SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Arkansas State 74,
Little Rock 59
Cincinnati 58,
@Southern Indiana 56
ARKANSAS STATE 74, LITTLE ROCK 59
JONESBORO, Ark. - The Little Rock women's basketball team went toe to toe with in-state rival Arkansas State on Sunday, with the two teams separated by just four points at the break. But the Red Wolves' three-point shooting and an alarmingly wide margin at the free throw line helped the hosts finish the day with a 74-59 victory at First National Bank Arena.
Arkansas State (6-3) snapped a five-game losing streak in the series, connecting on 14-of-24 shots from long range (58 percent) and converting 20-of-26 opportunities at the charity stripe. Little Rock (0-9) pressured the Red Wolves into several first half turnovers for scoring chances that made the game close, but that aggressive play was turned against them in the second half as the Trojans were whistled for 23 personal fouls.
Leilani Wimbish-Gay led the Trojans with a career-high 15 points and pulled down six rebounds, Faith Lee added 14 points and three assists, Jaiyah Harris-Smith tossed in 11 points and dished out a season-high eight assists. Little Rock shot 40 percent (22-of-55) from the floor and made all 11 of their free throws. Mailyn Wilkerson led the Red Wolves with a game-high 22 points, Annaliese Griffin added 16 and Lauryn Pendleton had 10. Izzy Higginbottom – who entered as the nation's No. 4 scorer at 24.4 points per game – was held to just 10 points on five attempts. She did dish out six assists and grab five rebounds.
Little Rock put together a 6-0 run to take a 12-9 lead in the opening frame and held on to lead 14-13 after the first 10 minutes. The Trojans forced six turnovers in the period and held a 17-8 advantage in shot attempts. Lee scored eight of her 14 in the quarter on 4-of-6 shooting. Little Rock led 21-16 at the second quarter media timeout, and Wimbish-Gay would snap a five-minute scoreless drought with a put-back to go ahead 25-19. Foul trouble became an issue late in the second as both Mesi Triplett and Jayla Brooks had picked up three fouls before halftime.
The offensive woes continued, and this time A-State was able to take advantage, reeling off seven straight points to end the half while Little Rock went without a field goal over the last three minutes before halftime. The Red Wolves used another 7-0 run to take their first double-digit lead (41-29) with 6:16 left in the third then went ahead by 15 at the 1:08 mark. Little Rock scored the final five points of the period to trail by 10 heading into the fourth (53-43). The Trojans would get no closer than 10 through the final period.
CINCINNATI 58, SOUTHERN INDIANA 56
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball welcomed the first-ever Power-Five conference opponent to visit Screaming Eagles Arena on Sunday, as the Screaming Eagles took the University of Cincinnati down to the final buzzer in a narrow 58-56 loss.
Cincinnati, who joined the Big 12 Conference earlier this year, made the return trip to USI after the high-major foe hosted the Screaming Eagles in Cincinnati, Ohio last season. Whereas last year's meeting was more lopsided on the scoreline toward Cincinnati, Sunday's matchup went differently as Southern Indiana illustrated its growth by taking the Bearcats down to the wire.
On Sunday, Cincinnati jumped out to a fast start, claiming an early 9-0 lead. USI got on the scoreboard three minutes into the contest on a mid-range jumper from junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana). After the midway point of the opening quarter, Southern Indiana's defense stepped up to slow down the Bearcats. Graduate guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) forced a 10-second violation with backcourt defensive pressure. The Bearcats went on to lead 19-8 after one.
Southern Indiana began the second quarter with a steal and a layup by senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) to cut the deficit down to nine. At the 6:15 mark of the second, freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) cut past the Bearcats' defense for a wide-open transition layup, keeping USI within nine, 23-14. As the period carried on, the Screaming Eagles' defense kept Cincinnati within reach before senior guard Lexie Green (Indianapolis, Indiana) provided an offensive boost off the bench. Green scored five straight points and brought USI within seven, 27-20, with less than three minutes remaining until halftime. Cincinnati ended the first half on a 7-2 run to take a 34-22 halftime advantage.
After an initial basket by Cincinnati to start the second half, Southern Indiana went on an 11-0 run that lasted over five minutes. The Screaming Eagles' offensive spurt was sparked by the outside shooting of Shafford, who swished in three triples. USI's defense also did its part by contesting shots and clearing the glass during the stretch. The big run pulled Southern Indiana within one possession, 36-33, with under four minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles continued to match the Bearcats late in the third, as Gannon tallied three big layups under the basket for USI. The Screaming Eagles made it a one-point game, 44-43, heading to the fourth period.
The contest continued as a one-possession game into the middle of the fourth quarter. At the 6:05 mark, redshirt senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) drained a straightaway three-pointer to knot the game up at 50. Saunders then stole the ball from Cincinnati in the next possession and laid the ball up and in to put the Eagles in front, 52-50, with just over five minutes remaining. Cincinnati regained the lead and led by as many as five with over two minutes left on the clock, but USI did not go quietly. With one minute left, Webb cashed in her first three of the season and third of her career to get the Eagles back within two, 58-56. In the final 15 seconds, Gannon stole the ball on a sideline inbounds play by the Bearcats to give Southern Indiana a final look, but the last-second shot bounced off the rim to end the game.
On the afternoon, Shafford led USI with 15 points and eight rebounds, recording 10 or more points for the seventh consecutive outing. Gannon finished with a new career high of 13 points on six makes from the field with five rebounds and three steals. Southern Indiana shot 35 percent (21-60) as a team, hit six three-pointers, and went 8-of-10 at the foul line. The Eagles had 26 bench points, 12 steals, and a season-low 10 turnovers.
For Cincinnati, senior forward Jillian Hayes was the only Bearcat in double figures with 16 points, and she finished with 16 rebounds toward a double-double. Cincinnati was held to 32.2 percent (19-59) from the floor with only three makes from long range. The Bearcats were 70.8 percent (17-24) at the charity stripe, won the rebounding battle 52-34, and were forced into 14 turnovers.
The narrow loss moved Southern Indiana to 4-5 on the year, while Cincinnati improved to 7-3 after their fifth consecutive victory.