THURSDAY'S SCORES
@Tennessee State 71, Morehead State 58
UT Martin 80, @Eastern Illinois 65
Western Illinois 75, @Lindenwood 68
@SIUE 67, Little Rock 61
Southern Indiana 81, @Tennessee Tech 72
TENNESSEE STATE 71, MOREHEAD STATE 58
NASHVILLE - Zyion Shannon, Sanaa' St. Andre, and Lyric Cole combined to score 55 of Tennessee State's 71 total points as the Tigers took down the Morehead State Eagles 71-58 at home Thursday.
The Tigers (6-13, 3-6) had three players score in double figures, led by Shannon, who had 22 points and three steals. St. Andre added 19 points, five assists and three steals and Cole chipped in as well with a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Tennessee State collected 39 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Morehead State's 32, led by Cole's 14 boards. The Tigers also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 11 rebounds into 10 second-chance points.
Tennessee State forced 19 Morehead State turnovers while committing 16 themselves in Thursday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 20 points on the offensive end of the floor. Shannon's three steals led the way for Tennessee State.
After playing to a 6-6 tie early in the game, Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run with 7:01 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Shannon, to take a 12-6 lead. Morehead State then responded to tie things up at 15-15 heading into the second quarter. Tennessee State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 10 of its 15 points close to the basket.
Morehead State then took a 27-25 lead before Tennessee State responding by going on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from St. Andre, to take a 31-27 lead, a score that would hold until halftime. Tennessee State dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 16 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Tennessee State continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 49-41 before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Caitlin Anderson, to expand its lead further to 55-41 with two seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 16 of its 24 points in the paint.
The Tigers then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring seven of its 16 total points.
UT MARTIN 80, EASTERN ILLINOIS 65
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team shot 80 percent in the opening quarter and never looked back, starting its grueling road trip with a convincing 80-65 road triumph at Eastern Illinois.
The Skyhawks (8-12, 4-4 Ohio Valley Conference) never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. The Panthers never got any closer than 11 points in the second half as UT Martin coasted to one of its most impressive wins of the 2023-24 campaign.
Anaya Brown put together a dominant performance this evening, dialing up a game-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting while adding a career-high six steals and five rebounds. Kenley McCarn registered 22 points, six rebounds and six assists while Norah Clark (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Skyhawks. Josie Storey (nine points on three treys), Lexi Rubel (eight points, team-best nine rebounds, five assists, four steals) and Love Mays (six points) rounded out the scoring for UT Martin, who shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) and made nine of its 19 three-point tries.
Eastern Illinois (9-13, 6-3 OVC) received double-doubles from Macy McGlone (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Taris Thornton (11 points, 11 rebounds). Ellie Buzzelle chipped in 11 points but the Panthers were held to 39.1 percent shooting (25-of-64) and committed 21 turnovers.
UT Martin began the contest with a flurry of baskets, shooting a remarkable 12-for-15 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes. The 28 points were tied for the highest-scoring quarter of the season for the Skyhawks, who also put up 28 points in the fourth period at Murray State on Nov. 28. McCarn's seven points led six UT Martin scorers.
A Mays three-pointer from the right wing got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard in the second quarter and gave UT Martin a 31-18 advantage at the 6:50 mark. The Panthers cut their deficit to six points but the Skyhawks closed out the second quarter on a 12-4 run, capped off by a McCarn trifecta to give UT Martin a 45-31 lead at the halftime break.
The Skyhawk trio of McCarn (12 points), Clark (11) and Brown (10) all scored in double-digits in the first half while McGlone's 12 points paced Eastern Illinois.
After a Storey left corner trey opened the scoring for UT Martin in the second half, Brown tossed in the Skyhawks' next seven points. Following a WNBA-range triple from McCarn, a Brown free throw extended UT Martin's advantage out to 20 points (59-39) with 6:33 to go in the third quarter. The Panthers went on a 9-2 run down the stretch but the Skyhawks took a 65-51 lead into the final quarter.
