SATURDAY'S SCORES
*@Morehead State 86, Tennessee State 78
*@Little Rock 53, Eastern Illinois 49
*@Western Illinois 74, Lindenwood 58
*@Southern Indiana 69, Tennessee Tech 66
MOREHEAD STATE 86, TENNESSEE STATE 78
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Skylar Barnes had her finest hour at the collegiate level on Saturday afternoon, pouring in a career-high 25 points -- the most by an Eagle this year and most since 1/23/2020 -- to go along with Veronica Charles' 20 point outing in the Morehead State women's basketball team's 86-78 win over Tennessee State.
Barnes and Charles' stellar scoring performances led the Eagles (7-7, 2-1) in the contest. Barnes tacked on six rebounds and Charles added three assists and two steals. Katie Novik also helped out with 14 points, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
Morehead State out-rebounded Tennessee State 40-28 in Saturday's game, paced by 11 boards from Blessing King. The Eagles also pulled down 10 offensive rebounds and scored eight second chance points.
The Morehead State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 15 Tennessee State turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Novik's three steals led the way individually for the Eagles.
The Eagles got to the foul line at a high rate and were efficient there, making 25-31 free throws.
After jumping out to a 13-10 advantage, Morehead State went on a 5-0 run with 3:11 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Melissa Secchiaroli, to increase its lead to 18-10, a score that would hold for the rest of the period. Morehead State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 18 points.
Morehead State kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 5:06 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Secchiaroli, to increase its lead to 32-21. The Tigers cut into that lead, but the Eagles still enjoyed a 42-34 advantage heading into halftime. Morehead State ran the fast break well, scoring seven fast break points.
Morehead State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on an 8-0 run to expand its lead further to 61-45 with zero seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Morehead State took advantage of six Tennessee State turnovers in the quarter, scoring nine points off of takeaways.
The Eagles then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. Morehead State got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring nine of its 25 total points.
LITTLE ROCK 53, EASTERN ILLINOIS 49
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Faith Lee poured in a career-high 25 points, Jaiyah Harris-Smith grabbed a season-best 12 rebounds and the Little Rock Trojans held off Eastern Illinois on Saturday for a 53-49 conference win at the Jack Stephens Center – the Trojans' fourth win in five games.
Lee made 11-of-25 shots from the field and swiped four steals (tying a career-best) and Harris-Smith got five rebounds on the offensive glass, helping the Trojans (4-11, 3-1 OVC) to their second-highest rebounding total of the year (34). She also scored eight points and added four assists. Jayla Brooks scored just five points after totaling 50 over her previous two but had three steals in the game.
Eastern Illinois (5-11, 2-1 OVC) shot just 37 percent from the field (17-of-46) and 31.3 percent from long distance (5-of-16). Macy McGlone posted a double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds (seven offensive) but no other Panther had more than nine points. McGlone made 8-of-15 shots while the rest of the team combined to hit just 9-of-31 for a 29 percent clip.
Little Rock led by as many as 11 midways through the third period, outscored EIU by a 30-12 margin inside the paint and never trailed in the contest after opening the game with an 8-0 run. The Panthers tied the game in the second at 16-16 but the Trojans would go back in front by eight just before halftime.
A 7-0 run by the Panthers cut Little Rock's 11-point lead down to 34-30 as the game reached the end of the third. Sug Williams converted an "and one" opportunity and followed with a transition layup to boost the Little Rock advantage to 10 with 3:54 to play. Despite getting their deficit down to four points several times in the final minutes, the Panthers could not get any closer.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 74, LINDENWOOD 58
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois's strong second half propelled them to a 74-58 victory over the Lindenwood Lions. WIU moves to 2-1 in Ohio. Valley Conference play and 11-3 overall.
In a back-and-forth first quarter, Allie Meadows started the scoring with a layup just a minute into the match. WIU quickly responded, using Raegan McCowan and Addi Brownfield baskets to take a 6-3 lead with 6:36 remaining in the quarter. The teams continued to trade baskets, and Brownfield's two free throws put WIU back in front at 10-9. However, WIU was held scoreless for the rest of the quarter, allowing Lindenwood to take a 14-10 lead after one.
The second quarter saw a resurgence from the Leathernecks, with their offense coming out hot. A quick 6-0 run, fueled by baskets from Kaylen Reed and Anna Deets and free throws from Alissa Dins and Brownfield, helped WIU reclaim a 16-14 lead. Allie Meadows then hit a step-back three-pointer, giving WIU a 24-22 advantage, and assisted on a Dins basket to extend the lead to 26-22. The teams traded baskets, and WIU went into halftime with a 29-25 lead.
Coming out of the break, WIU continued their strong performance with a 10-0 run, pushing their lead to 42-27. Deets, McCowan, and Jasmine Nichols, contributed to this run, with WIU showcasing a well-rounded offense. Despite Lindenwood cutting the lead to eight, Mallory McDermott's mid-range jump shot pushed the lead back to double digits at 46-36. Carla Flores then added to the lead with one of her four three-pointers, and McDermott's buzzer-beater concluded the third quarter with WIU leading 55-41.
