Ohio Valley Conference

MACOMB, Ill. - In a game that showed the Leathernecks' heart and hustle, Western Illinois (13-12, 7-9 OVC) battled through early struggles and overtime to secure a 78-73 victory over Morehead State at Western Hall on Saturday afternoon. 
WIU had a sluggish start offensively, managing only 10 points in the first quarter while struggling to find their shooting touch. They started the game two for nine from the field and couldn't get much going on the offensive end of the floor. However, adjustments were made in the second quarter, as the Leathernecks became more aggressive on offense, leading to 16 points. Despite the improvement, Morehead State maintained control, heading into halftime with a 32-26 advantage.

However, the second half saw a different squad take the floor for the Leathernecks, as they turned up the defensive intensity and found their rhythm offensively, particularly through Raegan McCowan and Mia Nicastro, who provided a powerful inside presence.

McCowan delivered another strong performance on the season, pouring in a game-high 34 points. She was relentless in attacking the basket, earning 14 trips to the free throw line and converting on 12 of them. Her ability to break down the defense and score in traffic was a key factor in the Leathernecks' comeback. McCowan also contributed defensively, securing five rebounds and playing a season-high 42 minutes. When the game reached crunch time, she hit crucial shots and maintained her composure at the line.

Nicastro played a pivotal role as well this afternoon, registering a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds.  She was a force in the paint, battling Morehead State's Forwards and controlling the boards. Nicastro's defensive presence helped limit second-chance opportunities for the Eagles, and her efficiency at the line (6-of-6 free throws) proved valuable in a game decided by just five points. The Leathernecks dominated at the free-throw line, converting 30-of-35 attempts (85.7%) which proved to be the difference-maker in a tightly contested battle.

Western Illinois saw key contributions from several other players as Mallory McDermott chipped in with 11 points, adding an important scoring punch in the second half. Addi Brownfield filled up the stat sheet with seven points, five rebounds, and three assists, but her defense was just as important, tallying two steals and one block before fouling out late in the game. Madison Davis and Allie Meadows each played crucial minutes, providing defensive stops and helping to manage the game down the stretch.

The Leathernecks would force overtime with clutch free throws and defensive stands. The extra period was all about execution, and Western Illinois delivered. They outscored Morehead State 14-9 in overtime and had a couple of back-to-back defensive stands that forced multiple late turnovers. Despite not making a single three pointer, Western Illinois found other ways to win. 

WIU will look to build on this performance as they prepare for their next conference showdown next week as they will take on SEMO and Little Rock next Thursday and Saturday on the road.

LINDENWOOD 75, SOUTHERN INDIANA 56
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood women's basketball (18-7, 14-2 OVC) took care of business at home on Saturday during their ESPNU game against Southern Indiana (18-9, 10-6 OVC) picking up a 75-56 win over the Screaming Eagles. LU finishes their home season with a 13-2 record and a perfect 10-0 conference record.

Gracy Wernli and Gracie Kelsey both had career days for the Lions against USI. They combined for 42 points against Southern Indiana while both set career-highs. Wernli scored 23 points on 6-10 shooting including five triples and a perfect 6-6 at the foul line. Kelsey added 19 points off the bench shooting 5-6 from the floor and 9-9 at the line. She also added a team-high seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

Ellie Brueggemann also added 12 points for Lindenwood shooting 5-8 from the field while adding two threes. Lindenwood finished the game shooting 24-52 (46.2 FG%) from the field while going 9-22 from three and 18-24 from the foul line. USI shot 31.3% from the floor in the loss.

Lindenwood won the rebounding battle against USI grabbing 39 boards compared to 31 by the Screaming Eagles. Of those 39 rebounds, LU grabbed 12 offensive boards including four from Mya Skoff. Skoff only had three points but added a career-best seven assists. LU assisted on 18 of their 24 made field-goals marking the 10th time this season the Lions have had at least 15 assists.

Both teams turned the ball over 18 times with Lindenwood picking up a season-best 14 steals. Lindenwood scored 14 points off turnovers while winning the margin down-low out-scoring USI 30-16 in the painted area. The Lions' bench also did its job scoring 28 points compared to USI's 16. This marked the first ever win for the Lions over Southern Indiana.

It was a quick jump to the start of the game as the Lions held control at 11-6 with 4-10 remaining in the first quarter. Four different Lions were able to score through the first six minutes. After one quarter, LU held a 16-10 advantage after shooting 37.5% from the floor.

To start the second quarter, Lindenwood jumped out on a 7-2 run which included a three-pointer from senior Mary McGrath, her first of the season. LU led 23-12 with 6:23 remaining. It was all Lindenwood to end the half as the Lions took the lead 34-18 heading into the locker room. The Lions shot 50.0% from the floor in the second quarter while holding USI to 18.8%. Kelsye scored nine points to lead all scorers.

The third quarter saw a lot of scoring with the Lions edging the Screaming Eagles 23-20 at the end of the 10 minutes. LU shot 7-14 from the floor in the third while USI shot 6-14 including three threes. Wernli shot lights out in the period making three straight threes as LU heading into the fourth with a 57-38 lead. Lindenwood had their highest lead in the third quarter at 25 points.

Southern Indiana did make a run to start the fourth cutting the lead to 14 with 7:47 remaining, but Lindenwood battled back eventually taking care of business at home closing out the game by a score of 75-56. LU shot 5-10 in the fourth and 7-8 at the line.