Just as she did in the third period, Storey canned a three-pointer from the left corner to open UT Martin's fourth-quarter scoring. Back-to-back Eastern Illinois triples shaved the Skyhawk advantage to 11 with 7:26 remaining but the duo of McCarn and Brown scored four points apiece in a crucial 8-0 run. The Panthers would not get any closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 75, LINDENWOOD 68
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Western Illinois takes down the Lindenwood Lions 75-68 inside Hyland Arena on Thursday night. Western Illinois moves to 14-6 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
Raegan McCowan set the scoring pace from the free-throw line, giving WIU an early 2-0 lead. The offensive onslaught continued as Anna Deets sank a three-pointer and Addi Brownfield converted a layup, extending WIU's advantage to 7-2. Tied at 12, Mallory McDermott entered the game off the bench, igniting the offense with consecutive three-pointers, propelling WIU to an 18-12 lead with 3:01 left in the opening quarter
McCowan and McDermott maintained WIU's lead by combining for three consecutive free throws, resulting in a 21-14 advantage. McDermott's perimeter shooting added to the lead, reaching 24-16 with 1:04 left in the quarter. However, Lindenwood managed to trim the lead to six (24-18) after the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with Deets executing an old-fashioned three-point play, keeping WIU in control at 27-20. Lindenwood attempted to narrow the gap, but McCowan and Brownfield responded, pushing WIU's lead back to eight at 32-24. Both teams exchanged points, leading to three minutes of scoreless basketball. Lindenwood closed the half on a 4-0 run, but WIU still held a 38-34 lead at halftime.
The third quarter saw McCowan and Deets leading the charge, pushing WIU ahead by six. Lindenwood fought back, tying the game at 44, only for WIU to respond swiftly with Alissa Dins' left-handed layup, regaining a 46-44 lead. WIU maintained a slim advantage as the quarter unfolded, with McDermott's bench contributions crucial in securing a 59-55 lead.
The final frame began with Lindenwood on a 5-0 run, seizing a 60-59 lead. McCowan halted the Lions' momentum with a 15-foot jump shot, reclaiming a one-point lead for WIU. In the closing minutes, WIU trailed 68-66, but McCowan's clutch jumper tied the game at 68. This sparked a pivotal run, with Allie Meadows and Deets combining for key baskets, securing a 75-68 victory for WIU.
Raegan McCowan's standout performance included her fifth double-double, tallying 26 points and 11 rebounds. Mallory McDermott played a pivotal role off the bench, contributing 15 of WIU's 19 bench points, with four three-pointers. Anna Deets moved closer to the 1,000 career points milestone, finishing with 17 points and a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line. Western Illinois showcased impressive shooting, going 55.6% from the field (25-45) and 46.2% from beyond the arc (6-13).
SIUE 67, LITTLE ROCK 61
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill - SIUE women's basketball grabbed the opening two points of the contest and led the rest of the way, downing Little Rock, 67-61, on Thursday night at First Community Arena. The Cougars' defense shined bright in the second quarter, limiting the Trojans to just seven points while tallying 20 en route to the victory.
SIUE improves to 4-18 overall and 1-8 against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. Little Rock drops to 7-13 and 6-3.
With the win, SIUE captured its first win against Little Rock since the Trojans joined the OVC last season.
Entering the second quarter knotted 14, the Cougars used a 9-0 run to lead Little Rock, 23-15. SIUE outscored the Trojans 20-7 in the period while holding Little Rock's offense to just 18 percent (2-11) from the field while forcing six turnovers.
SIUE shot 44 percent (12-27) overall while going 6-15 from three-point range and led Little Rock, 34-21, entering the locker room. The Cougars held Little Rock to just 25 percent (7-28) from the field while forcing nine turnovers. SIUE showed tremendous ball control in the first half, turning over the ball just six times.
The Cougars took their largest lead of the night at 21 with 5:46 to play in the third period. Little Rock would flip the script and show promise offensively, ending the quarter on a 10-0 run to trail by 10 at 47-37.
Little Rock continued its offensive success into the final quarter of action, cutting SIUE's lead to just four with 5:31 remaining in the contest. Macy Silvey would counter with a three-pointer a minute later to put SIUE up seven at 54-47. The Cougars would lead by more than five points the rest of the way, as SIUE celebrated its first win of the conference season.
Three Cougars finished in double-figures, commanded by 16 points from Halle Smith and Sofie Lowis. Smith went 3-5 from the floor while knocking down 10 of 12 opportunities at the free throw line. She also collected six rebounds, two assists, and a block.
Lowis shot 5-9 from the field, all of which came from three-point land. She tallied four rebounds while pitching in an assist, block, and steal.
