SUNDAY'S SCORES
Alabama 63,
@Little Rock 39
@Northwestern 76,
Southeast Missouri 68
ALABAMA 63, LITTLE ROCK 39
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Alabama entered Sunday's game averaging better than 81 points per game, and while Little Rock held the Crimson Tide well below that number, the Trojan offense still hasn't found its rhythm, resulting in a 63-39 loss at the Jack Stephens Center.
Little Rock (0-4) shot under 36 percent for the fourth time in as many games this season (31.1%) but stayed close despite its offensive troubles with a tenacious defense, trailing by just nine at intermission. Alabama (5-0) used a 14-0 run to open the third period and an 11-0 run to start the fourth, before leading by as many as 30 with six minutes left in the contest.
Little Rock never led, was beaten on the boards by a 39-22 margin and outscored 34-14 in the paint. The Trojans were held to just 14-of-45 shooting for the game, which included a 3-of-11 first period and 2-of-11 in the third.
Jayla Brooks led the Trojans with nine points thanks to three triples. She also grabbed four rebounds and swiped a pair of steals to help the defense force 22 Alabama turnovers. Faith Lee had eight points and two steals, Leilani Wimbish-Gay scored seven points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds, and Jaiyah Harris-Smith added five points and six assists.
NORTHWESTERN 76, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 68
EVANSTON, Ill. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (1-3) fell on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 76-68 to Big 10-member Northwestern (3-1) from Welsh-Ryan Arena. Forward Jaliyah Green registered a career-high 22 points in the game.
Green, a junior from Wentzville, Mo., finished the day 8-for-19 from the field, including 4-for-10 from three-point land, and a near perfect 2-for-3 from the charity stripe. She grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists.
The Redhawks led by eight points, their largest lead of the contest, with 2:24 left in the first half, but 27 points from Northwestern forward Caileigh Walsh led the Wildcats to the eight-point victory.
SEMO utilized their bench as they have all season, outscoring Northwestern's bench by a 26-10 margin led by freshman Indiya Bowen. Bowen finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting including an impressive 4-for-7 from three.
Four Redhawks scored off the bench, including Bowen, as forwards Michaela Mayfield (6), Amiyah Buchanan (5), and Abbigail Stephens (3) all scored in the contest.
The Redhawks were scrappy on the defensive end of the floor, turning NU over a season-high 20 times, compared to just 12 SEMO turnovers, led by Jaliyah Green with three steals.
The first quarter started with back-and-forth action as the Redhawks and Wildcats scored a combined 41 points in the opening 10-minutes.
Guard Megan Barton got the Redhawks on the board at the 9:16-mark with a pair of free throws.
Jaliyah Green recorded the next two baskets for the Redhawks off her first-of-three first half three pointers, and a nice jumpshot just outside the lane line to give SEMO an early 7-5 lead.
Indiya Bowen made a big impact off the bench coming into the game and draining a corner three to give the Redhawks a one-point advantage with just over four minutes left in the quarter.
The Wildcats would close the first 10-minutes on an 11-2 run to take a nine-point lead to the quarter break, led by forward Caleigh Walsh who finished with 13 first quarter points.
At the quarter, SEMO trailed 25-16.
The Redhawks stormed back ferociously in the second quarter beginning with back-to-back Bowen three-pointers to cut the NU lead to just 25-22.
NU's Paige Mott halted the scoring run following the three-pointers, but SEMO would score the next six points, opening the quarter on a 12-2 run, off three-point baskets by Bowen and Green.
The Redhawks utilized a 24-9 second quarter victory to take a six-point lead into the halftime break. SEMO led 40-34 at the end of the first 30-minutes.
As a team, SEMO shot 15-of-33 (45.5-percent) from the field in the first half including 8-for-17 from three-point land (47-percent). Jaliyah Green and Indiya Bowen were a combined 7-for-10 from behind-the-arc as the duo combined for 29 of SEMO's 40 first half points.
Green finished the half with 17 points, tying her season-high, while Bowen finished with 12.
SEMO built their first-half lead despite six turnovers and zero second-chance points. The Redhawks dominated bench play, outscoring NU's bench 16-7.
Northwestern started the second half on a quick 6-0 run to tie the game at 40 and never looked back as their biggest run of the game came with 8:24 left in the third quarter. The Wildcats dominated the paint, scoring 26 points in the key and outrebounding the Redhawks by a 47-29 advantage.
As a team, SEMO shot 36-percent from the field in the game (24-67) compared to 47-percent from the home team (27-58).
Both teams were near perfect from the free throw line in the contest. SEMO finished 8-for-11, while NU finished 13-for-15.
Sophomore guard Alecia Doyle chipped in 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting and 2-of-5 from behind the three-point line.