2024 OVC Women's Basketball Championship - First Round

3/6/2024 7:37:17 AM

#8 TENNESSEE STATE 78, #5 MOREHEAD STATE 70
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Tennessee State women's basketball team kept Morehead State to just 18.8 percent from 3-point range in a 3-for-16 shooting performance on the way to a 58-50 win against the Eagles at Ford Center Wednesday in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The win marks TSU's first OVC Tournament win since the 2021-22 season.

The Tigers (11-18) had three players score in double figures, led by Eboni Williams, who put together a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Sanaa' St. Andre added 12 points and three steals and Lyric Cole helped out with 10 points.

Williams pulled down six offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into eight second-chance points.

Tennessee State's defense held Morehead State to only 18.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 34 percent from the field.

After jumping out to a 7-5 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 5:03 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Zyion Shannon, to increase its lead to 12-5. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 17-12 advantage. Tennessee State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 17 points close to the basket.

Morehead State rallied to take a 23-21 lead before Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run starting at the 4:48 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Caitlin Anderson, to take a 28-23 lead. The Eagles cut into that lead, but the Tigers still enjoyed a 28-26 advantage heading into halftime. Tennessee State dominated in the paint, scoring six of its 11 points close to the basket.

Tennessee State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from St. Andre, to expand its lead further to 42-35 with 3:10 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Eagles had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Tigers still entered the fourth quarter with a 42-38 edge. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 14 points in the paint.

The Tigers coasted to the win from there, increasing their margin of victory by outscoring the Eagles 16-12 in the fourth quarter. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 16 points in the paint.

#6 TENNESSEE TECH 78, #7 WESTERN ILLINOIS 69
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Tennessee Tech turned its defense into offense and the Golden Eagles drained some clutch 3-pointers to build a third-quarter lead and scrape out a big win over Western Illinois to advance.

With the victory, the Golden Eagles (16-14) move into the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championships quarterfinals to take on No. 3-seed UT Martin at 3:30 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Maaliya Owens, who was selected to the All-OVC first-team roster on Tuesday, put on a show, collecting 23 points as she was 8-for-18 from the field, including six 3-pointers. Owens needs three 3-pointers to tie her single-season record of 92 set last season as she now stands with 89 3-pointers on the season to give her the top two 3-point scoring seasons in program history.

She wasn’t the only Golden Eagle who was knocking down treys as Peyton Carter also had a smooth stroke from long-range, hitting five of her eight tries to collect 15 points.

Reghan Grimes and Anna Walker were able to muscle their way into the paint as Grimes scored 17 points and Walker 14. Grimes was 7-for-10 from the field, adding a 3-for-3 effort at the line. Walker was 5-for-7 and 4-for-4 at the line. Tech collected 26 total points in the paint.

Walker also finished the game with a double-double with 10 boards – the third in her career and first this season.

As for creating offense from defense, the Golden Eagles were able to force 14 WIU turnovers and score 20 points on the giveaways.

OVC Freshman of the Year Raegan McCowan was still able to put together a tremendous game in the first-round affair, scoring a game-high 27 points and collecting 10 rebounds for the double-double. McCowan was 10-for-19 from the floor and 7-for-8 at the line.

Addi Brownfield added 12 points and Mallory McDermott scored 10.

The Leathernecks were 18-for-23 from the charity stripe as Tech was whistled for 24 fouls. The calls put the Golden Eagles in some foul trouble as Walker, Grimes and Reagan Hurst had to tiptoe around four fouls and was able to avoid the fifth disqualifier.

WIU (18-12) had eight offensive rebounds in the first half for 11 second-chance points, but the Golden Eagles were able to slow them down on the offensive glass in the second half, holding the Leathernecks to just five more offensive boards and only four more second-chance points.

The first quarter was a close battle. The Golden Eagles were slowed a bit early with six turnovers in the first 10 minutes, but made up for it with a 7-for-15 effort shooting, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range with Owens knocking down three and Carter two. Tech had a 6-0 run midway through the period, but WIU answered with a small streak of its own to cut it to a 21-17 Golden Eagle lead at the end of the quarter.

Tech had a six-point lead early in the second, but the Leathernecks answered back as McCowan and Brownfield scored eight points each to outscore the Golden Eagles, who had 15 total points in the quarter. WIU used an 8-0 run to take a 39-36 lead at halftime.

The momentum shifted in a big way for Tech in the third quarter as the Golden Eagles outscored WIU 23-9, taking advantage of a 14-0 run midway through the period. Carter was key during the stretch as she was 3-for-3 from deep for nine points, while Owens had six and Grimes four with Hurst and Yaubryon Chambers also chipping in with a bucket.

Tech was 7-for-14 from the field in the third, while WIU was 2-for-16 with McCowan scoring seven of the team’s nine points.

The Leathernecks outscored Tech 21-19 in the fourth quarter, but was only able to get as close as eight points in the final 10 minutes.

With the victory, the Golden Eagles improve to 52-28 all-time in the OVC tournament and are all but guaranteed a winning season for the sixth season in a row, the first time for the program since 2001-02.