SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Indiana State 65
, Southeast Missouri 57
Middle Tennessee 63,
@Tennessee Tech 47
@Kansas City 68,
Western Illinois 60
Auburn 58,
@Little Rock 45
INDIANA STATE 65, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 57
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (2-7) fell on Sunday afternoon to Indiana State (4-4) behind a career-high 23 points from guard Jaliyah Green, by a final score of 65-57 at the Hulman Center.
Green, who came into the contest as SEMO's leading scorer, registered 13-of-her-23 points in the fourth quarter. She finished the game 7-for-19 from the field and an impressive 8-for-10 from the free-throw line.
As a team, the Redhawks shot 19-for-51 from the field (37-percent) and were just 1-for-8 from three-point range.
Forward Abby Stephens registered a new SEMO career-high in points and tied her SEMO career-high in rebounds, finishing with eight and seven, respectively. Stephens also made her third-straight start of the season.
SEMO forced 23 Indiana State turnovers and had just 19 of their own as they converted them into 24 points. Green led the Redhawks with three steals.
Freshman guard Daejah Richmond chipped in 10 points off the SEMO bench, as the Redhawks scored 21-of-their-57 points off the bench. Forward Julia Sion scored eight points herself off the bench as well on 3-of-5 shooting.
Jaliyah Green got the Redhawks on the board on the first Redhawks' possession of the game. Green took the pass from Alecia Doyle and finished a nice little runner just outside of the lane for her first points of the contest.
The Redhawks and Sycamores played a back-and-forth opening 10-minutes as SEMO shot 50-percent from the floor, led by Julia Sion and Green with four points.
Midway through the first quarter, forward Abby Stephens collected an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer and laid it back up and in for two-of-her four first quarter points. Stephens led the Redhawks with four total rebounds.
ISU extended their lead out to 10 with a 7-0 run over two-minutes of game time before a pair of free throws by Kiyley Flowers got the Redhawks to within eight at the end of the quarter. ISU led 24-16.
Indiya Bowen opened the scoring for the Redhawks in the second quarter. A steal by Bowen turned into her taking it coast-to-coast for the fastbreak layup to cut the ISU lead to just six.
A quarter of runs, the Sycamores would go on a 7-0 run over two-minutes to take their largest lead of the contest, 31-18, after a driving layup by Kiyley Bess.
SEMO would not go quietly. A pair of Abby Stephens free-throws at the 4:48-mark, sparked a 7-0 Redhawks run to cut the Sycamores' lead to just six with 3:02 left in the half.
During the run, Julia Sion made a nice move in the lane with the shot-clock expiring following Stephens' free-throws. Sion collected the pass from her frontcourt partner, turned into the lane and finished the hook shot. She finished with six points off the bench for SEMO on 3-of-7 shooting at the break.
A pair of free-throws by Jaliyah Green with the half winding down, plus an elbow jumper from Stephens got the Redhawks to within three with just 21-seconds left.
ISU responded with a pair of free throws with just six seconds left and took a 37-32 lead into halftime.
Abby Stephens led all SEMO scorers with eight points, and five rebounds, making her third start of the season. The Uniontown, Ohio-native was 3-of-5 from the floor in the first 20-minutes, including 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
As a team, SEMO was just under 40-percent shooting in the first half (11-28) and was an impressive 10-for-12 from the free throw line (83-percent).
The Redhawks outrebounded the Sycamores by a 15-14 margin and forced 11 first half turnovers.
Kiyley Bess opened the second half scoring for both sides, draining her only three-pointer of the contest to give ISU an eight-point lead at the 8:38 mark in the third quarter.
Jaliyah Green got the Redhawks on the board with an old-fashioned three-point play, taking the contact and finishing the layup. She converted the free throw as SEMO trailed 40-35 early in the third.
SEMO grew cold following a pair of free throws by Daejah Richmond at the 3:56-mark and failed to score until there was just 1:08 left in the quarter.
Trailing by as many as 18 in the fourth quarter, the Redhawks made a ferocious comeback beginning with a Green three-pointer at the 6:11 mark in the game's final 10-minutes.
SEMO utilized its defense to get back in the contest, forcing Indiana State into nine fourth quarter turnovers, converting them into 10 points on the offensive end.
Jaliyah Green's 23rd point came off a layup with 1:23 left in the quarter to get the Redhawks to within six, but a pair of ISU free-throws by Bess sealed the eight-point Sycamore victory.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 63, TENNESSEE TECH 47
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - While Sunday's game wasn't a win for the Tennessee Tech women over Middle Tennessee, it did show how much progress the Golden Eagles have made in a year's time.
The 63-47 final on Sunday wasn't the desired result, but it's definitely something to build from.
The Golden Eagles fall to 2-6 on the season with a few chances to improve their record before Ohio Valley Conference begins in 18 days. Tech hosts Tennessee Wesleyan on Thursday for its annual Education Day contest, then Northern Kentucky next Monday before closing out the non-conference portion of the schedule on the road at North Alabama on Dec. 21.
In last season's visit to Murfreesboro, the Golden Eagles fell 83-45, but this time around, Tech took the battle to the visiting Lady Raiders, bringing an aggressive defense to the table and making Middle Tennessee work for every point.
It worked as the Golden Eagles were able to keep pace in the opening quarter, not allowing MTSU to climb out by more than six points in the first 10 minutes, then chipped it back down to a one-point deficit in the final 60 seconds before Jalynn Gregory fed Anastasiia Boldyreva under the basket for a layup to make it a 12-9 Lady Raider lead after one.
