SATURDAY'S SCORES
*Morehead State 65, @Tennessee Tech 53
*Little Rock 55, @Eastern Illinois 48
*@Tennessee State 65, Southern Indiana 58
*UT Martin 75, @SIUE 46
*Western Illinois 70, @Southeast Missouri 59
MOREHEAD STATE 65, TENNESSEE TECH 53
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Morehead State women's basketball team got a 22-point performance from the bench on the way to a 65-53 win against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on the road Saturday.
The Eagles (11-10, 6-4 OVC) had two players score in double figures, led by Veronica Charles, who had 19 points and five steals. It marked her 10th straight game scoring 10+ and tied her season high in takeaways. Hallie Rhodes tacked on 14 points and eight rebounds and Blessing King added four points, 13 rebounds and three steals.
King pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Morehead State, grabbing 11 boards.
The Morehead State defense was a problem in Saturday's game, forcing 19 Tennessee Tech turnovers while committing 16. Those takeaways turned into 16 points on the offensive end of the floor.
MSU also stymied Tech's offensive effort as the Golden Eagles shot just 29 percent.
After falling behind 5-4, Morehead State went on an 8-0 run with 7:43 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Jayden Rhodes, to take a 12-5 lead. Tennessee Tech then responded to tie things up at 23-23 heading into the second quarter. Morehead State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 23 points close to the basket.
Morehead State turned the first quarter tie into a 29-25 lead before going on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Hallie Rhodes, to increase its lead to 35-25. The Golden Eagles cut into that lead, but the Eagles still enjoyed a 35-27 advantage heading into halftime. Morehead State dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 12 points close to the basket.
Morehead State wasted no time building on its lead, going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Charles, to expand its lead further to 40-27 with 9:09 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Eagles added four points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 51-34 edge. Morehead State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 16 points in the paint.
The Eagles then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 14 points in the paint.
LITTLE ROCK 55, EASTERN ILLINOIS 48
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Little Rock put aside Thursday's loss to quickly bounce back and beat Eastern Illinois, 55-48 at Groniger Arena, and take sole possession of second place in the OVC. The Trojans (8-13, 7-3 OVC) trailed early but used an efficient second period to take the lead three minutes before the break and never relinquish, leading by as many as 17 in the fourth and completing the regular season sweep of the Panthers (9-14, 6-4).
A reshuffled lineup saw Sha'Nequa Henry get her first start of the season and Jayla Brooks recapture her shot while leading the team with 18 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Faith Lee pumped in 16 points and pulled down four rebounds, and Trinity Hudson grabbed 10 rebounds to go with six points.
Little Rock continued its improved rebounding efforts, earning a 36-34 advantage over one of the top rebounding teams in the conference. The Trojans also held Eastern Illinois to just 36.2 percent shooting from the field (17-of-47) and just 1-of-14 shooting from long range. Macy McGlone led the Panthers with 22 points and 13 rebounds, but no other player from EIU scored more than nine or grabbed more than five rebounds.
After trailing by three at the end of the first, Little Rock fell behind by its largest deficit – six – early in the second. Little Rock outscored the Panthers 22-8 in the remainder of the half to grab a 32-24 lead at the break. The Trojans were 7-of-14 from the field and 6-of-6 at the line in the second period.
Little Rock took a 10-point lead into the fourth period and scored the first seven points of the frame to go ahead 53-36 with 7:59 to play. Eastern Illinois used a 10-0 run to trim that to 53-46 at the 2:40 mark but managed just one made shot and a pair of turnovers the rest of the way.
TENNESSEE STATE 65, SOUTHERN INDIANA 58
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State women's basketball team busted open a 46-46 tie to end the third quarter and defeated the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 65-58 at home Saturday. USI came into Saturday's contest as the only undefeated team in the OVC.
The Tigers (7-13, 4-6) had four players score in double figures, led by Sanaa' St. Andre, who had 18 points. Eboni Williams added 14 points and Caitlin Anderson helped out with 11 points.
Tennessee State forced 24 Southern Indiana turnovers while committing 18 themselves in Saturday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 20 points on the offensive end of the floor. Lyric Cole led the way individually with two steals.
After falling behind 14-10, Tennessee State went on a 9-0 run with 2:00 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Zyion Shannon, to take a 19-14 lead, a score that would hold for the rest of the period. Tennessee State capitalized on nine Southern Indiana turnovers in the period, turning them into nine points on the other end of the floor.
Southern Indiana rallied to take a 26-21 lead before Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run starting at the 2:29 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from St. Andre, to take a 28-26 lead. The Tigers proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 31-28 advantage heading into halftime. Tennessee State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down two three-point shots to account for six of its 12 points.
Southern Indiana then took a 46-41 lead following intermission before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Anderson, to tie things up at 46 with 28 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Tennessee State knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 15 total points.
Tennessee State then grabbed a 59-58 lead before going on a 6-0 run to grow its advantage to 65-58 with six seconds to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring six of its 19 total points.
