SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Loyola Chicago 58,
Eastern Illinois 44
Central Arkansas 63,
@Little Rock 58
@UT Martin 94, Evansville 82
@Western Illinois 82, St. Thomas 78
@Missouri 88,
Southeast Missouri 43
@Bradley 63,
Lindenwood 56
LOYOLA CHICAGO 58, EASTERN ILLINOIS 44
CHICAGO - Eastern Illinois women's basketball trailed by just four points heading into the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon at Loyola-Chicago by the Panthers went cold from the field at an inopportune time scoring just four points in the fourth quarter to lose 58-44.
Macy McGlone had ten early points but battled foul trouble most of the afternoon for the Panthers as they had two players finish in double figures. McGlone also cleared ten rebounds for her third straight double-double.
Loyola jumped out to a 22-12 lead after the first quarter only to see EIU outscore the Ramblers 17-10 in the second quarter to trail 32-29 at the half.
The Panthers had cut the ten point deficit down to one point on a 3-pointer by Charita "Tiny" Lewis with 43 seconds remaining in the opening half. Lewis finished with eight points.
Sitori Tanin answered the bucket by Lewis scoring on a driving lay-up with nine seconds left in the half.
The two teams played back-and-forth in the third quarter with the Panthers tying the game at 33-33 with 8:34 left in the third on a basket by Lalani Ellis.
Thoranna Kika Hodge-Carr provided the answer for Loyola with a basket on the next possession and Tanin pushed the lead to three points at the foul line as EIU could get no closer than one point the remainder of the third quarter. Hodge-Carr scored 12 points, one of two Ramblers in double figures.
In the fourth EIU would miss its final ten shots of the game with Miah Monahan the lone Panther to score in the quarter with a pair of free throws and a basket. Monahan joined McGlone in double figures for the Panthers scoring a team-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds. EIU won the rebounding battle with a 45-32 edge including 15 offensive rebounds.
Alyssa Fisher scored a team-high 16 points for Loyola going 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
EIU is now 1-6. Loyola improved to 4-4.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 63, LITTLE ROCK 58
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Little Rock women's basketball team put together its most efficient outing of the season Saturday but couldn't complete a late rally as the Trojans fell 63-58 to in-state rival Central Arkansas in latest installment of the Governor's I-40 Showdown at the Jack Stephens Center.
The Trojans (0-6) shot a season-best 40 percent from the floor and scored a season-high 58 points with three players reaching double figures. Little Rock got out to an early 16-7 lead after the opening frame but struggled in the second where UCA (5-3) outscored the Trojans by a 19-7 margin to take a 26-23 halftime lead. The Sugar Bears were able to hold off Little Rock's comeback efforts in the second half to win the matchup for a second year in a row.
Jaiyah Harris-Smith scored a team-high 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and distributed five assists, Faith Lee added 13 points (eight in the first period) with five rebounds and Leilani Wimbish-Gay chipped in 10 points. Trinity Hudson scored nine points and Jayla Brooks had eight. Leah Mafua led the Sugar Bears with a game-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds, Jade Upshaw added 13 points and five rebounds, while Kinley Fisher tossed in 11 points. UCA shot 43 percent (23-of-53) for the game and posted a 38-31 advantage on the glass.
Little Rock forced nine first quarter turnovers to help itself to an early lead with Lee connecting on four shots and Harris-Smith dishing out four assists. Little Rock ended the period with an 8-0 run, stretching an 8-7 lead to 16-7 at the horn. The nine-point lead by the Trojans is their largest of the season. The rolls reversed in the second as the Trojans shot just 27 percent (3-of-11) while UCA started the quarter with an 8-0 run to pull within a point, took the lead midway through the quarter, then used a 7-0 run to go ahead 26-21 before the Trojans managed a shot at the halftime buzzer.
Marred by another tough offensive period (29 percent on 5-of-17 shooting), the Trojans fell behind by as many as eight (40-32) before Hudson connected on a layup to get Little Rock to within five points heading into the fourth quarter. Brooks tied the game at 47-47 with seven minutes to play and Wimbish-Gay hit a triple to put the Trojans ahead 51-47 at the 5:56 mark, but again the Sugar Bears countered, this time with seven straight points to regain the lead with four minutes to play. Little Rock got back within a point before UCA closed it out with four points at the free throw line.
UT MARTIN 94, EVANSVILLE 82
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team picked up the program's 700th victory and snapped its lengthy losing streak with an impressive 94-82 win against Missouri Valley Conference foe Evansville.
