SATURDAY'S SCORES
Southern Indiana 71, Le Moyne 42 (San Juan, P.R.)
Morehead State 87, Jackson State 57 (Spartanburg, S.C.)
@Tennessee State 92, UNC Ashville 87 (OT)
Indiana State 68,
@Southeast Missouri 65
@Hawai’i 47,
UT Martin 39
SOUTHERN INDIANA 71, LE MOYNE 42
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball closed out the Puerto Rico Clasico with a victory over Le Moyne College, 71-42, Saturday morning to complete a two-game sweep in Puerto Rico.
The Screaming Eagles improved to an impressive 7-1 on the season following their sixth straight victory. USI also improved to 9-1 all time in overseas MTE games and 4-0 in games played in Puerto Rico. Le Moyne moved to 0-7 on the season after dropping both of its games in Puerto Rico.
Southern Indiana practically picked up where it left off from Friday's game, jumping out in front early with the game's first eight points. Graduate forward Meredith Raley and senior guard Vanessa Shafford split USI's first eight tallies. Le Moyne found a spark with three made triples to draw back closer in the first quarter, but a solid finish to the opening frame with graduate forward Madi Webb scoring six points of USI's final 10 points in the period led to an 18-11 USI lead after one.
The second quarter began much like the first, as USI's defense forced long-distance shots from Le Moyne, and the Eagles continued to feed the paint. Southern Indiana led by 13, 24-11, three minutes into the second stanza, but the Dolphins' three-point shooting brought them back to within three, 24-21, with under four minutes left in the first half. USI created turnovers on defense and had a good mix of inside and outside play on offense to produce a 12-2 run to take a 36-23 lead into the half.
The second half began with the two teams battling back and forth, but the balanced attack from the Eagles continued to generate positive results. Junior guard Ali Saunders and Shafford impressed in the period with each scoring 10-plus and 21 of USI's 23 points in the third quarter. The two combined to go 5-5 from beyond the arc in the third. Southern Indiana finished the third with a 26-point advantage, 59-33.
It took about four minutes into the fourth quarter for either side to register a made field goal, but then sophomore guard Sophia Loden went on to score the Screaming Eagles' first eight points in the quarter to extend USI's lead to over 30 points, 67-34, with four minutes left on the clock. Southern Indiana's defense sealed the win by holding Le Moyne to only nine points and two made field goals in the final 10 minutes of action.
Southern Indiana shot over 50 percent for the second consecutive game and nearly shot 50 percent from three with eight connections from outside. Shafford led all scorers with 18 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Saunders recorded 16 points on a perfect 7-7 afternoon from the floor with five boards and six assists. Webb added 10 points.
The Eagles' defense limited the Dolphins to below 27 percent shooting overall and 20 percent from three. Le Moyne had one player reach double figures.
MOREHEAD STATE 87, JACKSON STATE 57
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Morehead State women's basketball team used a hot start on the offensive end and an opportunistic defense to upend Jackson State 87-57 Saturday in the Spartan Shootout Thanksgiving Tournament in Spartanburg, S.C.
Morehead State (3-4) had three players end in double figures, led by Kate Novik and Harley Paynter. Novik had an efficient afternoon, going 6-9 from the floor, 1-1 from three-point range and made all four of her free throw attempts.
Paynter shot 6-11 from the field, including 5-8 from three-point land. Aileen Marquez, playing only 21 minutes, added 14 points on 6-12 shooting from the floor including 2-5 from behind the arc.
Michelle Ugwah just missed her first career double-double with nine points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
Less than 24 hours after missing their first 16 three-point attempts yesterday against USC Upstate, Morehead State turned it around Saturday, hitting 9-18 from long range for the game. The Eagles shot 49% from the field for the game.
Morehead State was red-hot in the first quarter. After a JSU bucket tied it at 10 at the 5:48 mark, the Eagles closed out the frame outscoring Jackson State 18-7 to make it 28-17 at the first break.
The Eagles went 13-18 (72%) from the floor in the first period. Jackson State shot 54%, but eight turnovers proved to be crippling, leading to 16 Morehead State points.
Morehead State opened the second quarter with a five-point run, and Paynter's three-pointer at 8:43 gave the Eagles a 36-19 lead. JSU responded with a seven-point run of their own, capped by a Taleah Dilworth driving layup to cut the lead to 10 at 36-26.
The Eagles outscored the Tigers 9-4 through the end of the quarter and led 45-30 at the intermission.
MSU came out of the half and picked up right where they left off. Three-pointers by Paynter and Marquez got the scoring started, and the Eagles ran off to a 15-5 run to start the third quarter. Ugwah's hook shot at 6:20 put the Eagles up 60-35.
The Eagles poured it on; Paynter's fifth made three-ball of the day put MSU on top 71-42 with 1:29 to go in the quarter. MSU went to the fourth quarter leading 72-47.
Morehead State outscored JSU 15-10 in the final frame, cruising to the 30-point win.
