SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 64, SIUE 60
Little Rock 66, @Tennessee Tech
@UT Martin 68, Southern Indiana 56
@Eastern Illinois 63, Southeast Missouri 57
MOREHEAD STATE 64, SIUE 60
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Veronica Charles posted a career-high 21 points to help lead the Morehead State women's basketball team over the SIUE Cougars 64-60 at home Saturday.
The Eagles had three players score in double figures, led by Charles, who had 21 points and three steals. Hallie Rhodes added 12 points and Sophie Benharouga helped out with 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Tolisha Walker pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 15 boards and turning them into 15 second chance points.
The Morehead State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 18 SIUE turnovers while committing 11. Those takeaways turned into 18 points on the offensive end of the floor. Sandra Lin's three steals led the way individually for the Eagles.
Morehead State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 18-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The Eagles fought back in the second period, narrowing the deficit to 30-27 by the time halftime rolled around.
SIUE continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 32-27 advantage before Morehead State went on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Benharouga, to grab a 35-32 lead with 7:01 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Eagles added one point to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 48-44 edge. Morehead State played well near the basket, scoring 16 of its 21 points in the paint.
SIUE proceeded to take a 60-58 lead before Morehead State went on a 6-0 run to seize a 64-60 lead with four seconds to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 16 points in the paint.
The Cougars' Ajulu Thatha led all players with 29 points and 16 rebounds in the game. She was 11-of-18 from the field while also recording four blocks and two steals.
LITTLE ROCK 66, TENNESSEE TECH 63
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Saturday’s game was everything one could ask for in an Ohio Valley Conference matchup between two of the top three teams. The Tennessee Tech women battled back from a 12-point deficit and it was a battle the rest of the way going down to the wire.
Little Rock might have won the day, escaping the Eblen Center with a 66-63 victory, but Tennessee Tech certainly made them earn it. The improvement shown from the first meeting to the next and it makes a potential showdown in Evansville an intriguing one.
So 63 points? That’s not just the most any OVC team has scored against the Trojans this season, it’s the fifth-most points scored by any opponents in Little Rock’s 21 games played. The teams that have scored more? Arkansas (93), Oral Roberts (74), Auburn (70) and Alabama (69).
Not only that, Maaliya Owens tied for the fourth-most individually scored against Little Rock with 20 points. Tennessee State’s Erica Haynes-Overton, Oral Roberts’ Hannah Cooper and Arkansas’ Chrissy Carr each scored 22, while Auburn’s Honesty Scott-Grayson and Oral Roberts’ Ariel Walker also scored 20.
Owens also tied for the most 3-pointers the Trojans have allowed by a single player in a game with four treys.
The Golden Eagles (13-7, 7-3 OVC) found a way to penetrate Little Rock’s vaunted offense, but it was a struggle early. Tech saw just three of its first 13 shots connect, shooting 23.1 percent, but Little Rock wasn’t faring too much better, shooting at a 31.3-percent rate and the first quarter closed with the Golden Eagles trailing 12-9.
Owens paced Tech’s offense early with eight of the Golden Eagles’ nine points, going 3-for-8 from the field with two 3-pointers.
The second quarter saw Little Rock score 14 of its 19 points in the paint as the Trojans used its speed and size to get into the lane as Faith Lee and Angelique Francis led the way with eight and seven points respectively – Lee going 4-for-4 from the field and Francis 5-for-5 at the line.
The Trojans outscored Tech 19-12 in the second – even as the Golden Eagles saw their shooting numbers improve – as Little Rock enjoyed a 31-21 lead at the intermission.
The third quarter, however, was where the tide turned. The Golden Eagles pulled together a 9-0 run as Tech was able to catch the Trojans in transition with quick passes. The Golden Eagles were also able to break down their defense to shoot 58.8 percent on 10-of-17 shooting. Jada Guinn had six points, Reagan Grimes had five and Jordan Brock and Kiera Hill each had four in the quarter, while Owens led the way with seven, including a step-back 3-pointer with seven seconds left in the quarter to give the Golden Eagles a 47-45 lead.
Tech outscored Little Rock 26-14 in the period.
In the fourth, it was pretty much a back-and-forth affair as the advantage swapped sides often. There were eight ties and seven lead changes in the final 10 minutes alone and neither team led by more than three down the stretch.
Trailing 63-61 with 21 left, Peyton Carter drew a foul and hit both shots to knot the game at 63. Looking to have the last possession, Little Rock milked the clock until Jaiyah Harris-Smith was able to work the ball inside to Sali Kourouma, who put in the go-ahead layup and draw the and-one on a foul from Reghan Grimes. Kourouma hit the free throw to put Little Rock up three with just over one second remaining on the clock.
Carter’s long heave sailed into the other side of the court but into the hands of Jayla Brooks and Little Rock was able to run out the clock.
Tech did not hit a field goal in the final 4:12 of the contest with the Trojans outscoring the Golden Eagles 21-16 in the final 10.
Little Rock (12-9, 9-1 OVC) ended the game with four players in double-figures with Francis leading the way with 19 points, while Kourouma and Lee each adding 14 and Brooks 10. Harris-Smith had nine assists and seven rebounds to lead both categories.
Carter had a team-high eight rebounds for the Golden Eagles, while Guinn had four assists.
UT MARTIN 68, SOUTHERN INDIANA 56
MARTIN, Tenn. - – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball concluded its regular-season series against the University of Tennessee at Martin with a heartbreaking 68-56 loss on Saturday afternoon.
