Ohio Valley Conference

NASHVILLE - Tennessee State women's basketball showed strong stretches on both ends of the floor Sunday afternoon, taking a 34–28 lead into halftime and battling throughout before ultimately dropping a hard-fought 63–55 road decision at Lipscomb.

The Lady Tigers (1–7) were paced by another standout performance from Aaniya Webb, who poured in 16 points and added two steals as she continued her steady offensive rhythm. Erin Martin gave TSU a major spark off the bench with 12 points and six rebounds, while Brianna Wooldridge controlled the paint with nine points, seven boards and two blocks.

TSU's effort on the offensive glass was one of the bright spots of the day. Led by Kiki Roberts and her five offensive rebounds, the Lady Tigers attacked the boards with energy, grabbing 17 offensive rebounds that turned into 15 second-chance points — a category TSU dominated.

Defensively, Tennessee State put together one of its stronger outings of the season, holding Lipscomb to just 36.2 percent shooting from the field and a cold 21.7 percent from three-point range.

The Lady Tigers will look to build on the positives from Sunday's performance as they continue their road stretch.

Tennessee State got off to a slow start offensively, until Brianna Wooldridge sparked a 7-4 run to end the first quarter up 10-9.

The Lady Tigers responded with their best stretch of the game to open the second period, erupting for a 6–0 run highlighted by buckets from Xai Whitfield, Aaniya Webb, and Wooldridge to make it 25-19 halfway through the second quarter. TSU controlled much of the quarter with solid execution and transition play, heading into halftime with a 34-28 advantage thanks to continued defensive pressure.

Lipscomb rallied in the third, using a late push to take a 46-43 lead entering the final quarter. A pair of free throws from Erin Martin, a forced turnover, and a bucket from Whitfield, and the Lady Tigers regained the lead early in the fourth. The teams traded leads before a late Bison layup lifted Lipscomb passed the Lady Tigers.

MISSOURI 65, SIUE 56
COLUMBIA, Mo. - SIUE women's basketball battles through close match against Missouri. The Cougars held an early lead through halftime but were unable to keep it going, falling in the fourth quarter 65-56.
 
SIUE drops to 5-3 on the season, while Missouri extends its win streaks and improves to 9-2 overall.
 
The Tigers took an early lead, but Kiyoko Proctor hit an early three giving the Cougars the advantage (10-8) with 6:18 to play in the first quarter.
 
Macy Silvey had a hot hand shooting 4-5 at the end of the first quarter, giving SIUE a nine-point advantage going into halftime (33-24).
 
Missouri tied the game (41-41) after a jumper from Grace Slaughter with 24 seconds to play in the third quarter. Slaughter also had a free throw for the advantage, but a free throw from Proctor tied the game (42-42) with 23 seconds left in the third.
 
The Cougars battled through the fourth quarter but were unable to regain the lead.
 
Silvey finished the game leading SIUE with 17 points going 5-10 from beyond the arc and 6-12 from the field. She also grabbed five rebounds.
 
Following her were Kiyoko Proctor who posted 14 points and Lauren Miller who had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. Syanne Mohamed led the team with nine rebounds and contributed three assists.
 
As a team the Cougars connected on 34 percent (18-53) of their shots from the field, 37.5 percent (9-24) of their shots from three-point range and banked 73 percent (11-15) of their shots from the line.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 80, DRAKE 74
DES MOINES, Iowa - Western Illinois women's basketball picked up its second straight win on Sunday afternoon, outlasting Drake 80–74 inside the Knapp Center in Des Moines. The Leathernecks opened the game with sharp execution on both ends, storming out to a 25–16 first-quarter lead behind efficient shooting and active defense. WIU pushed the margin to double digits by halftime, taking a 46–26 advantage into the break after holding Drake to just two made field goals in the second quarter.

Raegan McCowan powered the Leathernecks throughout the afternoon, pouring in 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds before fouling out late. Her scoring inside set the tone early, and she repeatedly answered Drake's runs with key baskets. Allie Meadows added a strong performance of her own, knocking down three triples and finishing with 15 points. Mia Nicastro contributed 14 points, and Addi Brownfield delivered a well-rounded effort with 13 points, six boards, and two steals. Kaylen Reed provided steady play at the point, scoring eight and leading WIU with six assists.

