SATURDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 72, @Morehead State 58
UT Martin 58, @Eastern Illinois 45
Tennessee Tech 68, SIUE 64
@Austin Peay 57, Tennessee State 37
Belmont 70, @Southeast Missouri 67
MURRAY STATE 72, MOREHEAD STATE 58
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Murray State women’s basketball team had little trouble with Morehead State Saturday, as the Racers picked up a 67-52 win at Johnson Arena in Morehead, Kentucky.
Murray State doubled up the Eagles in the first quarter and led 20-10 at the end of the period. In the second, MSU was nearly flawless and scored 25 points, while limiting Morehead State to just eight to essentially put the game out of reach at halftime.
Murray State finished the game by shooting a blistering 52.8-percent from the field, making 28 of 53 field goal attempts. The Racers also crashed the boards in the game and dominated the Eagles on the glass, pulling down 44 rebounds compared to just 26 by Morehead State.
Eleven different Racers scored for Murray State on Saturday with Katelyn Young and Alexis Burpo leading the way with 19 points and seven rebounds each. Hannah McKay also had seven rebounds in the game, while Charlee Settle and Cayson Conner had five each.
Morehead State's Julan McDonald recorded her fourth double-figure scoring performance in a row to lead the Eagles in scoring, pouring in 16 points and eight rebounds. Jada Claude put up 14 points to go with three rebounds and three assists, and Freddy Adams rounded out the double figure scoring for the Eagles with 11 points thanks to a trio of three point baskets.
UT MARTIN 58, EASTERN ILLINOIS 45
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Despite trailing by double figures in the first half, the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team used a dominating third quarter which saw the team outscore Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Illinois by 17 en route to a 58-45 road victory.
The Skyhawks (2-2) picked up their fourth win in the last five games after another big second half performance down the stretch. UT Martin trailed by as much as 10 points in the second quarter before whittling the margin down to four points at the half. After coming out of halftime, the Skyhawks played like a totally different team and outscored the Panthers 19-2 in the third on their way to a 13-point victory.
UT Martin’s effort in the third quarter featured an 18-point run which leaked into the fourth quarter while six different players scored in the period – including eight points by Charleston native Shae Littleford in her first collegiate game in her hometown. While the Skyhawks flourished offensively by shooting 53.8 percent from the field, they were equally as impressive on defense where they limited the Panthers to just 7.1 percent shooting and a lone field goal in the third.
Once taking the lead in the third, UT Martin never trailed again after shooting 40.4 percent from the floor while getting it down at the free throw stripe by knocking down 12-of-13 free throws for the game. The Skyhawks also won several battles within the game by outrebounding EIU and picking up 18 points off turnovers.
The Skyhawks were led in scoring by Seygan Robins who scored 14 points off the bench – knocking down four three-pointers – while tallying five rebounds and four assists. Littleford also reached double-digits for the 11th time this season with 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Paige Pipkin also had a nice afternoon with seven points, seven rebounds and five steals.
Eastern Illinois (13-12, 8-6 OVC) jumped out early in the contest to take a double-digit advantage but could not sustain its hot start which saw the team shoot 54.5 percent in the opening period. Kira Arthofer paced the team offensively with 12 points, six assists and five turnovers while Lariah Washington also scored in double figures with 10 points.
TENNESSEE TECH 68, SIUE 64
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - It was a bit close for comfort on Saturday afternoon, but what was important for the Tennessee Tech women was that they were coming home with the victory. It took a physical effort to get the win as SIUE forced the Golden Eagles into tough shot after tough shot, but Tech earned the 68-64 decision at First Community Arena.
The Golden Eagles (16-8, 11-3 OVC) remain in second place after the day’s action is through, trailing Belmont (16-7, 12-2 OVC) by a game. Austin Peay (17-6, 10-3 OVC) is a half-game back from the Golden Eagles, while Murray State (18-7, 10-4 OVC) is a game back. Eastern Illinois (8-6 OVC), UT Martin (6-7 OVC), Tennessee State (6-8 OVC) and SIUE (5-9 OVC) would round out the conference tournament field if the regular season ended today.
Neither team surged out to a big lead – Tech led by four at the most towards the end of the second quarter, SIUE by five in the waning moments of the opening stanza. The score was tied 10 times and it flipped 13 times. Both teams were scrambling for the ball as possession was locked up a stunning 12 times.
Physicality was the name of the game as SIUE’s effort led to 24 personal fouls – including two fifth-foul disqualifications – creating 30 trips to the free-throw line. Tech hit 16 of those shots, including 5-for-6 for and 6-for-13 for the Annas Walker and Jones respectively. The physical effort also led to 22 Tech turnovers, of which the Cougars converted into 20 points.
Anna Jones took control of the game as she knocked down the jumper to break the final tie of the game with 36 seconds remaining, then hit the game-sealing free-throw win one second left. The Jackson native was running the Tech offensive assault well, collecting her fourth career double-double and the third of the season as she finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Jones ended the game 8-for-14 from the field with one 3-pointer.
The other Anna, Anna Walker, had a great game in her 26-plus minutes on the court. Walker pulled down a game- and career-high 13 rebounds – almost doubling her previous career-high of seven set at Chattanooga against Eastern Kentucky. Walker needed one more point to get her first double-double, finishing with nine points.
Tech was able to keep within distance with a strong effort on the glass, outrebounding SIUE 45-28. In addition to the Annas double-digit days, Jada Guinn had nine boards to go along with her 15 points. Guinn was 7-for-10 from the field.
