THURSDAY'S SCORES
*Southeast Missouri 70, @Morehead State 63
*@Little Rock 68,Tennessee State 46
*@Western Illinois 64, Eastern Illinois 54
*@Southern Indiana 75, Lindenwood 38
*@UT Martin 67, Tennessee Tech 37
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 70, MOREHEAD STATE 63
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (9-19, 6-11 OVC) cruised past Morehead State (14-14, 9-8 OVC) Thursday evening at the Johnson Arena by a final score of 70 - 63 to keep their tournament hopes alive.
Junior Abigail Stevens led the Redhawks in scoring with a season high 16 points. Stevens came off the bench and played 29 minutes and shot six of ten from the field and 4-5 (80%) from the stripe. Stevens hauled in 11 rebounds (6 OR) to lead both teams.
Alecia Doyle and Indiya Bowen also notched double digit points. Both scored 13 points and went 5-of-8 (62.5%) and 4-of-9 (44.4%) from the floor.
Kiyley Flowers dished out half of the Redhawks assists with seven. The junior was also active on the defensive side of the ball posting two steals and two blocks.
The Redhawks tied their season high in rebounds with 46 compared to MSU's 36. SEMO pulled down 16 offensive rebounds converting them into 15 second chance points.
Guard Veronica Charles led the Eagles with 24 points on a 8-of-22 shooting clip and went 5-7 from the line.
The game featured three ties and seven lead changes.
Bowen made the first two baskets for the Redhawks with a driving layup and a deep three at 8:36.
Both teams struggled to get something going to begin the first. Going into the media the Redahws had a 3:30 scoring drought and were 0-5 shooting while the Eagles had a 3:00 scoring drought.
At the first media SEMO was down five to seven at the 4:48 mark.
Jaliyah Green ended their scoring drought of 5:00 with a three to cut MSU's lead to five.
To end the quarter Amiyah Buchanan completed the and-one and Stevens made the last minute layup to put the Redhawks down by two, 17-19. SEMO made seven of their 17 in the opening quarter
The Redhawks were slow to begin the second then they rattled off three in a row with Stevens completing the and-one for her seventh point, and Doyle made the pull up for her first points to come within two.
Michaela Mayfield banked in a two pointer at the top of the key from Daejah Richmond to tie the game at 25 with 7:43 remaining. Then Megan Barton grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back up to take their first lead of the game, 29-27 at 5:00.
Heading into the media the Redhawks played stout defense holding the eagles to 1-7 and a scoring drought of 2:30.
Out of the timeout both teams traded baskets with a highlight from Stevens when she hauled in two offensive rebounds to tie the game at 31.
At the half the score was tied at 38 and Stevens and Mayfield had the most points for SEMO with nine and eight.
MSU's Charles had their most points with 14 and as a team they went 14-30 (46.7%) and 7-14 from deep. So far the Redhawks were shooting 15-37 (40.5%) and 4-12 (33.3%) from beyond the arc.
Both teams were active on the glass offensively, SEMO having ten offensive rebounds and the Eagles had seven.
Right out of the gate Buchanan gave the Redhawks the lead with an easy, wide open layup.
The Redhawks fought their way to a seven point lead in the third. The run starting by
Stevens when she notched her 11th point after making both free throws.
At the media timeout the Redhawks led 46 to 39 at the 6:38 mark.
SEMO continued to put it on the Eagles not letting up on offense when Green made a driving layup and Buchanan made both from the line putting SEMO up 49 - 42 at 3:54.
Both teams then went on a cold streak after SEMO went scoreless for three minutes and Morehead made one of their next eight shots.
The teams ended the streak after their leading scorers traded baskets. Stevens put a layup through the hoop for her 14th point and Morehead's Charles made her 17th point.
During the third SEMO had their best scoring run of seven in 8:21.
The Redhawks continued their dominance in the fourth. SEMO's biggest lead of 11 came in the quarter and they held Morehead State to 28.6% shooting.
To start things off though both teams came out sluggish offensively. It took two minutes for either team to score in the fourth with both defenses playing tight defense.
SEMO would then go on a 7 - 0 run and hold the Eagles to zero field goals in five minutes. During the stretch Flowers dished out two dimes to Doyle for a three and one off the inbound for her sixth and seventh assist. SEMO led 58 - 52 with 5:14 left to play.
SMEO then throttled the Morehead State Defense getting up by eight two different times.
With 1:00 left SEMO was up by six and Doyle ultimately sealed the coffin with a dagger from the corner and put both free throws into the bottom of the net for SEMO to have a nine point lead, 69 - 60.
The Redhawks shot relatively well going 26-of-61 (42.6%) from the field, but only shot 5-of-15 from three point land, and 13-of-21 (61.9%) from the charity Stripe.