After halftime, Drake mounted a push, outscoring Western 21–12 in the third quarter and chipping the deficit down to single digits behind big performances from Grace Knutson (24 points) and Abbie Aalsma (22). The Bulldogs continued to surge in the fourth, but every time the momentum shifted, WIU found late answers at the free-throw line and on the defensive end to keep control. Western's ability to convert 21 of 26 free throws—compared to Drake's 13—proved pivotal as the Bulldogs attempted to rally.

WIU finished the day shooting 45 percent from the field and 41 percent from three, while forcing 15 turnovers and generating 12 points off those giveaways. Mallory Shetley added seven rebounds and two blocks off the bench, playing an important role in late-game minutes.

With the win, Western Illinois improves to 6–1 on the season and extends its winning streak to two games.

ILLINOIS STATE 64, EASTERN ILLINOIS 46
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State used key runs to end the third and fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon to pick up a 64-46 win over Eastern Illinois at CEFCU Arena.

The two teams were tied at 11-11 after the first quarter with Ella Lune and Ava Stoller contributing for all eleven of the Panthers points in the opening ten minutes.

Lune and Stoller would carry the Panthers offense throughout the game with both players scoring 16 points to lead EIU as the Panthers fell to 1-8 overall.

The Panthers trailed 25-23 at the half ending a 9-0 Illinois State run with 3-pointers by Lune and Clara Glad. 

In the third quarter the Redbirds went up by double figures with 2:51 to play in the quarter on a 3-pointer by Bella Finnegan as part of a 12-0 run.  ISU led 46-33 after three quarters of action.

In the fourth Stoller had back-to-back steals to cut the margin down to 50-44 with 4:28 to play.  ISU ended the game with a 12-0 run as they improved to 5-5.

Jaeden Pratt led ISU with 15 points.

MOREHEAD STATE 61, LOUISIANA 54
LAFAYETTE, La. - A big night by senior Kate Dike and a third quarter surge powered Morehead State to a 61-54 victory over the University of Louisiana in the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana Sunday night.  
 
Morehead State (4-5) went on a 17-3 run through six minutes in the middle of the third quarter and outscored Louisiana 22-11 in the period to take a 46-34 lead heading into the final ten minutes. Dike led the charge, scoring 12 of her career-high 35 points in the third frame. The Eagles closed the period hitting five of their last six shots from the floor and hit six of their nine (67%) field goal attempts in the frame.
 
Dike's 35 points led all scorers and is the highest scoring total to-date in the Ohio Valley Conference. Dike hit 12 of her 18 field goal attempts including all three of her three-point shot attempts. She also hit eight of 12 from the free throw line. Dike also pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds for her third career double-double and the second of the season.
 
Laura Toffali added 10 points for Morehead State; the Eagles shot 20-49 (41%) from the floor and just five of 21 (24%) from three-point range for the game.
 
Louisiana (0-9) was led by Bianca Silva with 13 points. Kahlen Norris added 11 for the Cajuns.  
 
Louisiana ran off the game's first seven points to grab the early lead. Morehead State answered with a 10-2 to take the lead 10-9. Both teams struggled to score at times: the Eagles shot 6-17 (35%) from the field in the opening frame, while Louisiana went just 4-13 (31%).  Morehead State closed out the quarter with a six-point run to go to the quarter break with a 16-11 lead.
 
The Rajin' Cajuns raced out to score the first seven points of the second quarter to regain the lead 18-16. Morehead State clawed back to regain the lead 22-21 on a Dike turnaround layup with just under four minutes to play in the half. The Eagles went into the intermission on top 24-23 after two Landon Forbes free throws with four seconds left.
 
After trailing by a dozen heading into the final period, the Rajin' Cajuns cut the MSU lead to six twice, last on driving layup with 4:44 to go. Louisiana went cold in the late stages from the floor, failing to make a field goal until there were just 16 seconds to play. Dike again led the charge for the Eagles, scoring 13 of MSU 15 points in the final frame.