SATURDAY'S SCORES
*@Morehead State 72, Lindenwood 59
*@Little Rock 72, Tennessee Tech 69 (OT)
*@Western Illinois 84, SIUE 56
*Tennessee State 55, @UT Martin 53
*@Southern Indiana 70, Southeast Missouri 59
MORREHEAD STATE 72, LINDENWOOD 59
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Veronica Charles totaled 23 points on her Senior Day to help lead the Morehead State women's basketball team over the Lindenwood Lions 72-59 at home Saturday.
Charles added six rebounds, six assists, and two steals to her 23 point game to lead the Eagles (15-14, 10-8 OVC). Katie Novik helped out with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists and Hallie Rhodes chipped in with nine points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Morehead State pulled down 45 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Lindenwood's 30, led by 13 boards from Blessing King. The Eagles also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 19 rebounds into 20 second chance points.
Morehead State's defense held Lindenwood to only 35 percent shooting from the field.
After playing to an 8-8 tie early in the game, Morehead State went on a 6-0 run with 5:25 left in the first quarter to take a 14-8 lead. The Eagles then maintained that lead and entered the quarter break with a 20-14 advantage. Morehead State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 20 points close to the basket.
Morehead State kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 7-0 run starting at the 4:30 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Charles, to increase its lead to 32-20. The Eagles proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 39-26 advantage heading into halftime. Morehead State dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 19 points close to the basket.
Morehead State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 10-0 run to expand its lead further to 55-38 with 2:11 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Lions had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Eagles still entered the fourth quarter with a 57-45 edge. Morehead State's bench made the most of its minutes in the period, as non-starters totaled seven of the team's 18 third-quarter points.
Morehead State kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by King's layup, to grow the lead to 68-50 with 3:26 to go in the contest. The Lions narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Eagles still cruised the rest of the way for the 72-59 win. Morehead State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 15 points in the paint.
LITTLE ROCK 72, TENNESSEE TECH 69 (OT)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - In a game that saw 15 ties and 19 lead changes, it was the Little Rock women's basketball team that got the last lead of the day, beating Tennessee Tech 72-69 in overtime Saturday to clinch the No. 2 seed in next week's OVC Championships.
Little Rock (12-17 overall, 11-7 OVC) went into the overtime period facing the prospect of falling into the No. 6 seed, but instead, senior Jayla Brooks scored seven of her 17 points in the extra period to give the home crowd something to remember in her final appearance at the Jack Stephens Center. Now, the Trojans will take advantage of the double bye granted to the top two seeds and get a free ride into the semifinal round Friday in Evansville, Ind.
Brooks played all 45 minutes, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals as the Trojans were once again without two starters due to illness. Faith Lee had a team-high 20 points, Jordan Holman added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Sug Williams came up big with a season-high 14 points and seven boards.
Neither team led by more than five at any point, as the Trojans held the advantage on the glass (37-31), in the paint (32-24) and in transition (16-4). Little Rock shot 45.3 percent from the floor (24-of-53) and 70 percent from the free throw line as the Trojans used an aggressive attack to get to the foul line 30 times.
Reagan Hurst led Tennessee Tech (15-14, 10-8) with a career-high 22 points, including 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Preseason OVC Player of the Year Maaliya Owens added 14 points but made just 5-of-16 shots and Reghan Grimes chipped in 11 for the Golden Eagles, who will be the No. 6 seed in Evansville.
With the game tied at 63-63, Brooks turned it on in overtime, converting three free throws to give Little Rock a 66-63 lead, then a layup with 3:10 to play to go ahead 68-65. With the lead down to one, Brooks came through again, slicing through the Tennessee Tech defense for a layup with 29 seconds remaining – the final points for either team. Owens and Grimes would each have a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but both shots fell short.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 84, SIUE 56
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois women's basketball cruised to a 28-point senior day victory over SIUE. Western Illinois's 86-58 victory moved them to 18-11 overall and 9-9 in conference play.
Western Illinois went inside early to start Saturday's ballgame as Alissa Dins got the game's first two points. Dins stayed in action on WIU's second possession as she found Addi Brownfield for a three, pushing WIU in front 5-0. SIUE cut the Leatherneck lead down to one before Raegan McCowan, and Dins went back-to-back with baskets. Down 10-9 with three minutes, Western Illinois found Anna Deets on the perimeter for back-to-back three-pointers as WIU jumped back in front 15-10. SIUE closed the first quarter on a 4-0 run as the Leathernecks held a 15-14 advantage after one.
Western Illinois' offense got working early in the second quarter as Jasmine Nichols and McCowan scored four quick points. SIUE battled back, cutting the Leathernecks lead to one (21-20) before Mallory McDermott scored five straight points as WIU claimed a 26-23 lead. The Leathernecks defense held the Cougars scoreless for the final two and half minutes as McDermott hit one final three-pointer, giving WIU a 29-23 halftime lead.
After the halftime break, Anna Deets's offense took over. The senior scored the Leatherneck's first five points as she watched the lead grow to 34-23. The Leathernecks headed to their underclassman to keep the run going, with McCowan and Allie Meadows combing for the following five points as WIU held a 39-36 advantage. Ahead 41-28, McDermott had five straight points as WIU saw their largest lead at 18 (46-28) with 2:46 left in the third quarter. SIUE would control the final 2:46 as they trailed by 11 (53-42) heading into the final ten minutes.