MSU shot 37.9% from the floor (22-58), 35% (7-20) from behind the arc, and 54.5% (12-22) from the line.
This was SEMO's third straight year beating Morehead at home.
LITTLE ROCK 68, TENNESSEE STATE 46
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Time and time again, the Little Rock women's basketball team has needed an unexpected boost, and with two regular starters out of Thursday's game due to illness, it was Annemarie Batista's time to answer the call. Batista matched her career-high with 13 points while playing her second-most minutes of the season, and Jordan Holman set a new career-high mark with 21 points to lead the Trojans to a 68-46 rout of Tennessee State in the Jack Stephens Center.
Holman grabbed seven rebounds to go with her efficient 8-of-10 shooting performance while Faith Lee added 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Batista made 3-of-4 from behind the arc and grabbed three rebounds to go with three steals. Sug Williams finished with nine points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Mesi Triplett added six points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Trojans (11-17 overall, 10-7 OVC) led for more than 37 minutes of the game and with four minutes left in the game they held a 25-point advantage over the visiting Tigers (9-18, 6-11). Little Rock outrebounded TSU by a 41-30 margin, outscored the Tigers 32-14 inside the paint and converted 18 points on fast breaks.
Sanaa' St. Andre was the lone Tiger to reach double figures, pacing TSU with 16 points and four rebounds. The Tigers shot just 30.9 percent from the floor (17-of-55) and 9-of-19 from the foul line. Little Rock led by a dozen after the opening frame, by 13 at the half and 18 entering the fourth period.
The Trojans hit 24-of-48 shots for an even 50 percent performance. They were 6-of-10 from long range and 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from the line. Little Rock also totaled 17 assists, tied for the Trojans' third-highest total of the season.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 64, EASTERN ILLINOIS 54
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois Women's Basketball snapped their four-game losing streak with a come-from-behind win against cross-state rival Eastern Illinois. The 64-54 win moves WIU to 17-11 overall and 8-9 in OVC play.
Western Illinois offense started slow as WIU trailed 4-0 a minute and a half into the first quarter. Raegan McCowan changed the tide as she drove right and got her first layup to fall. Addi Brownfield followed McCowan with two points as WIU tied everything at four. Knotted up at eight, Western Illinois worked the ball around the three-point arc until it landed in the hands of Allie Meadows, who knocked down her first three of the night, putting the Leathernecks in front 11-8. EIU responded with a quick 4-0 run before Mallory McDermott buried a three from the top of the key. EIU would get a basket and a free throw to finish the quarter in front 15-14.
EIU continued its run into the start of the second quarter when it extended its lead to its largest at four at 20-16. The Leathernecks stood tall, relying on their defense to spark their offense. Holding EIU scoreless for over three minutes, WIU tied the game at 20 with two free throws from Brownfield and a floater by Meadows. EIU jumped back in front twice, but Brownfield responded each time with a three, giving WIU a one-point (26-25) lead with 1:46 left in the half. WIU's defense kept EIU scoreless for the remainder of the half as Jasmine Nichols made two free throws, putting WIU in front 28-25 at the half.
Both teams came out of the halftime break trading baskets as everything was even a 31 with 7:48 left. McCowan then started a run as she drove right, going off glass for two. Alissa Dins got back into the scoring action, going over her right shoulder for a left hook, putting WIU in front 35-31. The Leathernecks continued their run from outside as Anna Deets buried a left-wing three, and McCowan had four more points as WIU capped off an 11-0 run, going in front 42-31. EIU stormed back with a 12-2 run, putting themselves within one at 44-43. McCowan had one more basket as she finished with 11 points in the third quarter, giving WIU a three-point (46-43) advantage heading into the final ten minutes
Dins and Deets started the 4th quarter scoring for WIU as the Leathernecks opened a 51-45 lead. Western Illinois offense began to click as McCowan and Dins kept the scoring going with back-to-back baskets. EIU responded with a pair of three-pointers, but two free throws by Brownfield and a three by Meadows put everything out of reach. Deets would add three more points, and McCowan would add two as WIU took the 64-54 win against EIU.
Four Leathernecks scored in double figures, with Raegan McCowan pacing the way with 18. McCowan also contributed six rebounds and five assists. Allie Meadows and Alissa Dins hit the ten-point mark. Din's ten points set a season high for her. Addi Brownfield was the final Leatherneck to hit double figures, contributing 12 points.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 75, LINDENWOOD 38
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball secured its 16th Ohio Valley Conference win and seventh consecutive victory Thursday night at Screaming Eagles Arena with a 75-38 win over Lindenwood University.