Gabby Nikitinaite was a force for the Cougars, scoring 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Allie Troeckler (16 points, nine rebounds) and Mikayla Kinnard (14 points) also scored in double figures. Prima Chellis ended the game with a team-high 10 rebounds.
AUSTIN PEAY 57, TENNESSEE STATE 37
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -Coming off one of the best defensive performances in program history, the Austin Peay State University women's basketball team was even better in the encore, holding Tennessee State to just 37 points – the fewest points the Governors have allowed against a Division I opponent this season – in a 57-37 Ohio Valley Conference victory, Saturday, in the Winfield Dunn Center.
Neither team was able to do much offensively early in the contest. Austin Peay (17-6, 10-3 OVC) was finally able to get on the scoreboard at the 7:22 mark when Ella Sawyer converted a layup for the first two of her 10 points. After the Sawyer basket, neither team was able to score again until the 4:33 mark when Tennessee State's Lacy Robbins went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line to get the Tigers on the board for the first time.
The scoring picked up in the quarter's final two minutes as Governors built an 8-5 lead when Sawyer found Lyric Cole for a layup with 45 seconds left on the clock. But Tennessee State (11-14, 6-8 OVC) was able to get the quarter's final points when Gia Adams knocked down a pair of free throws with 32 seconds remaining and Austin Peay led, 8-7, after 10 minutes.
The Govs opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run with a Kasey Kidwell layup and a Karle Pace three-pointer stretching the lead to 13-7 with 7:30 on the clock. Trailing by six, the Tennessee State offense finally found a bit of a rhythm and went on a 6-1 burst to bring the score back within a single point, 14-13 with 5:07 left before the half.
After the teams traded baskets, Pace drilled back-to-back threes to give the Govs their biggest lead of the first half, 22-15, with 1:26 left before the break. But the Pace triples were the Governors final points of the half as the Lady Tigers were able to trim the deficit to four points, 22-18, at the half.
After Tatyana Davis opened the second half with a layup for two of her team-high 11 points, Austin Peay went on a 12-0 run that spanned the game's next 7:14. The run started with a pair of Sawyer three-pointers and the Govs led, 28-20, at the 7:36 mark. After four-straight points from Cole, the Govs' advantage was 12 points with 5:09 left in the third. Yamia Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws to cap the run and stretch the Govs led, 34-20, with 2:27 left in the frame.
Tennessee State was able to get the deficit back to 12 points with less than a minute left in the third period, but a Liz Gibbs layup with 14 seconds on the clock gave the Governors a 14-point lead, 37-23, at the start of the fourth period.
After four-straight points to open the fourth quarter Austin Peay led by 18 points with 8:33 left in the game. Tennessee State responded with a 9-1 run that was capped by a Davis three-pointer, trimming the Austin Peay advantage to 44-32 with 6:12 left in the game. But that was as close as the Lady Tigers would get, as the Govs went on an 11-1 run that ended with four-straight points from Shay-Lee Kirby ad gave Austin Peay its biggest lead of the game, 55-33, with 1:50 left to play.
Tennessee State was able to convert some free throws down the stretch, but it was too little, too late as the Governors cruised to their fourth-straight OVC win and their seventh-straight win on Dave Loos Court.
BELMONT 70, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 67
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Behind a season-high 22 made free throws and a crucial defensive stop in the final seconds, the Belmont University women's basketball team escaped with a 70-67 triumph at Southeast Missouri State University Saturday afternoon. The Bruins got clutch free throws from sophomore guard Destinee Wells and senior forward Conley Chinn in the closing 20 seconds before not allowing the Redhawks to get a shot off as time expired with Belmont up by three.
Leading by as much as 16 in the third quarter and owning the lead for 38 minutes of the contest, the Bruins were outscored 43-34 in the second half. Belmont led by seven at 65-58 with just over four minutes to go but was held without a field goal for the remainder of the afternoon as Southeast Missouri ended the game on a 9-5 run.
Going 22-for-25 (88 percent) at the foul line, the Bruins (16-7, 12-2 OVC) overcame 34.5 percent (20-of-58) shooting inside the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Belmont had four double-figure scorers for the second consecutive game and earned its sixth-straight victory, marking the Bruins' second six-game win streak of the season.
Forcing 16 Redhawk turnovers, Belmont scored 20 points off SEMO's miscues and came up with stops when it mattered most. After the Bruins held the Redhawks to only four made field goals in the opening quarter, SEMO shot 50 percent in both the second and third quarters.
The Redhawks (5-20, 1-13 OVC) outrebounded Belmont 33-27 and turned 11 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points while outscoring the Bruins 42-20 in the paint and 20-7 off the bench.
Belmont held a 12-5 lead at the first media timeout thanks to two early threes from sophomore guard Tuti Jones and the Bruins hit a trio of three-pointers in the quarter to pull in front 15-9 after the first 10 minutes.
Using a 9-0 run across three minutes of play in the second quarter, Belmont built a 13-point advantage at 28-15 with four-and-a-half minutes to go in the half. Jones splashed in a deep triple right before the break, giving the Bruins a 12-point, 36-24 lead heading into the locker room.
Neither team was particularly outstanding from the field in the first half but Belmont went 9-of-11 at the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes and knocked down five threes.
Four Bruins scored in double-figures with Destinee Wells leading the way with 18 points. Tuti Jones had 16 points and team-best seven rebounds while Madison Bartley scored 14 points and Conley Chinn added 12.
Southeast Missouri's Roshala Scott led all players with 25 points while Taelour Pruitt and Deanay Scott each had 10.