SATURDAY'S SCORES
South Dakota State 55, @
UT Martin 38
Western Illinois 76, @Valparaiso 54
@
Morehead State 103, Midway
51
@Alabama A&M 62,
Tennessee Tech 56 (OT)
@Eastern Michigan 68,
SIUE 65
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 55, UT MARTIN 38
MARTIN, Tenn. - Today's University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball contest against mid-major powerhouse South Dakota State was a one-possession game at the halftime break but the visiting Jackrabbits pulled away in the second half as the Skyhawks fell by a 55-38 margin.
UT Martin held the high-powered South Dakota State offense to just four points on 14.3 percent shooting (1-of-7) in the second quarter, making the score 21-18 at the intermission. However, the Jackrabbits shot an even 50 percent (11-for-22) in the final 20 minutes to create some separation.
After a pair of in-game injuries and the absence of another full-time starter, the Skyhawks relied heavily on their youth today as five freshmen/redshirt freshmen/sophomores each logged 30-plus minutes apiece. UT Martin didn't back down from the challenge of facing the top-ranked team in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top-25 poll, matching South Dakota State on the glass (32-all) while winning the turnover battle by a 14-11 margin. In the end, the Skyhawks could not overcome a 21.2 percent (11-for-52) shooting effort.
Kenley McCarn topped UT Martin (0-4) in scoring for the second time this season, tying a game-high with 14 points. The redshirt freshman out of Melbourne, Ark. was the only Skyhawk in double figures scoring as Anaya Brown (eight points, team-best seven rebounds), Norah Clark (seven points) and Morgan Borgstadt (seven points) followed closely behind.
The Jackrabbits (2-1) were led by 14 points off the bench from Mesa Byom. She was the lone South Dakota State scorer in double digits as the frontcourt tandem of Brooklyn Meyer (nine points, 10 rebounds, four blocks) and Tori Nelson (eight points, five blocks, four rebounds, four assists) also stuffed the statsheet.
"South Dakota State kind of imposed their will in the third quarter and that's what an experienced team with juniors and seniors is going to do," UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. "I'm not upset with our team's effort – we just held a very good basketball team to 55 points. I thought in the first half and the fourth quarter, we battled but we're young and we're not where we need to be offensively right now."
Clark opened the game's scoring with a driving layup at the 7:44 mark of the first quarter. The Jackrabbits responded with a 10-0 run before a pair of Skyhawk three-pointers (Clark and Brown) cut UT Martin's deficit to 12-10.
The first quarter ended with South Dakota State claiming a 17-11 advantage but the Jackrabbits' only field goal of the second period occurred with 6:08 to go before the halftime break. McCarn tossed in five points in the second quarter alone to help the Skyhawks get within striking distance at the half.
South Dakota State accounted for the first 11 points of the third quarter as part of a 17-3 run. McCarn buried a three-pointer with under 10 seconds to go in the period to make the score 41-26 in favor of the Jackrabbits headed into the final quarter.
South Dakota State began the fourth quarter with eight unanswered points. A McCarn trifecta immediately spurred an 8-0 UT Martin run but ultimately the Skyhawks wouldn't get any closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 76, VALPARAISO 54
VALPARAISO, Ind.- Western Illinois Women's basketball team put together an impressive road performance with a convincing 76-54 victory over the Valparaiso Beacans on Saturday afternoon. The Leathernecks extended their season record to 4-1, securing a noteworthy three-game win streak.
The game started with Western Illinois setting the tone early, initiating an 11-4 run in the first quarter, highlighted by a three-point basket from Mallory McDermott. Raegan McCowan contributed five points in the opening frame, solidifying the team's offensive presence.
Western Illinois continued to assert their dominance as the game progressed, finishing the second quarter with an impressive 13-5 run. This surge pushed their lead to a commanding 19 points, entering halftime with a score of 44-25. Alissa Dins added a dramatic touch to the first half's conclusion with a buzzer-beating turn-around layup.