WIU maintained their momentum in the fourth quarter, embarking on a 9-0 run highlighted by two three-pointers from Carla Flores, extending their lead to 64-43 with 8:03 left. The Leathernecks continued to dominate, holding a 20-point lead under the game's final five minutes. Although Lindenwood managed to cut the deficit to 14 points at 71-57, WIU responded, securing a 74-58 victory and maintaining their 16-point lead by the final horn.
Addi Brownfield was the game's leading scorer with an impressive 19 points, showcasing her offensive prowess. Carla Flores contributed 15 points, connecting on 4 out of 6 three-point attempts. Raegan McCowan narrowly missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Alissa Dins had a well-rounded performance with 3 points, four rebounds, and two assists in her return to action. WIU's balanced scoring and strong defensive efforts ultimately secured their victory in a compelling matchup.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 69, TENNESSEE TECH 66
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball remained undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play Saturday night after a thrilling 69-66 win against Tennessee Tech University at Screaming Eagles Arena.
With the victory against the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Tournament champions in Tennessee Tech, Southern Indiana (9-5, 4-0) extended its overall winning streak to five and four straight wins to start the Ohio Valley Conference season. Saturday was USI's sixth win in the last seven contests and the third straight home victory. USI also kept pace with its best start to conference play since the 2021-22 season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and its best winning streak since the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Following Saturday's action around the OVC, USI sits atop the league standings as the only team without a loss in conference play, as Eastern Illinois University fell to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock during the afternoon slate.
The Screaming Eagles came out from the start and knocked down their first three shot attempts like in Thursday's win against Tennessee State University. USI grabbed an early 7-0 lead that forced Tennessee Tech into a timeout nearly two minutes into the game. Sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana) made her first start of the season Saturday and quickly tallied five points for USI. Southern Indiana built a lead as big as 10 points halfway into the first quarter, 15-5, but Tennessee Tech chipped away. The visiting Golden Eagles outscored USI, 14-3, in the latter portion of the opening period to take a one-point advantage, 19-18, into the second stanza.
Once again, senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) played a big part in Southern Indiana's early offensive success, reaching 10 points in the first 12 minutes of the contest. Raley fought her way to the foul line, hitting her first eight free-throw attempts. Later, Tennessee Tech pushed its lead to seven, 29-22. USI battled back to within two points, as Saunders connected on her second triple of the game. However, the Golden Eagles held USI scoreless for the last two minutes of the first half and used another run to take a 41-32 halftime lead.
Out of the intermission, the Screaming Eagles got after it defensively and had a burst on the offensive end with a 9-0 run over the first three and a half minutes of the second half. Junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) highlighted the run with a tough three-point play off an offensive rebound to pull USI within two, 43-41. Later in the third period, Shafford canned a pair of three-pointers to knot the game up at 49. Defenses ruled in the last few minutes of the third, as the game remained tied at 49 heading into the fourth quarter.
USI's post-play led to a quick four-point lead at the beginning of the fourth period. Senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) had three crucial buckets early in the quarter that extended Southern Indiana's lead to seven, 59-52, with 5:09 left. Over the next two and a half minutes, the Golden Eagles scored seven straight points to make the game all square again at 59. USI carried a three-point lead, 63-60, into the final minute before Saunders drilled a clutch triple to increase the Screaming Eagles' advantage to six. USI cashed in on the necessary free throws in the final seconds to close out the fifth straight victory, as the Screaming Eagles outscored Tennessee Tech, 37-25, in the second half.
As a team, Southern Indiana shot 37.7 percent overall (20-53), including six three-pointers. USI's effort in getting to the foul line led to team season highs of 23 makes and 31 attempts at the stripe. Southern Indiana outrebounded Tennessee Tech, 45-33, and flipped the battle on the offensive glass during the contest.
Individually, USI was led in scoring by Shafford, who dialed in 16 points and a new career-best 15 rebounds after a career-high 26 points on Thursday. For Shafford, the junior reached double figures scoring for a 12th consecutive outing this season, her best such streak in a USI uniform, and the guard posted her eighth career double-double and the third of the year. Raley also registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Saturday was the first time two Screaming Eagles recorded a double-double in the same game since January 7, 2023, when Shafford and former USI forward Hannah Haithcock did so against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
On Saturday, Saunders and Webb also had notable performances. Saunders notched a season-high 12 points with five rebounds and seven assists, a new individual best for the Screaming Eagles this season. Webb also put up a dozen points with five caroms. Plus, redshirt senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) added eight points.
Tennessee Tech (6-9, 1-3) was held to 35.5 percent (22-62) from the floor with only two made treys. The Golden Eagles also spent significant time at the free-throw line, going 20-25 for 80 percent. Tennessee Tech was led in scoring by senior forward Kiera Hill with 18 points. Preseason OVC Player of the Year and graduate guard Maaliya Owens was limited to nine points.