The Skyhawks (1-6) placed five players in double figures as the squad posted its best offensive performance of the season. UT Martin shot 62.5 percent from the floor while eclipsing the 90-point plateau for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
The contest also marked the first time that the Skyhawks had five players who scored double-digits this season as redshirt-freshman Kenley McCarn tossed in a game-high 23 points while adding nine assists and six steals in the victory. Sophomore Anaya Brown ranked second on the team with 18 points, four rebounds and four blocks while freshman Love Mays chipped in 17 points and four steals off the bench. The squad was rounded out offensively by Morgan Borgstadt (15 points) and Lexi Rubel (13 points) combining for 28 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
UT Martin controlled the game from the start while outscoring Evansville in three of the four quarters. The Skyhawks pushed their advantage out to as large as 27 points in the third quarter before turning the game over to their young depth in the final minutes to gain experience.
Evansville (1-6) struggled offensively in the second and third quarters while committing 25 turnovers in the contest. Despite strong quarters in the first and fourth, the deficit proved to be too much to overcome despite four players scoring in double figures. Forward Maggie Hartwig paced the team with 17 points and nine rebounds in the contest while Kynidi Mason Striverson ranked second on the team with 15 point. Barbora Tomancova (14 points, eight rebounds) and Anica Skrivan (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Purple Aces.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 82, ST. THOMAS 78
DEKALB, Ill. - Western Illinois secured a hard-fought victory over St. Thomas with a final score of 82-78, continuing their impressive season with a 7-1 record and notching their sixth consecutive win. The triumph marked a significant milestone as it was the first time the Leathernecks emerged victorious over St. Thomas inside the confines of Western Hall.
The game's intensity was evident as Western Illinois quickly asserted its dominance, opening the first quarter with a 6-2 run. A pivotal 7-0 run midway through the quarter, fueled by a three-point basket from Mallory McDermott and a well-executed mid-range jump shot, extended the lead to 18-11. Jasmine Nichols contributed to maintaining the lead at 7, finishing the first quarter with Western Illinois ahead 20-17.
The second quarter saw both teams trading blows, with St. Thomas launching an 8-3 run early on. Undeterred, Western Illinois responded with a 7-2 run, leveling the score at 30. The turning point came with Anna Deets' layup at the 5:17 mark, granting Western Illinois their first lead since the eight-minute mark of the second quarter. Capitalizing on an 8-0 run, the Leathernecks pulled ahead 40-34 with 3:04 left in the half. However, St. Thomas rallied and closed out the half with a 9-2 run, seizing a narrow 43-42 lead at halftime.
The third quarter began with a surge from St. Thomas, who embarked on a 9-0 run, establishing a 51-42 lead with 7:53 remaining. Undaunted by the deficit, Western Illinois staged a comeback with a 14-4 run, featuring crucial baskets from Allie Meadows and four impressive contributions from Raegan McCowan. Carla Flores added a free throw, and the Leathernecks entered the final quarter with a slim 59-56 lead.
The fourth quarter showcased Western Illinois' resilience, as they opened with a decisive 10-0 run. Mallory McDermott played a pivotal role, sinking two crucial three-pointers during the run. McCowan and Anna Deets contributed baskets to maintain a 7-point lead. Despite a late surge from St. Thomas cutting the lead to a single possession, Kaylen Reed sealed the victory for Western Illinois with two clutch free throws, securing an 82-78 win.
Raegan McCowan delivered a standout performance, becoming the first Leatherneck since Anna Deets to achieve a 30-point game. McCowan's impressive stat line included shooting 13-24 from the field, 4-6 from the charity stripe, seven rebounds, and three steals. McDermott provided a spark off the bench with 17 crucial points, shooting 5-7 from beyond the arc. Anna Deets remained perfect, contributing 13 points on 3-3 shooting from the field and a flawless 6-6 from the free-throw line. Addi Brownfield chipped in with 10 points, two rebounds, and three assists.
Western Illinois capitalized on 17 St. Thomas' turnovers, converting them into 20 points.
MISSOURI 88, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 43
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (2-5) fell on Saturday afternoon on the road to Missouri (6-3) by a final score of 88-43 from Mizzou Arena.
Ohio Valley Conference Co-Freshman of the Week Daejah Richmond led all Redhawks in several categories including 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists off the bench for SEMO in the contest.
