THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 62, Eastern Illinois 57
Tennessee State 61, @Morehead State 49
@Little Rock 58, Southern Indiana 50
@Tennessee Tech 73, Lindenwood 39
@UT Martin 77, SIUE 76
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 62, EASTERN ILLINOIS 57
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Jaliyah Green scored a game-high 21 points and Southeast Missouri (12-14, 7-8) upended Ohio Valley Conference co-leader Eastern Illinois (20-5, 13-2), 62-57, Thursday night at the Show Me Center.
SEMO handed EIU only its second loss in Ohio Valley Conference play and claimed its third-consecutive victory along the way. With the loss, the Panthers also drop to second in the league standings behind Little Rock.
The Redhawks led for 32:36 of the contest and didn't let up against the Panthers.
SEMO took control of the momentum early and shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the field en route to a 36-32 halftime lead.
Three players nearly reached double figures and seven different Redhawks scored in a balanced opening 20 minutes of basketball.
Green's jumper gave the Redhawks an 18-11 lead with 2:54 remaining in the first quarter. Trailing by one in the final minutes of the second quarter, SEMO scored the last five points with the help of a 3-pointer by Henderson and layup by Green to regain a four-point edge at the intermission.
In the third quarter, SEMO opened a double-digit lead behind a 10-2 run. Green started the surge with a 3-pointer before Kennedi Watkins scored the next four points. Kori Tomlin's 3-pointer finished off the jaunt to give the Redhawks a 48-38 advantage at the 4:44 mark.
EIU managed to get within six with a little under eight minutes left in the game, but Green answered with another 3-pointer to push SEMO's lead to 54-45 with 6:34 to go.
The Panthers then used a 9-0 run to tie the game at 54-54 with 3:28 left to play.
SEMO, however, withstood the late EIU rally when Green made a layup when the Panthers held a one-point edge. The Redhawks defense clamped down to get four stops, including one on a turnover.
A missed layup by Hannah Purcell later resulted in a layup for Watkins as SEMO widened its margin to 59-56 with 1:06 to go.
Green was fouled with 12.7 seconds and made two free throws before Henderson went to the line and split a pair to put SEMO ahead, 62-57, with 10.9 seconds.
SEMO shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field and made nine 3-pointers.
Green shot 6-of-12 from the field to lead the way. Henderson and Watkins followed with 12 points apiece.
EIU was led by Miah Monahan's 19 points.
TENNESSEE STATE 61, MOREHEAD STATE 49
MOREHEAD, Ky. - he Tennessee State women's basketball team kept Morehead State to just 16 percent from deep in a 4-for-25 shooting performance on the way to a 61-49 victory against the Eagles on the road Thursday.
The Lady Tigers (10-15, 5-9) had two players score in double figures, led by Erica Haynes-Overton, who had 15 points and two steals. Gia Adams tacked on 10 points, four assists, and two steals, while Saniah Parker added seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Tennessee State out-rebounded Morehead State 49-43 in Thursday's game, led by nine boards from Lyric Cole. The Lady Tigers collected 17 offensive rebounds and scored 10 second-chance points.
The Tennessee State defense held Morehead State shooters to just 30.2 percent from the field, including 16 percent from three-point range.
Tennessee State started out the scoring by going on a 6-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Kianni Westbrook, to take an early lead with 7:50 left in the first quarter. The Lady Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter-break with a 9-8 advantage. Tennessee State did most of its first-quarter damage in the paint, scoring six of its nine points close to the basket.
Tennessee State built that first-quarter lead to 21-19 before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 1:22 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Haynes-Overton, to increase its lead to 26-19. The Eagles cut into that lead, but the Lady Tigers still enjoyed a 26-22 advantage heading into halftime. Tennessee State dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 17 points close to the basket.
Tennessee State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 10-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Parker, to expand its lead further to 36-24 with 4:54 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Eagles had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Lady Tigers still entered the fourth quarter with a 45-34 edge. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 19 points in the paint.
The Lady Tigers coasted to the win from there, increasing their margin of victory by outscoring the Eagles 16-15 in the fourth quarter. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 16 points in the paint.
Morehead State was led by Veronica Charles with 17 points and eight rebounds. Sophie Benharouga added 10 points and seven boards.
LITTLE ROCK 58, SOUTHERN INDIANA 50
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Sali Kourouma posted a double-double and Little Rock used a fourth quarter surge to not only record a 58-50 win over Southern Indiana but also claim the 850th career win for Trojans head coach Joe Foley Thursday evening at the Jack Stephens Center.
