2022 OVC Women's Basketball Championship - First Round

2022 OVC Women's Basketball Championship - First Round

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#8 Tennessee State 72, #5 Eastern Illinois 61
Box Score | Live Video | Live Stats | Photo Gallery | Press Conference Video: EIU, TSU

#7 SIUE 86, #6 UT Martin 84
Box Score | Live Video | Live Stats | Photo Gallery | Press Conference Video: UTM, SIUE
 

#8 TENNESSEE STATE 72, #5 EASTERN ILLINOIS 61
EVANSVILLE, Ind.
- Gia Adams and Tatyana Davis each scored 19 points as the eighth-seeded Tennessee State University Lady Tigers upset fifth seed EIU, 72-61, in the First Round of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship on Wednesday afternoon at the Ford Center in Evansville.

Adams — the 2022 OVC Freshman of the Year — played nearly the entire contest and knocked down 6-of-14 from the floor including a pair of triples. Adams also had four assists and three steals in 38 minutes of work.

Davis played the role of the unsung hero as she went down with an injury midway through the third quarter but came back and added seven of her 19 in the final period. On the defensive side, Davis added four of TSU's 22 steals.

Leading 20-19 in the second quarter, TSU went on a 9-0 run and led 29-19 with 1:34 remaining. The Lady Tigers went into the half with a 32-26 advantage.

In the third quarter, momentum swung in favor of EIU, as the Panthers used a 10-0 spot and took a short edge 38-36. Adams' three-point play late in the frame regained TSU's lead as the contest neared the final quarter.

It was all TSU in the fourth quarter, as the Lady Tigers used a 12-0 run and led 50-40 with 7:33 left. Another 10-0 run iced the contest to TSU late in the fourth quarter as Davis finished the spurt with a layup at the 1:24 mark and held a 66-52 lead.

Lariah Washington led the Panthers with 17 points and was one of the in double figures for EIU.

TSU will face #4 Austin Peay on Thursday at 1 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the OVC Championship.

#7 SIUE 86, #UT MARTIN 84
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - For the first time since 2018, SIUE women's basketball will advance in the OVC Basketball Championship as the Cougars claimed a 84-82 victory over sixth-seeded UT Martin on Wednesday evening at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

The Cougars simply could not be stopped in the opening 20 minutes, led by the smooth shooting stroke of Gabby Nikitinaite. Nikitinaite recorded 10 points in the opening 10 minutes of action, going four-of-five from the field and two-of-three from beyond the arc. Mikayla Kinnard also added six in the first period, giving the Red & White the 20-11 first period lead. The second period saw more Cougar scoring, this time spreading the ball around the court. Seven SIUE players scored in the second period alone, led by Nikitinaite and Masyn McWilliams who each scored seven. The commanding scoring efforts for SIUE gave the Cougars a 20-point lead heading into the halftime break.

It truly was a tale of two halves, as the second half saw the sixth-seeded Skyhawks find their footing. A full-court press knocked the Cougars off their rhythm, as UTM outscored SIUE by a 58-40 margin. However, with the game knotted up at 84 apiece, both squad's seasons came down to just the final 14 seconds - following a SIUE timeout, a UTM player fouled a mid-range jumper from Kinnard that sent her to the charity stripe for perhaps the biggest free throws of her collegiate career. Kinnard stayed cool under pressure, draining both free throws to put the Cougars ahead by two with 2.2 seconds remaining. A Skyhawk timeout gave UTM the basketball on their half of the court, allowing them to set up one more play. The UTM forward took her shot, but the ball bounced in and out of the rim to send the Cougars through to the second round.

It is just the fourth time in the history of the OVC Women's Basketball Championship that a No. 7 seed won on the first day of action; in addition, with eighth-seeded Tennessee State advancing over fifth-seeded Eastern Illinois, this year's edition marks the first in which the seventh and eighth seeds have both won on the opening day of the Championship.

SIUE was led by Nikitinaite, who scored 24 points and dished seven assists. Following close behind was Allie Troeckler, who notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mikayla Kinnard and Masyn McWilliams each added 14, while five other players found the bottom of the basket.

UT Martin's Seygan Robins led all players with 26 points, hitting six three pointers. Shae Littleford had 18 points while Holly Forbes added 16

The No. 7 seed Cougars (13-17) will play against No. 3 seed Murray State tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.