The Leathernecks took little time to put the game out of reach. A three by Kaylen Reed and a putback by Alissa Dins saw WIU in front 58-42. WIU grew their lead a minute later as McCowan had back-to-back baskets, putting Western Illinois's largest lead at 22 (67-45). McCowan and Dins kept the offense firepower as they combined for the following eight Leatherneck points and a 25-point lead, 77-52. WIU's offense put the final touches on a 28-point victory, securing a pair of layups off assists from Reed as WIU capped off the regular season with an 84-56 win.
Western Illinois offense saw three players score 16 or more points, with four total players in double digits. Raegan McCowan led the way with 17 points on 7-13 from the field. Mallory McDermott finished with 16, and Anna Deets, in her last game at Western Hall, also finished with 16. Alissa Dins set a new season high with her 11 points. Kaylen Reed led the Leathernecks with seven assists as WIU had 21 assists on 31 made baskets.
TENNESSEE STATE 55, UT MARTIN 53
MARTIN, Tenn. - Lyric Cole knocked down a shot with only six seconds left in the game to put the Tennessee State women's basketball team up for good in a 55-53 victory against the UT Martin Skyhawks on the road Saturday. The win will keep TSU's OVC tournament chances alive, as the Tigers will need Southern Indiana to defeat SEMO this evening, which will give TSU the eighth seed.
The Tigers (10-18, 7-11) had two players score in double figures, led by Eboni Williams, who had 17 points and four steals. Zyion Shannon tacked on 14 points off of the bench and Sanaa' St. Andre added seven points and six assists.
Tennessee State utilized fantastic ball movement in Saturday's game, piling up 19 assists on 23 made field goals. St. Andre's six assists were the most for the Tigers and Caitlin Anderson also added four assists of her own.
Tennessee State did a great job disrupting UT Martin shots in the contest, coming away with eight blocks. Jordan Aikens led the way individually for the Tigers with three rejections.
After falling behind 10-9, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 1:54 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Saniah Parker, to take a 14-10 lead. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 14-13 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 14 points.
The Tigers could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 28-27.
UT Martin continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 38-36 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a three from Shannon, to grab a 42-38 lead with 2:01 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Skyhawks had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Tigers still entered the fourth quarter with a 42-40 edge. Tennessee State knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 15 total points.
UT Martin proceeded to take a 48-46 lead before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Shannon's three, to seize a 51-48 lead with 4:06 to go in the contest. The Skyhawks narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still held on for the 55-53 win. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 13 points in the paint.
SOUTHERN INDIANA 70, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 59
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball captured a gritty 70-59 Senior Night win over Southeast Missouri State University at Screaming Eagles Arena on Saturday night to conclude the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference regular season.
Saturday's victory was Southern Indiana's eighth win in a row, as the Screaming Eagles head into next week's OVC Championship Tournament and the semifinal round as the No. 1 seed with a 22-6 overall record and a 17-1 conference record. In extending its second-longest winning streak of the season, USI became only the fifth team in OVC history to reach at least 17 conference wins.
On Saturday evening, junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) jumpstarted Southern Indiana's offense with three consecutive triples early in the first quarter. USI went on a 13-0 run while holding Southeast Missouri scoreless for over five minutes, producing a 13-3 lead for the Screaming Eagles. The Redhawks made a small push toward the end of the opening period, but USI maintained its 10-point lead, 20-10, going to the second quarter.
In the second period, both sides had some trouble finding quality chances against the defenses. However, freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) found open spots for USI. Gannon scored multiple layups in the post, including a three-point play. Gannon's effort helped increase Southern Indiana's lead to 32-12 four minutes into the second frame. Scrappy play caused both offenses to stall in the late minutes of the first half, as USI took a 38-25 advantage into halftime.
Southern Indiana started the second half with a quick five points by Shafford that pushed USI's lead to 18, 43-25. Southeast Missouri responded by chipping away, cutting the Screaming Eagles' lead down to 11, 45-34, by the four-minute mark of the third quarter. Later in the third, Shafford drained her fifth three-pointer, but the Redhawks answered to stay within 11 points of USI. In the final seconds of the third quarter, senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) answered a SEMO three with a last-second layup to give Southern Indiana a 51-41 advantage through 30 minutes of action.
The slugfest continued into the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Each side had only one field goal in the first four minutes of the fourth. Gannon dropped a floater from the middle of the lane to give USI a 53-44 lead three and a half minutes into the period. Southern Indiana extended its lead back to double figures on Shafford's sixth trey, giving Shafford 20-plus points for the game. Following a series of exchanged baskets, Southeast Missouri came back to within eight points with under a minute remaining. Southern Indiana closed out the game at the foul line.
Southern Indiana was 20-41 for 49 percent from the floor with eight three-pointers. USI converted 22 of 30 free-throw attempts for 73 percent. Shafford ended the night tying her career high with 26 points on 8-11 shooting with six makes from three. Gannon totaled 16 points in the contest.
Southeast Missouri was held to 26 percent shooting (19-73) with eight triples. The Redhawks were 13-19 for 68 percent at the charity stripe. SEMO outrebounded USI 45-37, including 25 offensive rebounds for the Redhawks. Junior guard Jaliyah Green led three Redhawks in double digits scoring with 17 points.
Following Saturday's home win, USI Women's Basketball recognized senior guards Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) and Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) as well as team manager Mason Auker on Senior Night for their contributions and dedication to the program.
The Screaming Eagles turn their attention to the OVC Championship Tournament next week at Ford Center in downtown Evansville, Indiana. Southern Indiana will have to wait to find out its opponent following Thursday's action in the quarterfinals. The Screaming Eagles are on the top side of the bracket where the winner of No. 8 Tennessee State University and No. 5 Morehead State University in the first round will face No. 4 Eastern Illinois University in the quarterfinals with the winner from that matchup taking on USI.