But the reasons for celebration did not stop there. As Little Rock (17-9, 14-1 Ohio Valley) was silencing an upset bid by the Screaming Eagles (11-15, 5-10), other teams around the OVC were not as lucky and the Trojans ended the day in sole possession of first place in the OVC standings.
Taking a slim two-point advantage into the final quarter, Little Rock held USI to 15.4% shooting (2-for-13), forced five turnovers and out-scored the Eagles 12-6 in the final frame to seal the win to create separation in the standings.
Kourouma led all players with 18 points and 12 rebounds to notch her second double-double of the season while shooting over 42% from the field. She added two steals and two blocks to her tally. Tia Harvey added 15 points while Faith Lee scored 11 for the Maroon and Silver.
Little Rock scored 25 points off 21 Eagle turnovers and held USI, a team that normally shoots over 30% from 3-point range, to just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc. The fourth quarter marked the 29th time this season the Trojans have limited their opponent to single digit scoring in a quarter.
Despite Little Rock’s disruptive defense, Southern Indiana hung around. The Trojans took a two-point lead into halftime and USI matched Little Rock point for point in the third quarter. USI shot nearly 38% in the game, including shooting 50% or better over the second and third quarters.
It wasn’t until the final frame when the Trojans took over, opening the period on a 7-0 run and extending their lead to as much as 11. USI would cut that mark into single digits but could not overcome the deficit.
Southern Indiana's Hannah Haithcock nearly had a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds while Vanessa Shafford added 13 points and four boards.
TENNESSEE TECH 73, LINDENWOOD 39
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech defeating visiting Lindenwood, 71-39, on Thursday night. The Golden Eagles improved to 10-5 in the OVC and 16-9 overall while the Lions fell to 2-21 overall and 1-11 in league play.
Jada Guinn led Tennessee Tech with 12 points, three assists and four steals. Maaliya Owens added 10 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers. She also had two assists and three steals.
Lindenwood's Mary McGrath led all players with 13 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds.
UT MARTIN 77, SIUE 76
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Cougars tied the game 70-70 with 1:26 to go in the fourth quarter to push the contest to overtime for the first time since 2020, but UT Martin took the lead with four seconds left for a final score of 77-76 at Kathleen and Tom Elam Center on Thursday night. SIUE, entering the game as the conference leader in free throws made per game, finished the contest just 11-20 at the line.
SIUE falls to 8-18 on the season and 7-8 in Ohio Valley Conference play. UT Martin improves to 11-15 and 7-8. The Cougars sit in a three-way tie with the Skyhawks and Southeast Missouri for fourth place in the league.
The Cougars took their first lead of the contest at 60-58 with 1:12 remaining in the third after freshman Macy Silvey forced a steal leading to a bucket in the paint. The Cougars concluded the third period up two at 62-60.
UT Martin regained their lead up four at 66-62 with 6:41 to play in the fourth before SIUE grabbed the next five to go up one. With the Skyhawks leading 70-68 with 1:39 to play, KK Rodriguez tied the game on a layup in the paint 13 seconds later. Both teams would go scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, forcing the game to overtime.
Mikayla Kinnard collected the first points of the overtime period on a jumper in the paint for a 72-70 advantage with 4:10 to go. Both sides remained scoreless until Sofie Lowis drew a foul on a three pointer, where she went 1-3 at the line for an SIUE three-point lead. Kinnard sent the Cougars to the line 19 seconds later, where she went 1-2 at the stripe for a 74-70 lead.
The Skyhawks tied the contest 74-74 with 43 seconds remaining following a pair of field goals in the paint. With 30.4 seconds to go, Kinnard was fouled and went 2-2 at the line. UT Martin held the ball for a final shot before Sharnecce Currie-Jelks laid in the go-ahead basket with four seconds remaining, good enough to take a one-point victory over the Cougars.
SIUE concluded the contest 49 percent (28-57) from the field and 9-24 from beyond the arc.
Four Cougars finished the contest scoring in double figures, led by Rodriguez's 19. Her 19 points tied a career-high set earlier this season in the win over NIU. She shot 7-9, 2-3 from deep, and 3-3 at the stripe. She added six rebounds, four assists, and five steals.
Lowis added 17 points for the Cougars, marking her 17th game scoring in double digits this season. She dished out four assists while collecting three rebounds.
Silvey and Kinnard each contributed 13. Kinnard points passed Assistant Coach Jazmin Pitts (2010-14) for 29th on the Cougars' all-time leaderboard.
Ajulu Thatha led the Cougars with nine rebounds. Madison Webb contributed nine points, going 4-5 from the field.
UT Martin's Currie-Jelks led the contest with 26 points. She was 11-15 from the field.