Anna Walker, Yaubryon Chambers and Kiera Hill were able to get a bucket each, while Reagan Hurst was 2-for-2 at the line with Walker chipping in a completed free throw for Tech's nine points in the quarter. However, the Golden Eagles finished the opening stanza 3-for-12, shooting just 25.0 from the field as the MTSU defense kept Tech from getting the best looks at the basket.
Tech's defense followed suit as MTSU was 4-for-12 in the opening 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw the Lady Raiders shoot 50 percent from the floor with Gregory scoring nine points in the period, helping MTSU extend its lead to 30-24 at the intermission. Tech went 5-for-14 in the stanza.
The second half saw Walker start to take over for the Golden Eagles, scoring 10 of her team-high 13 points in the final two quarters – five each in the third and fourth quarters. Walker narrowly missed a double-double as she ended the game with nine rebounds.
The Lady Raiders pulled away in the fourth quarter at the free-throw line, shooting 7-of-8 as Tech fouled to get possession back.
With Boldyreva holding court under the basket, Tech chose to go long-range on the offense, hitting Middle Tennessee with an assault of 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers. The Golden Eagles ended the game going 4-for-24 from beyond-the-arc.
Gregory, a product of nearby Macon County, scored a game-best 25 points on 8-for-15 shooting, including 5-for-5 at the free-throw line and 4-for-9 from 3-point range. Boldyreva ended the contest with a double-double, scoring 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while also pulling down 15 of the team's 38 rebounds.
KANSAS CITY 68, WESTERN ILLINOIS 60
KANASAS CITY - Western Illinois' seven-game win streak was snapped at the hands of the Kansas City Roos on Sunday afternoon. The Leathernecks battled hard but came out on the wrong end of a 68-60 decision. WIU moves to 8-2 overall on the season.
Western Illinois University was in an early 4-0 deficit in the first quarter against Kansas City. However, an Allie Meadows layup ignited a 6-0 run, propelling WIU ahead 6-4. The back-and-forth battle ensued, with Kansas City pulling ahead by two on two occasions, only to be countered by Raegan McCowan, who tied the game each time.
The lead again favored WIU when Addi Brownfield executed a layup in the paint, giving the Leathernecks a 12-10 advantage. Kansas City responded with a pair of three-pointers to close the first quarter with an 18-15 lead.
The second quarter brought a 9-2 run from Kansas City, extending their lead to 27-17 with 6:55 left on the clock. Western Illinois fought back with determination, orchestrating an 8-0 run. Jasmine Nichols contributed with two layups, and Kaylen Reed added two crucial free throws, narrowing the deficit to 29-27. Although Kansas City managed to re-establish a two-possession lead, Anna Deets and Brownfield's successful free throws brought WIU within one; Kansas City would add one more basket, closing the first half with a score of 35-32.
Entering the second half, Western Illinois faced a resilient Kansas City team, but they withstood the Roos' initial surge. Carla Flores and Raegan McCowan displayed their offensive prowess with back-to-back baskets, tying the game at 41. Anna Deets then stepped up, sinking a pair of free throws and giving the Leathernecks their first lead since the game's early moments at 43-41. Despite the strong effort, Kansas City closed the third quarter with four consecutive points, leading 45-43 heading into the final frame.
The final quarter saw Kansas City pull away, securing a 68-60 victory. Despite the loss, WIU had standout performances from its players. Addi Brownfield led the team with 14 points, showcasing her scoring ability. Raegan McCowan, nearly securing a double-double, contributed 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Anna Deets played a crucial role, scoring 11 points and impressively going 9-11 from the free-throw line while contributing seven rebounds.
AUBURN 58, LITTLE ROCK 45
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Little Rock women's basketball team dropped a 58-45 decision Sunday against Auburn at the Jack Stephens Center, sending the Trojans to 0-7 after their final home date of the 2023 calendar year. Little Rock trailed by as many as 23 early in the third period and by 20 entering the final frame before trimming the Auburn advantage to nine with 4:50 to play. The Tigers (7-2) was able to hold off the Trojans in the final minutes for their fourth consecutive win.
Jaiyah Harris-Smith scored a career-high 16 points for the Trojans and added five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Tia Harvey – a preseason All-OVC selection – saw her first action of the season, playing 32 minutes and finishing with three points and two rebounds. Honesty Scott-Grayson led Auburn with 12 points and JaMya Mingo-Young added 11 for the Tigers.
For the first time this season, the Trojans finished with a higher shooting percentage than their opponents, connecting on 43.9 percent (18-of-41) while Auburn finished at 41.5 percent (22-of-53). Unfortunately, Little Rock only converted on 8-of-17 free throws, finishing at 47 percent from the line.
After the two teams battled defensively to a 12-9 Auburn lead after the first 10 minutes, the visiting Tigers pulled away in the second frame, using a 17-2 run spanning almost eight full minutes to move in front by a 32-14 margin. They would lead by 16 at the break. Auburn went 8-of-10 from the field in the second, including a perfect 4-of-4 from long range while the Trojans struggled to make just 3-of-11 shots over that span.
Auburn took its largest lead (39-16) with 7:54 to play in the third, but Little Rock answered with a 10-0 run that included a pair of buckets from Harris-Smith, two from Mesi Triplett and one from Faith Lee. The Tigers countered with six straight and went ahead by 20 entering the fourth. Little Rock scored the first five points of the fourth to cut the deficit to 15 and used that spark to build a 13-2 run that made it 50-41 midway thru the quarter. Harris-Smith and Lee both made a pair of shots during the run.