UT MARTIN 75, SIUE 46
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Freshman Norah Clark exploded for a career-highs of 29 points and nine rebounds today as the University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team swept its weekly road trip with a resounding 75-46 victory over Ohio Valley Conference rival SIUE.
Clark's scoring tally was 10 points higher than her previous career-best score while her nine boards were also a game-high. The Springfield, Mo. native generated 23 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) in the second half alone and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line as the Skyhawks sank 20 of their 22 attempts (90.9 percent) from the charity stripe as a team.
UT Martin (9-12, 6-4 OVC) received 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals from Lexi Rubel this afternoon. Kenley McCarn (career-best eight rebounds, game-high four assists) and Anaya Brown (five rebounds, three assists, two blocks) each scored 12 points apiece as the Skyhawks led for 37:18 of clock time.
Macy Silvey scored 13 points with a team-best eight rebounds while Halle Smith also registered 10 points for the Cougars (4-19, 1-9 OVC). SIUE was held to 26.9 percent shooting (14-for-52) – including a 15.8 percent clip (3-of-19) from three-point range – and committed 19 turnovers.
Fittingly, it was Clark who opened the game's scoring as she sank a pullup jumper just 24 seconds into the contest. The Cougars scored five of the next seven points but a Josie Storey three-pointer with five minutes to go in the first quarter gave the Skyhawks a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way. UT Martin ended the opening period on a 10-0 run, wrapped up by a McCarn three-pointer from the right corner that made the score 17-7.
After the Skyhawks opened up an 11-point advantage with an old-fashioned three-point play by Rubel, SIUE went on a 7-0 run. The Cougars eventually pulled within three points with 1:23 remaining before the halftime break but a pair of McCarn free throws gave UT Martin a 28-23 lead at the break.
Rubel's eight points led a balanced first-half scoring effort for the Skyhawks while Silvey's seven points guided SIUE.
UT Martin outscored the host Cougars by a 27-8 margin in the third quarter. Brown scored the first five points before Clark went on a personal 12-point run for the Skyhawks. As a team, UT Martin wrapped up the third quarter with 15 unanswered points, capped off with a Brown straightaway three-pointer that just beat the buzzer and gave the Skyhawks a 55-31 advantage.
Clark put an exclamation point on her performance with nine out of 11 UT Martin points during one stretch in the fourth quarter. Her trifecta from the left corner at the 4:33 mark gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the day at 71-39 as UT Martin's lead never dipped below 22 in the final period.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 70, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 59
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Western Illinois uses a balanced scoring attack as they defeat Southeast Missouri State 70-59 inside the Show Me Center on Saturday afternoon. The Leathernecks move to 15-6 overall and 6-4 in conference play.
Raegan McCowan set the tone early, scoring the opening bucket just a minute and a half into the game. Alissa Dins showcased her shooting skills, hitting a three-pointer that contributed to WIU taking an early 7-5 lead.
The Leathernecks extended their advantage to 9-5 from the charity stripe, with Addi Brownfield knocking down a pair of free throws. WIU found themselves trailing 14-11 late in the first quarter. That's when Anna Deets stepped up, initiating a remarkable 9-2 run from the free-throw line. Deets continued her impressive performance with back-to-back three-pointers and two more free throws, allowing WIU to lead 20-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Deets didn't stop there, extending WIU's lead to its largest of the day with her third three-pointer of the half to start quarter two. The team kept the momentum going, with Kaylen Reed adding another triple to give WIU a commanding 28-20 lead. McCowan and Deets further increased the gap, with WIU enjoying a 12-point lead at 32-20. Deets' jump shot during this stretch marked her achievement of 1,000 career points at Western Illinois. As the first half concluded, both teams traded baskets, and Addi Brownfield and Deets ensured WIU stayed ahead by nine, leading 39-30 at halftime.
The third quarter started slowly for WIU, remaining scoreless for the first three minutes. SEMO took advantage with a 6-0 run, but WIU responded swiftly. Allie Meadows drove to the basket, drawing a foul and extending WIU's lead back to six.
Brownfield and Deets continued their impressive free-throw shooting, maintaining WIU's dominance. Jasmine Nichols contributed, pushing WIU ahead by seven at 49-42. SEMO attempted to cut into the lead, but WIU responded effectively. In the final minute of the third quarter, Deets and Brownfield's baskets ensured WIU led 53-47.
The fourth quarter started with SEMO on a 5-0 run, prompting a timeout. However, WIU answered decisively with a 15-2 run over the next six minutes. The Leathernecks saw balanced scoring during this stretch, with Meadows, Dins, McCowan, and Brownfield all contributing. McCowan's exceptional play, securing her third consecutive double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds, ultimately iced the game. WIU emerged victorious with a 70-59 win.
Anna Deets led WIU in scoring with 21 points, 17 of which came in the first half. She also added six rebounds to her impressive stat line. Raegan McCowan's consistent performance earned her a double-double, while Addi Brownfield contributed 13 points, going 3-4 from the field and an impressive 7-8 from the free-throw line.