Heading into the final four games of the season, Lindenwood still is tied for the OVC lead with a 14-2 conference record. Lindenwood has fourth straight away games to end the regular season, including a match-up with Tennessee Tech in the final game in Cookeville, Tenn. The Lions' current win streak sits at nine while TTU has won 11 in a row.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 66, UT MARTIN 62
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois extended its current home win streak to 14 games on Saturday afternoon with a 66-62 win over UT Martin in the annual CARE Game at Groniger Arena.
 
Macy McGlone came on late to score 22 points while pulling down 12 rebounds helping the Panthers improve to 16-9 overall, 13-3 in the OVC.
 
Lyric Johnson scored 11 points to join McGlone in double figures for the Panthers on a night when they found balance on the offensive end of the floor.
 
Anaya Brown kept the Skyhawks in the game much of the day scoring a game-high 25 points as UTM dropped to 11-16 overall, 8-8 in the OVC.
 
Ella Lune had a spark off the bench in the first half with a couple of steals, converting those into baskets as she finished with seven points. 
 
EIU held a 35-24 lead at the half and was able to keep the advantage to double figures for a large part of the second half, growing to as many as 17 points with 5:03 to play in the third quarter on a McGlone jumper.
 
UTM got the lead to single digits with 5:45 to play on a 3-pointer by Norah Clark, one of three 3-pointers the Skyhawks hit the game. 
 
A Clark steal leading to a Brown lay-up with 3:19 to play cut the margin to three at 55-52. 
 
McGlone's three-point play pushed the lead to nine with 22 seconds left before UTM cut into the final margin.

TENNESSEE STATE 77, SIUE 58
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -  Aaniya Webb scored 21 points and Saniah Parker added 20 and the Tennessee State women's basketball team beat SIUE 77-58 on the road Saturday.

The Tigers (8-18, 4-12 OVC) had four players score in double figures, led by Webb, who had 21 points and eight rebounds. Parker tacked on 20 points, seven assists and three steals and Somah Kamara chipped in as well with 18 points and three steals from the bench.

Led by Lyric Cole's six offensive rebounds, Tennessee State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 14 boards that resulted in seven second chance points.

Tennessee State forced 23 SIUE turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Saturday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 32 points on the offensive end of the floor. Cole's five steals led the way for Tennessee State.

After jumping out to a 7-6 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run with 5:16 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Kamara, to increase its lead to 13-6. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 14-13.

SIUE kept adding to that lead, building a 26-22 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run to take a 28-26 lead. The Tigers kept that lead for the remainder of the period and enjoyed a 30-28 advantage heading into halftime. Tennessee State dominated in the paint, scoring 12 of its 17 points close to the basket.

Following intermission, Tennessee State continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 39-33 before going on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a three from Parker, to expand its lead further to 47-33 with 6:41 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Tigers added two points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 61-45 edge. Tennessee State knocked down five three-pointers in the quarter to score 15 of its 31 total points.

The Tigers coasted to the win from there, increasing their margin of victory by outscoring the Cougars 16-13 in the fourth quarter. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 14 of its 16 points in the paint.

TENNESSEE TECH 78, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 50
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The road portion of the 2024-25 regular-season schedule came to a close Saturday at the Show Me Center with Tennessee Tech cruising for the 78-50 victory over host Southeast Missouri.

It was a dominant performance, one where the Golden Eagles led by as many as 35 points before shifting down gear to close out the game.

The victory was important in many other ways though – the win gave Tech its 11th straight winning, tying the longest in the Kim Rosamond era with the same tally between Dec. 17, 2019, and January 25, 2020. The streak is also tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in program history.

Tech also had a 12-game winning streak in 1991-92, a 17-game run in 1976-77, and 18-game span in 2000-01 and the program's longest stretch is 21 games in 1976-76 – a year where the Golden Eagles went 28-2.

The win also gave Tech its 20th win of the year, giving the program its 31st 20-win season all-time and the fourth in the Rosamond era.

The Golden Eagles improve to 20-5 on the year and 14-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference. With Lindenwood's 75-56 victory over Southern Indiana, Tech and the Lions continue to be tied atop the league standings, with Eastern Illinois still in striking distance after a 66-62 win over UT Martin.

Five players scored in double figures for the Golden Eagles, led by true freshman Chloe Larry, who almost had a perfect day as she went 7-for-8 from the field, knocked down a season-best four of five 3-point tries and was 2-for-2 at the line. The reigning OVC Freshman of the Week also had five rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Anna Walker was efficient in her 14 points, going 5-for-7 and 2-for-2 from 3-point land, while knocking down both free-throw tries. Walker also collected five boards and two steals. Keeley Carter also had 14 on the scoresheet as she was 4-for-7 from the field with a 3-pointer and 5-for-6 at the line. Carter also collected four boards and a team-high five assists.

Peyton Carter also passed the decade mark as she scored 12 points with a pair of treys and a 4-for-4 effort at the line, with six rebounds, three assists and four steals. Taris Thornton hit double digits as well with 10 points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.

SEMO (4-21, 2-14 OVC) had two double-digit producers as Ainaya Williams scored 11 points with five rebounds and two blocks, while Jariyah Williamson was 4-for-6 with two 3-pointers for 10 points accompanying a rebound and two steals.

The Golden Eagles came out on fire and never looked back, shooting 46.7 percent from the field as Tech outscored SEMO 21-11 in the opening stanza. In the second, Tech was 9-for-15 from the field for a scorching 60-percent clip.

Tech also made the Redhawks pay on the glass as the Golden Eagles pulled down 35 boards to 22, including an 11-8 advantage on the offensive glass. Tech had 16 second-chance points and also created 24 points off of 18 SEMO turnovers.