Molly Sheehan scored 13 points, going 8-8 at the charity stripe. She led SIUE with four of the Cougars' 15 assists while tying a career-high in rebounds with six. Silvey contributed eight points and four rebounds while Ava Stoller scored six. Stoller also grabbed five boards.
Little Rock was led by Faith Lee's 20 points.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 81, TENNESSEE TECH 72
COOKVILLE, Tenn. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball extended its Ohio Valley Conference lead and winning streak with a hard-fought 81-72 road win at Tennessee Tech University Thursday night.
On Thursday, the Screaming Eagles began a span with six of eight games on the road to start February, but USI battled to earn its 10th consecutive victory to start the road-heavy stretch. Southern Indiana continues its best streak since 2017-18 and the best start to a conference schedule since 1996-97. With the win, USI improved to 14-5 overall and 9-0 in conference play, taking a three-game advantage in the OVC standings at the halfway point of the conference season and into the next game on Saturday.
Thursday's victory also meant a regular-season sweep for Southern Indiana against the reigning OVC Tournament champions, as USI defeated Tennessee Tech by three at home in early January. Since joining the OVC at the start of last season, the regular-season sweep was the Screaming Eagles' first against one of the new, unfamiliar OVC opponents after jumping to Division I. Southern Indiana swept Lindenwood University in 2022-23, who also made the jump with USI from the Great Lakes Valley Conference in Division II.
After a tight battle to start, Tennessee Tech created some separation with three triples in the first handful of minutes to take an early 13-6 lead. Following a media timeout, Southern Indiana got rolling with an 8-0 run to surge back ahead, 14-13, including a three-point play by senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) and a trey from graduate guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana). The two squads went back and forth the rest of the first period, as the Golden Eagles led 21-18 heading to the second quarter.
Each team scored a bucket to start the second quarter, but then both defenses produced scoring droughts of over two minutes. In the middle of the frame, junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) got a shooters' bounce and roll for a transition three, and senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) scored a nice layup underneath to put USI ahead, 26-25. Following another two-minute drought, Shafford drained another triple. With 1:15 left in the first half, freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) cashed in on a basket and the foul to give the Screaming Eagles a 33-25 advantage. Southern Indiana took a seven-point lead, 35-27, into the intermission.
To start the second half, Webb scored six straight points for Southern Indiana to push the Screaming Eagles ahead by double figures. Tennessee Tech made a small run just over three minutes into the third quarter to bring the deficit back to single digits, but USI answered with a pair of opportunities inside. At the 5:03 mark, Shafford swished a three through the bottom of the net to give USI a 51-39 advantage. Both sides struggled offensively in the back half of the third, but a three-pointer in the last 15 seconds of the third quarter led to a 56-47 USI lead through three.
Coming off a career-high 18 points in last Thursday's win against Western Illinois University, Gannon once again took charge in the second half and to start the fourth quarter. Gannon tallied three consecutive buckets for Southern Indiana, as the Screaming Eagles maintained a 10-point margin, 62-52, three minutes into the fourth stanza. After Raley stuck a straightaway three-pointer through the nylon to put USI up 14 with 6:34 left, the Golden Eagles clawed back with a couple of threes and some looks in transition, making it a six-point game, 70-64, with less than three minutes remaining. USI responded with a three-point play by Shafford with 1:40 left on the clock. In a free-throw game down the stretch, USI closed out the win to begin the road trip.
Southern Indiana shot 46 percent (30-65) with seven triples made at a 44 percent clip. USI was 14-22 at the charity stripe. The Screaming Eagles won the battle on the glass, 43-37. Additionally, USI had 28 bench points and 42 points in the paint. Shafford paced the Screaming Eagles with 16 points and 12 rebounds, her fifth double-double of the season and 10th career double-double. Gannon finished with 15 points in front of a large group of family and friends who made the trip. Webb recorded 14 points, and Raley posted 13 points and nine boards.
Tennessee Tech was held below 40 percent shooting, going 23-64 for 36 percent, and limited to 5-27 for 19 percent from outside the arc. The Golden Eagles were 21-23 for 91 percent at the foul line. Tennessee Tech had two players in double figures, as sophomore Reagan Hurst and senior Anna Walker combined for 37 points. Tennessee Tech dropped to 9-11 this season with a 4-5 mark in the OVC.