THURSDAY'S SCORES
@SIUE 76, Tennessee State 69
@Morehead State 64, Southern Indiana 61
Eastern Illinois 67, @Tennessee Tech 62
@UT Martin 77, Southeast Missouri 58
SIUE 76, TENNESSEE STATE 69
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE defeated visiting Tennessee State, 76-69, on Thursday night. The Cougars improved to 2-1 in league play and 3-11 overall while the the Lady Tigers dropped to 0-3 in the OVC and 5-9 overall.
After falling behind 7-4, Tennessee State went on an 8-0 run with 5:58 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Westbrook, to take a 12-7 lead. The Lady Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter-break with a 17-14 advantage. Tennessee State did most of its first-quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 17 points close to the basket.
SIUE rallied to take a 41-30 lead before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run starting at the 1:48 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Parker, to narrow its deficit to 41-35. The Cougars responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Lady Tigers trailing 43-35 heading into halftime.
SIUE continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 55-46 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 55-51 with 2:22 to go in the third. SIUE countered and stretched its lead to 62-57 heading into the fourth. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 22 points in the paint.
Tennessee State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 76-69. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 12 points in the paint.
SIUE's Ajulu Thatha nearly had a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. KK Rodriguez had 16 points, seven boards, four assists and two steals. Sofie Lowis hit four three-pointers to finish with 13 points on the night.
Tennessee State's Erica Haynes-Overton led all players with 30 points while Gia Adams added 11.
MOREHEAD STATE 64, SOUTHERN INDIANA 61
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Morehead State women's basketball team kept Southern Indiana to just 20 percent from 3-point range in a 2-for-10 shooting performance on the way to a 64-61 win over the Screaming Eagles at home Thursday.
The Eagles had three players score in double figures, led by Veronica Charles, who had 12 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Sandra Lin tacked on 11 points and five assists and Hallie Rhodes helped out with 10 points and two steals off of the bench.
Morehead State out-rebounded Southern Indiana 40-31 in Thursday's game, led by Charles' seven boards. The Eagles also pulled down 15 offensive rebounds and scored 10 second chance points.
The Morehead State defense held Southern Indiana shooters to only 39.2 percent from the field, including 20 percent from three-point range. The Screaming Eagles did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only seven offensive rebounds and scored six second chance points while Morehead State pulled down 25 defensive rebounds.
After falling behind 14-5, Morehead State went on a 7-0 run with 3:25 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Rhodes, to narrow its deficit to 14-12. The Eagles deficit remained the same as they entered the second quarter trailing 17-15.
The Eagles continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 31-27 halftime deficit.
Morehead State came out of halftime on fire, going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a three from Melissa Secchiaroli, to grab a 33-31 lead with 9:06 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 45-42 edge. Morehead State took advantage of six Southern Indiana turnovers in the quarter, scoring 12 points off of takeaways.
Morehead State kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run to grow the lead to 52-45 with 6:08 to go in the contest. The Screaming Eagles narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Eagles still held on for the 64-61 win. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 19 points in the paint.
USI's Meredith Raley led all players with 18 points, hiting a pair of three-pointers. Hannah Haithcock added 14 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. Vanessa Shafford finished the game with 12 points.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 67, TENNESSEE TECH 62
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois earned a 67-62 road win over Tennessee Tech on Wednesday to remain undefeated in OVC play. The Panthers improved to 11-3 overall. The Golden Eagles fell to 2-1 in league action and 8-5 overall.
EIU's Lariah Washington scored a game-high 21 points, going 9-for-18 from the field. She also led all players with seven assists. Morgan Litwiller had 15 points while Miah Monahan had 14 points.
Tennessee Tech's Reagan Hurst led teh team with 19 points, on 8-of-12 shooting. Jada Guinn recorded 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals while Jordan Brock had 13 points and five boards.
UT MARTIN 77, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 58
MARTIN, Tenn. - UT Martin defeated visiting Southeast Missouri, 77-58, on Thursday night. The Skyhawks improved to 2-1 in league play and 6-8 overall while the Redhawks fall to 0-3 in OVC play and 5-9 overall.
UT Martin's Sharnecca Currie-Jelks notched a double-double with game highs of 30 points and 13 rebounds. She went 12-for-15 from the floor and added one assists, one block and two steals. Shae Littleford put up 16 points and dished out six assists while Anaya Brown had 12 points and seven boards. Josie Storey added 10 points, including hitting a team-best three three-pointers.
Jaliyah Green was the lone Redhawk to reach double digits in points with 13. She was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line and added four rebounds and three steals. Sophie Bussard had nine points and two steals in the game.