Ohio Valley Conference

JONESBORO, Ark. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team couldn't stop Arkansas State's high-powered offense, which included an opponent season-high 12 3-pointers, and fell to the Red Wolves, 78-66, Saturday at the First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro.

The Skyhawks kept it close until the third quarter, where they were outscored by Arkansas State, 28-10. That momentum carried over to the beginning of the fourth as the Red Wolves held a 29-point advantage with nine minutes left in the game. However, in the rest of the fourth, UT Martin battled back and outscored Arkansas State, 27-14, in the period. However, the rally was not enough as the Skyhawks eventually fell by 12.

The Red Wolves had the advantage on the boards in the game, 41-33. However, one of the biggest factors in the win was the imbalance in offensive rebounds at 21-8. The offensive rebound deficit led to the Skyhawks being outscored on second-chance points, 27-8.

After putting up career-highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds Thursday against Lipscomb, Zy Thompson surpassed those totals with 26 points and 15 rebounds, for her second consecutive double-double. Thompson had team-highs in all five major statistical categories on the afternoon, also posting three assists, three steals and three blocks.

Kenley McCarn kept her streak of scoring double-digit points in each game this season alive by following Thompson with 16 points, while Grace Billington added 10.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 76, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 71
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (3-5) fell to Southern Illinois (2-6), 76-71, in a closely contested matchup at the Banterra Center. The Redhawks maintained a 44-42 rebounding advantage but were unable to overcome 19 turnovers.

Carmen Taylor connected on two early 3-pointers, contributing to the Redhawks' initial lead. The Salukis responded with a 6-point run, fueled by Mia Gaines' layups, to tie the game. Kayla Cooper's fastbreak 3-pointer helped the Salukis take the lead late in the quarter. At the end of the first, the Salukis held a 16–14 advantage.

Lexi McCully and Madison Ayers combined for an early jumper to tie the score at 16. Indya Green contributed with a layup and two free throws, pushing the Salukis ahead 20–16. Taylor capped the half with a critical 3-pointer, leveling the score at 34. The teams entered halftime deadlocked at 35.

Ainaya Williams initiated the scoring with a layup at 9:09 to tie the game at 37. McCully contributed with a steal and assisted on a jumper by Williams as the Redhawks briefly took the lead. The Salukis responded with a layup by Tkiyah Nelson at 6:14, followed by a free throw to extend their advantage. Taylor's back-to-back free throws at 3:47 put the Redhawks ahead 49–46. At the end of the third quarter, the Redhawks held a narrow 56–55 lead.

Williams contributed early with two layups, helping the Redhawks maintain a slight edge. Raissa Nsabua's fastbreak layup extended the lead to six, but the Salukis responded with a 3-pointer from Cooper. McCully hit a crucial 3-pointer at 1:26, briefly giving the Redhawks the lead. Alayna Kraus and Nelson combined for clutch free throws in the final seconds, sealing the win for the Salukis. At the final buzzer, the Salukis secured the victory with a score of 76–71.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 56, EAST TENNESSEE 41
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball propelled its way to a 56-41 road win at East Tennessee State University on Saturday after a big second-half charge led by junior forward Chloe Gannon.
 
USI improved to 5-2 on the season after overcoming a 26-21 halftime deficit by outscoring East Tennessee State (3-7) 35-15 in the second half. The Screaming Eagles shot for over 48 percent and held the Buccaneers to 5-25 shooting after the intermission.
 
For the game, USI shot for 40 percent (23-58) overall compared to ETSU's 26 percent (12-46) from the floor. The Eagles owned the glass, 44-27, and points in the paint, 38-6.
 
Gannon led the way with a game-high 22 points on 10-19 shooting, setting a new scoring career high for the second game in a row after dropping 21 points last Sunday. The junior tallied 16 points in the second half.
 
Junior guard Sophia Loden posted her third consecutive double-double outing, recording 10 points and matching a career-best 13 rebounds that she just set last weekend. The last time a USI player logged three consecutive double-doubles was the 2017-18 season, when Morgan Dahlstrom registered four double-doubles in a row between January 20, 2018, and February 1, 2018.
 
Senior guard Ali Saunders, who notched eight points in Saturday's game, surpassed 1,000 overall career points in the contest. Interestingly enough, Saunders entered the day needing only one point to reach the milestone and achieved the feat by converting an admin technical foul free throw before the opening tip.
 
Following the technical foul free throw and opening tip, USI raced out to an 8-2 advantage, thanks to five early points from junior guard Shannon Blacher. However, East Tennessee State answered with three triples and an 11-0 run to take a 13-8 lead by the four-minute mark of the opening quarter. A layup by Gannon snapped the run, but the Buccaneers went on to lead 18-12 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Gannon helped USI cut into ETSU's lead with a pair of baskets in the early minutes of the second period. While scoring was hard to come by in the second quarter, the Screaming Eagles went on a 7-0 run and held the Bucs scoreless for seven minutes to start the second quarter to jump ahead, 19-18. East Tennessee State got its first field goal of the second quarter with two minutes left in the half. A last-second layup from Blacher snapped an 8-0 run by the Bucs, as USI trailed by five, 26-21, going into halftime.
 
Out of the break, Gannon and the Screaming Eagles came out with authority. Gannon scored 10 points in the first five and a half minutes of the third, while junior forward Maddy Fay scored a couple of layups to help USI overtake East Tennessee State. The Eagles ended the frame on a 17-3 run to blitz their way to an 11-point lead, 42-31, after outscoring the Bucs 21-5 in the third. Gannon poured in 12 of the 21 points for USI.
 
Each side scored a bucket in the first minute of the fourth, but the defenses held each team in check until nearly five minutes left in the game when Gannon scored on an offensive putback. A minute later, Loden cashed in on a three-point play to stretch USI's lead to 15, 49-34. Even though each team exchanged tallies in the final couple of minutes, the Screaming Eagles maintained their cushion to close out the road victory.

LITTLE ROCK 57, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 48
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Little Rock used a dominant fourth quarter and a 20-point performance from Jordan Holman to power past Central Arkansas, 57–48, Saturday night at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans outscored UCA 20–6 in the final period to erase a three-point deficit and close out the in-state matchup with authority. 

The win moves Little Rock to 3–5 on the season while UCA drops to 6–3. The game was part of the Governor's I-40 Showdown presented by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

The Trojans trailed 18–5 after a cold-shooting first quarter but responded with an 18-point second period to pull within eight at halftime. Little Rock continued to chip away in the third, setting up its overpowering fourth-quarter surge.

UCA was led by Linda Amaning's 10 points and six rebounds, while Bree Stephens posted a double-double with seven points and 13 boards. The Sugar Bears shot just 19-of-60 (31%) from the field and 4-of-13 from three

Trailing 42–37 entering the fourth, the Trojans locked down defensively, holding UCA to just two made field goals in the period. Holman took over offensively, scoring her final seven points at the line in the closing minutes, including four straight free throws to put the game away.

Little Rock's defense forced 16 turnovers and turned them into 16 points, a key factor in the comeback.

Holman's 20 points came on 6-of-16 shooting, along with six rebounds and a game-high three blocks, anchoring the Trojans on both ends of the floor.
Sophomore guard Brenna Burk added 14 points, including two three-pointers, and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

Jarahle Daniels provided an important lift off the bench, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out two assists, while freshman Alaina Payne contributed five boards and steady defense in 33 minutes of action.

Little Rock finished 20-for-24 from the free-throw line—a major difference in the game. UCA attempted only eight.