Following a strong 32-23 first half by the Screaming Eagles, UT Martin made a charge after halftime and never looked back with a momentum swing that led to a 45-24 difference in the second half.
The Screaming Eagles jumped out with a solid start, making their presence known in the post. Senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) scored six early points, including a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line in the first period. Junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) had three drives to the basket for six points of her own in the first quarter. Strong rebounding and hustle plays by USI led to an 18-11 lead for Southern Indiana after the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, the defensive intensity and pace escalated, as the two sides showed pressure down the court. Southern Indiana increased its lead to nine, 24-15, with 7:16 left in the first half after back-to-back baskets by senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri).
Following a two-minute scoreless drought for both sides in the middle of the second, USI picked up its aggression to increase the lead. The Screaming Eagles made four free throws inside the last three minutes with a Raley three-pointer sandwiched in between to push USI's advantage to 11, 32-21, with just over a minute left in the second period. USI's defense held UT Martin without a field goal from the floor in the last 2:35 of the first half. Southern Indiana went into the halftime locker room up 32-23.
Southern Indiana extended its halftime lead in the opening minute of the third quarter. A three-pointer by Raley and a jumper by sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) gave USI a 37-23 lead. Over the next three minutes of the third quarter, UT Martin grabbed the momentum with a 16-0 run and tied the game at 39 with 5:08 remaining in the third. The Skyhawks went ahead later in the period. With under a minute left in the third, Robbe scored to bring USI within three, 47-44, but UT Martin scored before the end of the quarter to lead 49-44 after three.
After a quick start to the fourth quarter for UT Martin, USI responded to make it a five-point contest, 53-48, following two consecutive buckets from Robbe. Another scoreless drought for both teams ensued for the next two minutes until Haithcock brought USI within three, 53-50, with 6:05 remaining. That would be as close as USI could get the score for the rest of the game. After the 4:30 mark of the fourth, the Skyhawks gradually built upon their advantage, which eventually led to the 12-point difference in the final score.
Southern Indiana had three players in double figures with Raley leading the way with 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Haithcock scored 15 points with 7 rebounds and a 9-for-10 performance at the foul line. Robbe tallied a season-high 12 points on 5-7 shooting. Shafford posted six points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and dished out five assists. Saturday was Shafford's fifth double-digit rebound game of the season. As a team, USI was 19-for-49 for 38.8 percent from the field, 16-for-20 for 80 percent at the line and made two triples. USI outrebounded UT Martin 41-30.
UT Martin also had three players in double figures, as graduate guard Seygan Robins scored 30 points on 10-18 shooting and 7-for-11 from three. Robins scored 23 of the 30 points in the second half. The Skyhawks were 21-for-56 for 37.5 percent overall, 18-for-24 for 75 percent at the stripe and hit eight three-pointers.
Following Saturday's game, USI's record moved to 9-12 overall and 3-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference. UT Martin improved to 8-12 this season and 5-5 in the OVC.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 63, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 57
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois women's basketball overcame a six-point 4th quarter deficit for the second consecutive game en route to a 63-57 home win over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. With the win, the Panthers improve to 18-3 overall and 10-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
The Panthers got some early separation as a SEMO basket to begin the game was answered by a 6-0 Panther run. Foul trouble then began to mount up for the Panther bigs as SEMO took the lead right back with a 5-0 run. After a back-and-forth stretch, SEMO led 13-12 going into the second quarter. Taris Thornton got EIU back out in front to begin the second quarter, scoring five points as part of a 10-4 run that was capped by a Lariah Washington three-pointer. After going up 24-19, the Panthers endured an offensive drought in which they did not hit a shot from the field for the remaining 5:22 of the half, allowing the Redhawks to get back to within a point at halftime, 31-30.
Miah Monahan and Lyric Johnson hit back-to-back shots to begin the third quarter, upping EIU's lead back to five. The game then tightened right back up, as an 8-0 Redhawks run gave SEMO a 38-35 lead. Washington answered with a three pointer, but back-to-back buckets by SEMO's Kennedi Watkins put EIU in a four-point hole. After another stretch of no field goals from either side, Monahan hit a jumper from the wing to tie the game 43-43 going into the fourth quarter.
The final period began with SEMO using a 6-0 run to take a 49-43 lead with 7:05 remaining. EIU once again answered the bell in crunch time however, as Macy McGlone's first bucket of the game sparked a 13-0 run where five straight Thornton points were followed by six straight points from Washington to give EIU a 56-49 lead with just under three minutes remaining. SEMO's Rahmena Henderson hit a three to cut it to four, but McGlone responded once again, hitting a layup off a pass from Monahan to up the lead back to six. Henderson would twice cut it to four in the final seconds, but Johnson and Morgan Litwiller were able to hit the key free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
Washington had 25 points and seven rebounds for her ninth 20+ point performance of the season and the 23rd of her career. Johnson scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds, and blocked two shots while McGlone grabbed 11 rebounds for her seventh double-digit rebounding effort of the season and blocked four shots for the third time this season. Litwiller scored five and also had two blocks, while Monahan had four points and six assists.
Coming off the bench, Thornton scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting for her sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season and her third 15+ point effort of the season.
Southeast Missouri's Jaliyah Green led the team with 15 points to go with six rebounds.
The Panthers blocked a total of eight shots, the most in a game in the Matt Bollant era.