The Tigers (1-5) were led by Taleah Dilworth with 16 points.
TENNESSEE STATE 92, UNC ASHEVILLE 87 (OT)
NASHVILLE - Somah Kamara knocked down a game-tying shot with :11 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime and Saniah Parker put the Tennessee State women's basketball team ahead for good with 4:02 to go in the extra period to give the Tigers a 92-87 win over the UNC Asheville on Saturday.
The Tigers (4-4) had three players score in double figures, led by Somah Kamara, who had 29 points. Sanaa' St. Andre added 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals and Erin Martin chipped in as well with 18 points off of the bench.
Tennessee State out-rebounded UNC Asheville 51-45 in Saturday's game, led by 17 boards from Lyric Cole. The Tigers also grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and scored 17 second chance points.
The Tennessee State defense was a problem in Saturday's game, forcing 15 UNC Asheville turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 19 points on the offensive end of the floor. St. Andre's three steals led the way individually for the Tigers.
After falling behind 20-4, Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run with 1:54 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Krystal Haddock, to narrow its deficit to 20-11, a score that would hold for the rest of the period.
The Tigers fought back in the second period, narrowing the deficit to 33-30 by the time halftime rolled around.
Tennessee State came out of halftime on fire, going on a 15-0 run, punctuated by a three from St. Andre, to grab a 45-33 lead with 5:30 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Bulldogs had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Tigers still entered the fourth quarter with a 58-49 edge. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 16 of its 28 points in the paint.
UNC Asheville proceeded to take a 73-71 lead before Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run to seize a 78-73 lead with 59 seconds to go in the fourth. The Bulldogs then fought back to even things up at 79-79 and send the game to overtime. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 14 of its 21 points in the paint.
Tennessee State started overtime with a bang, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Kamara's layup, to seize an 84-79 lead with 3:24 to go in the period. The Tigers held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 92-87 win.
INDIANA STATE 68, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 65
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (1-5) fell 68-65 on Saturday night to Indiana State (2-4) from the Show Me Center.
Freshman Ainaya Williams led the Redhawks in scoring as she was one-of-three players who finished in double digits. Williams, who came off the bench, finished with 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
For Williams, the 12-point, 11 rebound game was her first double-double of the season. Lexi McCully chipped in 12 points of her own, followed by Zoe Best (11), and Indiya Bowen (10) to lead the offense.
As a team, SEMO shot 43.3-percent from the field (26-60) in the game, but just 45-percent from the free throw line (4-9). The Redhawks outshot ISU from three-point land by a 37.5 to 33.3-percent advantage.
ISU was led by Chloe Williams who finished with a game-high 22 points as the Sycamores finished 21-56 from the field (37.5%) and held an advantage at the charity stripe (78.6%).
Lexi McCully opened the scoring in the first quarter with a three-pointer off an assist by Briah Hampton that sparked a 5-0 run by the Redhawks.
After a missed shot from ISU, Anjelicia Del Valle made a jump shot off a pass from Zoe Best to make it 5-0 with 9:10 left in the first.
Over the next three minutes both teams struggled to find the basket before Hampton made her first basket of the contest to make it 7-1 Redhawks.
A 7-0 run from ISU gave them their first lead of the ballgame with 2:48 left before the break after a layup from Keslyn Secrist made it 9-7 Sycamores.
McCully finished a layup on the fastbreak after a defensive rebound from Best to tie it at nine with two minutes left.
ISU scored the next four points, before Kennedy Claybrooks drained a three-pointer off the pass from Indiya Bowen to make it 13-12 ISU at the end of the first.
Claybrooks began the scoring in the second quarter by splitting a pair of free throws to tie it at 13.
A minute later, the Sycamores were assessed a technical foul as Zoe Best made 1-of-2 free throws to give SEMO its first lead since midway through the first. The Redhawks led 14-13 with 8:31 left before halftime.
Bowen burst onto the scene in the second quarter, finishing with a team-high eight points at halftime.
After Best drained a second chance, pull-up jump shot off an offensive rebound from Ainaya Williams, Bowen would go on a 6-0 run by herself with a pair of threes on back-to-back possessions to make it 26-19 Redhawks.
Sophie Bussard, who returned to the court after missing the last three games, continued the run with a three of her own to make it 29-19 as ISU burned a timeout.
At the end of the half, SEMO led 32-25. As a team, SEMO shot 40-percent from the field (12-30) and from three-point range (6-15). The Redhawks scored 20 second quarter points to take a seven-point advantage into the locker room.
SEMO led 53-50 entering the fourth quarter as Bowen opened the fourth quarter scoring to give the Redhawks a five-point advantage.
A pair of free throws and a layup from Indiana State's Mia Simpson cut the Redhawks advantage to 55-54 with 7:41 left in the final quarter.
Leading 65-60 after a Zoe Best layup with 1:19 left, the Sycamores used an 8-0 run to close the game and win 68-65.
HAWAII 47, UT MARTIN 39
HONOLULU - Recap coming soon.