The Leathernecks' defensive prowess came to the forefront in the second half. The Beacons cut the lead to 18 before a quick 6-0 spurt saw the Leathernecks back in front by 24 (54-30). Held together by three-point baskets by Carla Flores and Anna Deets, WIU took a 21-point lead into the final frame.
Western Illinois offense started hot in the final quarter. A 6-0 run with baskets from McCowan, McDermott, and Addi Brownfield saw the Leathernecks hold their largest game lead, 73-46. WIU's defense held strong against Valparaiso and ultimately secured the 76-54 victory.
The team exhibited balanced scoring, with four players reaching double figures. Anna Deets led the charge with an impressive stat line of 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Raegan McCowan demonstrated efficiency from the free-throw line, contributing 13 points and sinking 7 out of 8 free throws. The bench also played a crucial role in the victory, with Mallory McDermott and Carla Flores combining for 22 points.
Allissa Dins led the Leathernecks with eight boards to accompany her six-point performance. Addi Brownfield had another stellar performance with eight points, six assists, and five rebounds.
Western Illinois shot the ball at a 48.1% clip from the field. The Leathernecks found the deep ball going 9-18 from deep, good enough for 50%. WIU picked up 38 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive side. The Leathernecks forced 24 turnovers on the defensive side, including nine steals.
MOREHEAD STATE 103, MIDWAY 51
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Five Eagles scored in double digits, and Morehead State Women's Basketball beat the Midway (Ky.) Eagles 103-51 at home Saturday.
The Eagles (1-3) were led by Melissa Secchiaroli, who had a career-high 17 points. Hallie Rhodes tacked on a career-high 15 points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench and Valentina Saric helped out with a career-best 13 points and two steals off the bench. Matilda Soderlund scored 12, and Skylar Barnes came off the bench for 11 markers.
Morehead State shared the ball well in Saturday's game, racking up a season-high 26 assists on 35 made field goals. Katie Novik's nine assists led the Eagles and Veronica Charles also added four assists of her own.
The Morehead State defense was a problem in Saturday's game, forcing 21 Midway turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 27 points on the other end of the floor. Novik's four steals led the way individually for the Eagles.
After jumping out to a 13-7 advantage, Morehead State went on a 10-0 run with 4:55 left in the first quarter to increase its lead to 23-7. The Eagles then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 23-9 advantage. Morehead State capitalized on six Midway turnovers in the period, turning them into eight points on the other end of the floor.
MSU kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 6:59 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Saric, to increase its lead to 29-11. The Eagles proceeded to tack on 10 points to that lead and enjoyed a 51-23 advantage heading into halftime. Morehead State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down five three-point shots to account for 15 of its 28 points.
Following intermission, Morehead State continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 62-31 before going on a 9-0 run to expand its lead further to 71-31 with 3:04 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, Midway had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Eagles still entered the fourth quarter with a 73-40 edge. Morehead State's bench made the most of its minutes in the period, as non-starters totaled 12 of the team's 22 third-quarter points.
Morehead State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 80-42 before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Blessing King's layup, to grow the lead to 87-42 with 6:06 to go in the contest. The Eagles kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 103-51 win. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 30 points in the paint.
ALABAMA A&M 62, TENNESSEE TECH 56 (OT)
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Momentum shifted away from the Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team as the Golden Eagles saw a 15-point lead disappear through the fourth quarter as Alabama A&M knotted the game with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, then outscored Tech 12-6 in the extra five minutes to take a 62-56 win on Saturday.
The Golden Eagles drop to 0-3 on the season as they enter the holiday break. Tech travels down to the Daytona Beach Classic on Friday and Saturday as the Golden Eagles face Missouri Friday night at 7 p.m. Central time, then Stetson Saturday afternoon.
Maaliya Owens led the Golden Eagles with 19 points as she was 6-for-13 from the field, including four 3-pointers. Reagan Hurst also scored in double figures with 11 points. Owens also led the team in rebounds with 11.