With Thursday's win, the Screaming Eagles will head into Saturday's regular-season finale and Senior Night with a 21-6 overall record and a 16-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. USI already locked up the 2023-24 OVC regular season championship and No. 1 seed in next week's OVC Tournament, earning a double-bye into the semifinals.
It took a few minutes for the Screaming Eagles to get going on offense Thursday. Senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) helped kickstart the offense with seven consecutive points to give USI a 10-7 lead near the midway point of the opening quarter. Southern Indiana finished the first quarter hitting six of its last eight shots from the field, as freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) scored six points off the bench in the last four minutes. USI owned a 17-13 lead through the first 10 minutes of action.
Southern Indiana's efficient finish to the first quarter carried over into the start of the second frame. USI's run reached 10-0 while holding Lindenwood scoreless for nearly five minutes on the defensive end, increasing the Screaming Eagles' lead to double digits, 25-15, with six minutes left in the first half. USI ended the first half with another 10-0 run to go into the intermission with a 39-20 advantage. Southern Indiana shot over 60 percent in the first 20 minutes, as Gannon had a team-high 14 points by halftime.
Like the opening minutes of the contest, it took a couple of minutes at the start of the second half for USI to get going. Then junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) halted the dry spell with an acrobatic layup and a mid-range jumper, putting Shafford into double figures for the game. Southern Indiana led 45-27 at the halfway point of the third quarter. The Screaming Eagles continued to be efficient from the floor offensively, while the defense remained stout. With five seconds left in the third stanza, freshman guard Triniti Ralston (Louisville, Kentucky) hustled up the court and bounced the ball to senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) for an energizing layup right before the third-quarter buzzer. For the second straight quarter, USI's defense held Lindenwood to single digits scoring, as USI led 55-29 through three.
In the fourth, Southern Indiana built onto its lead, thanks to a boost from the bench. Back-to-back three-pointers by the Screaming Eagles in the middle of the fourth pushed USI's lead to 69-30. Meanwhile, the Eagles' defense did not ease up, challenging Lindenwood's field goal attempts. At one point in the fourth period, USI held the Lions to a 1-15 stretch shooting. Southern Indiana finished out its 16th OVC victory from there.
Southern Indiana shot the ball at a high percentage Thursday night, connecting at 51 percent (24-47) from the floor and 45.5 percent (10-22) from three. USI was also sharp at the free-throw line, cashing in at 94.4 percent (17-18). The Screaming Eagles dominated the battle on the glass, 41-24. 10 Screaming Eagles found the scoring column in the win, as Gannon led the way with 16 points and Shafford right behind at 13. Southern Indiana scored 39 bench points in the effort.
Lindenwood (7-20, 5-12) was held to 27 percent shooting (15-55) and only 17 percent from long range (3-17). The Lions only had eight attempts at the charity stripe, knocking down five. Lindenwood goes into Saturday sitting one game back of the crucial eighth seed to reach the OVC Tournament. The Lions are a game back of Tennessee State University and Southeast Missouri State University, which Lindenwood split its regular-season matchups against the two schools.
Following Thursday's win, it was a night of celebration and recognition for USI Women's Basketball. After the game, the Screaming Eagles got to grab the scissors and cut down a net at Screaming Eagles Arena to commemorate the first-ever OVC title in program history. Later in the evening, USI Head Coach Rick Stein presented Meredith Raley with a commemorative basketball to recognize Raley surpassing 1,000 career points earlier this season.
UT MARTIN 67, TENNESSEE TECH 37
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team moved back into second place with a dominating 67-37 win over Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee Tech on Thursday evening.
The Skyhawks (14-14, 11-6 OVC) got back to .500 on the season after winning their fourth consecutive game. With the win, UT Martin moved into a tie for second place in the league standings and can secure the No. 2 seed in next week's OVC Basketball Championship with a win on Saturday afternoon.
UT Martin flexed its muscles on the defensive end to propel the squad to a sizable 30-point victory. The Skyhawks held the Golden Eagles to 37 points which ranks as an all-time low against an OVC opponent for TTU. The home squad forced the Golden Eagles into 15 turnovers while limiting their opponent to just a 25.9 field goal percentage and two made three-pointers.
Offensively, the Skyhawks shot 50 percent from the floor while knocking down 43.8 percent of their three-point attempts. Rising sophomore Anaya Brown once again posted a monster game after scoring 23 points and notching 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Freshman Love Mays also had a strong night, tallying 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. The squad was rounded out in double figures by Kenley McCarn (11 points) and Lexi Rubel (10 points and eight rebounds).
Tennessee Tech (15-13, 10-7 OVC) struggled from the floor after being held to single-figures in both the first and fourth quarters. The Golden Eagles saw just one player reach double figures with Reghan Grimes pacing the team with 12 points.