21 points on the other end of the floor. Shannon led the way individually for the Lady Tigers with three steals.
Tennessee State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 26-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Tigers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 52-35 halftime deficit.
Southern Illinois continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 64-46 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Shannon, to trim its deficit to 64-51 with 4:23 to go in the third. Southern Illinois countered and stretched its lead to 75-55 heading into the fourth. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 20 points in the paint.
Tennessee State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 100-72. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 17 points in the paint.
The Lady Tigers will be back in action on Sunday afternoon as they are set to host Stetson. Tip-off from the Gentry Center is slated for 12:00 p.m.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 63, WESTERN ILLINOIS 55
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Alicia Doyle dropped in a career-high 17 points and Southeast Missouri (4-5) used a big fourth quarter run to pull away from Western Illinois (2-6) Wednesday night at the Show Me Center.
SEMO trailed, 46-45, after three periods before going on a 16-2 run in the game's final 10 minutes. The Redhawks scored 14-straight points during their decisive surge.
Doyle quickly gave the Redhawks a one-point edge nine seconds into the fourth quarter. After WIU answered with a basket of its own, the Leathernecks would not lead again.
Doyle made two free throws following a bucket by Tamia Stallings. Sophie Bussard added a basket and Jaliyah Green buried a 3-pointer. Green later scored again and Halle Smith stretched SEMO's lead to double figures with her layup. Rahmena Henderson's free throws capped the run giving the Redhawks a 61-48 advantage with 3:36 to go.
WIU never recovered as SEMO closed out its fourth win of the season.
SEMO fell behind, 16-7, after the opening 10 minutes of the game but regrouped to outscore the Leathernecks, 22-14, and get within one (30-29) at the half.
A back-and-forth third quarter resulted in both teams scoring 16 points before the Redhawks erupted in the end.
Tonight's game featured 12 lead changes and four ties. SEMO led for a little over 12 minutes, while WIU was ahead for 24:31.
Doyle, who scored 10 of her points in the second half, shot 5-of-9 from the field and made a near-perfect 6-of-7 free throws. Green contributed 11 points off the bench, while Smith pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
SEMO (20-of-24) outscored WIU (5-of-8), 20-5, at the free throw line. The Leathernecks scored 30 of their points from 3-point range where they shot 35.7 percent (10-of-28).
In the fourth quarter alone, the Redhawks made 5-of-9 field goals at a 55.6 percent clip.
Additionally, SEMO won the battle of the boards, 33-30.
SEMO will travel to Evansville following an 11-day layoff on Dec. 18.
BUTLER 58, SOUTHERN INDIANA 48
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Southern Indiana fell to Butler, 58-48, on the road on Wednesday night.
Meredith Raley paced the Screaming Eagles with 11 points and five assists. She also brought down three rebounds and had one steal.
Tara Robbe had nine points and six rebounds while Vanessa Shafford had a team-best 10 rebounds to go with six points and four steals.
USI will continue its five-game road swing on Sunday as it travels to Eastern Michigan.