Six of Richmond's 10 points came from behind the three-line. The Cordova, Tenn.-native came into Saturday's contest without a three in the first six games, she finished 2-of-3 from behind-the-arc.
SEMO struggled offensively shooting just 27-percent from the field (16-60) and just 19-percent from three-point range (5-27).
Defensively, the Redhawks continued to be solid as they forced 13 MU turnovers, including eight in the opening 20-minutes. Kiyley Flowers finished with a team-high three steals. SEMO converted the turnovers into 13 points.
Forward Abbigail Stephens made her first career start in a SEMO uniform on Saturday as she finished with seven points, on 3-of-7 shooting, and knocked down just her second three-pointer of the season in 17:15 of action.
Missouri finished the contest shooting an impressive 56-percent from the field and nearly 35-percent from three-point land as four Tigers finished in double-digits. MU was led offensively by forward Haley Frank who finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
The Redhawks started the first quarter out using defense to frustrate the Tigers to the tune of seven first quarter turnovers, led by Kiyley Flowers with two.
Flowers, who finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference in steals a season ago, intercepted a pass early in the first quarter which led to a Julia Sion layup to get the Redhawks on the board.
The Redhawks scored four of their seven first quarter points in the paint.
Freshman guard Daejah Richmond drained her first career three pointer in the quarter, SEMO's lone three-point field goal in the first 10-minutes.
SEMO trailed Mizzou 18-7 at the end of the first as forward Haley Frank led all scorers with seven points.
Missouri started out the second quarter on an 8-5 run before SEMO called a timeout early in the quarter.
Daejah Richmond continued to stay hot from behind the three-point line as her second three of the contest fell to cut the MU led to 11 at the 8:18 mark (21-11, MU).
A steal by Indiya Bowen, one of eight first-half MU turnovers, led to a nice pick-and-roll layup between Richmond and forward Amiyah Buchanan. The basket got the Redhawks to within nine, their lowest deficit since the first quarter media timeout.
The rest of the quarter went the way of the Tigers as MU held a 41-19 halftime lead. SEMO was led in scoring by Richmond who finished three-of-six from the field for eight points.
As a team, SEMO shot just 26-percent from the field in the first half and was just three-of-15 from three.
Forward Abby Stephens chipped in five first-half points in her first career start in a SEMO uniform. Stephens knocked down a nice three-pointer, her second of the season.
SEMO played well on the defensive end in the first 20-minutes forcing eight Tiger turnovers, three steals, and a block by Buchanan.
After the halftime break, the Tigers controlled the quarter scoring 18 points in the third and holding SEMO to just six points as the Redhawks endured a 6:41 scoring draught to close the quarter.
An Alecia Doyle elbow jumper marked the first basket of the quarter for SEMO. Doyle took the jumper through contact and completed the three-point play. A Kiyley Flowers three-pointer at the 6:41 mark of the third was the other basket as the Redhawks failed to score from that point forward.
The Redhawks rattled off 18 points in the fourth quarter, their most in any quarter during the contest as junior guard Jaliyah Green finished with nine points, all of them coming in the fourth quarter.
BRADLEY 63, LINDENWOOD 56
PEORIA, Ill. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (0-6, 0-0 OVC) fell to Bradley (3-4, 0-0 MVC) by a score of 63-56 on Saturday night in Peoria, Ill.
The Lions started the game with a lot of intensity on the defensive end, forcing seven Bradley turnovers before the first media timeout in the opening quarter. Lindenwood trailed 6-5 early in the frame in what was an up and down quarter. The Braves took a 16-11 lead into the second.
It was a slow shooting start for both teams in the second quarter as the game was tied 19-19 at the 4:37 mark. The Braves took a slight advantage late in the middle frame, but a pair of three-pointers by Ellie Brueggemann kept the Lions in striking distance. The Owasso, Okla. native paced the Lions with 13 points in the half, but they trailed 30-26 at the break.
Lindenwood was able to grab its first lead since the first quarter after a Gracie Kelsey layup halfway through the third quarter, which gave the Lions a 34-33 advantage. However, the Braves finished the quarter on a 11-2 run and took a 44-36 lead into the fourth.
The Lions held Bradley scoreless for the opening three plus minutes of the quarter which cut the deficit to one at 44-43 at the 6:47 mark. Gracie Kelsey had all seven of those points, which brought her game total up to 13. The contest turned into a game of runs as the Braves went on a 7-1 run to regain a comfortable lead at 51-44. The Lions were unable to pull any closer and fell by a score of 63-56.