Alisha Wilson was 6-for-8 from the field for 13 points to improve Alabama A&M to 1-2 on the season, while Amiah Simmons had 12 points and Asianae Nicholson scored 10 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for the double-double.
Neither team shot well in the first quarter as the Golden Eagles were 1-for-11 from the field, collecting four of its seven first-period points at the free-throw line as AAMU hit five of its 15 shots to take an 11-7 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes.
The Bulldogs’ offense slowed in the second quarter as Tech surged to outscore AAMU 21-8 before the intermission to take a 28-19 lead. The Golden Eagles used a 10-0 run to build the second-stanza advantage, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor.
Tech extended the lead, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-12 in the third.
The Golden Eagles, however, saw their lead shrink in the fourth quarter. Tech hit just one of its 10 shots from the floor with two free-throws to account for its four points in the fourth, while AAMU was 8-for-13, including three key 3-point buckets late to outscore the Golden Eagles 19-4 and tying the game with 13 seconds remaining in regulation.
Tech went 1-for-6 in the overtime period with four points at the line. The Bulldogs went 6-for-8 at the free-throw line in the extra session, while knocking down three of their four shots.
As Tech was able to disqualify Nicholson and Simmons with their five fouls, the Golden Eagles ended the game shooting 14-for-22 at the line, going 2-for-2 in the fourth and 4-for-8 in the overtime.
For the contest, Tech was 17-for-51 from the floor, 8-for-20 from long-range.
The two teams accounted for 49 combined turnovers with Tech losing 23 and AAMU 26. Yaubryon Chambers had five steals to lead the Golden Eagles, while Hurst and Peyton Carter each had two. The Bulldogs won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Tech 47-34, including 16 offensive boards.
EASTERN MICHIGAN 68, SIUE 65
YPSILANTI, Mich. - KK Rodriguez led the Cougars with 17 points, her fourth consecutive game in double-figures, but it came as SIUE dropped a 68-65 decision at Eastern Michigan Saturday.
SIUE falls to 1-4 on its 2023 campaign while Eastern Michigan captured its first win of the season and stands at 1-2.
Trailing by nine with 5:14 to play, Eastern Michigan used an 11-2 run to knot the game at 61 with 2:40 remaining. Halle Smith provided the Cougars a two-point lead 11 seconds later at 63-61 on a layup in the paint, but EMU answered with a three-pointer to take the lead at 64-63 with 34 seconds left.
Following an SIUE timeout, the Cougars missed a three-pointer of their own where the Eagles grabbed a defensive rebound and converted a layup opportunity in the paint with 13 seconds remaining.
Taking away the Cougars opportunity to tie the game on a three ball, EMU fouled Molly Sheehan, sending her to the line for a pair where she went 2-2. The Cougars also were forced to foul with 5 seconds remaining, where the Eagles went 2-2 on their shots from the charity stripe. A last chance effort for SIUE from deep was no good, ending the contest 68-65 in Eastern Michigan's favor.
The Cougars wrapped the game 39 percent (25-65) from the field and 42 percent (11-26) from three-point land. EMU shot 48 percent (28-58) overall and were 8-10 from the stripe. SIUE was perfect from the line on just four free throw opportunities.
Rodriguez led the Cougars' offense for the fourth straight game, shooting 7-17 overall and 2-4 from deep. The graduate guard scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half. She contributed four assists and one block.
Smith finished in double-figures for the second time this season with 10 points. She shot 5-11 overall and collected four of the Cougars' 32 total rebounds, all of which came on the offensive glass.
Freshman Ava Gugliuzza added nine points, all coming from beyond the arc. She finished 3-5 in the contest. Sheehan dished out four of SIUE's 17 total assists to lead the team. She also led SIUE with a career-high six boards. Sofie Lowis and Macy Silvey each contributed eight points.