Ohio Valley Conference

MOREHEAD, Ky. - It was a chase from behind until the final seconds for the Little Rock women's basketball team but clutch free throws and well timed three-point shots gave the Trojans the 66-63 win over Morehead State. Little Rock advances to 12-11, 10-4 in conference, while Morehead State falls to 8-16, 3-11 in conference play.
 
Jordan Holman led the team with 17 points, six rebounds, four steals, and one block. Faith Lee contributed 14 points and two steals, and Emerald Parker pitched in 11 points and four rebounds.
 
The Trojans had an uphill battle from the jump, ending the first quarter 1-of-13 from the floor and down by 14. The Eagles were hot, shooting 60% from the field with a three-pointer. 
 
The second quarter followed suit, with Little Rock starting to chip away at Morehead's lead. With free throws by Faith Lee and a clutch three-pointer by Annemarie Batista, the Trojans trailed 18-31 going into halftime.
 
It was a much closer contest in the second half of game play, with Little Rock shooting 5-of-8 from the floor. Brooks chipped away at the lead with a three pointer at the 2:28 mark in the third. This cut Morehead's lead to 11. Lee cut the lead to single digits with a layup in the paint with 1:10 left to go in the third.
 
Little Rock was down by 13 going into the final 10 minutes. The Trojans found a final push with Holman's steal and layup with 3:23 left to play, cutting the deficit to just five.
 
Holman blocked MSU guard Kate Novik's shot, that converted to a rebound from Williams who took it to the paint. 
 
It was Brooks clutch three-point and one shot in the final two minutes that gave the Trojans something to believe in. Little Rock was down 60-61 with 1:46 left to play.
 
MSU's Chrishawn Coleman turned the ball over, and once again Holman converted it for two. This gave Little Rock its first lead of the day with 43 seconds left.
 
Parker pounded the paint with an assit from Lee to give the Trojans a 64-63 lead.
 
After an intentional foul on MSU's Harley Paynter, Brenna Burk subbed in, making 1-of-2 from the charity line. 
 
The Trojans came away with the win, 66-63.
 
Morehead State was led by Kate Novik with 16 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Harley Paynter also chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
 
The Trojans ended the night shooting 43.4% on 23-of-53 shots. Little Rock ended the afternoon with 32 points in the paint, 19 fast break points, and 20 points off turnovers.

TENNESSEE TECH 65, EASTERN ILLINOIS 54
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois' Macy McGlone has been one of the top players in the Ohio Valley Conference this season and she was a tough matchup in Tennessee Tech's first meeting with the Panthers back in January.

On Saturday, Anna Walker did her hardest to stand toe-to-toe, outscoring the EIU post 21 to 17 and blocking two more shots as the Golden Eagle graduate helped lead Tech to a thrilling 65-54 victory over the visiting Panthers in the Hooper Eblen Center.

With the victory – coupled with Lindenwood's win over Tennessee State – the Golden Eagles (18-5, 12-2 OVC) remain in a first-place tie with the Lions and Eastern Illinois (14-9, 11-3 OVC) falls into third place with Little Rock (12-11, 10-4 OVC) and Southern Indiana (17-8, 9-5 OVC) looming just within reach of the Panthers with the conference tournament four weeks away.

The Golden Eagles have now won nine straight games – tied for the second-longest winning streak in the Kim Rosamond era with a nine-game swing in 2018-19 and two behind the longest of 11 in the 2019-20 season. It is tied for the 12th-longest winning streak in program history as it currently stands. Tech has also now won 14 straight home games since falling to Morehead State on Feb. 3, 2024. The longest home winning streak in program history is 23 games between Jan. 5, 1987, and Jan. 11, 1989.

Walker ended the game with a season-high 21 points, seven rebounds, an assist, two steals and four blocks. She was 8-for-18 from the field, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. McGlone ended the game with a double-double for the Panthers as she scored 17 points on 7-for-20 shooting with 15 boards, an assist and two blocks.

Tech was able to throw McGlone off her game as the EIU standout saw her foul count climb to four, though she remained in the game for 37:14 but was forced to play more cautiously. With a little breathing room and only 10 turnovers against them, the Golden Eagles were able to mount an offense that included a 25-14 effort in the second quarter.

The game did not start off well for the Golden Eagles as the Panthers clawed out to a 10-point, 15-5 lead at the 4:11 mark in the opening stanza, but Tech rallied to cut the deficit back to four points – 19-15 – in the waning moments of the quarter. Kiyley Flowers eight and McGlone six to pace the Panthers early, while Walker and Peyton Carter each had six points in the first 10 minutes.

After a slow shooting start, Tech recovered to finish the quarter shooting 40 percent from the field, but was still eclipsed by a 57.1-percent rate for the visitors.

The Golden Eagles saw Chloe Larry catch fire in the second quarter, scoring 13 of their 25 points as she was 5-for-7 from the field with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. Tech forced five Panther turnovers and converted those into 12 points. An 8-0 run led to a nine-point lead at the three-minute mark and again with 38 seconds left before the half, but EIU made it a 40-33 Tech lead at the intermission.

Tech did not score its first points in the third quarter until Carter made a pair of free throws with 4:38 remaining in the period – after EIU cut its deficit to one at 40-39 – then hit its first field goal at 3:22 with Reghan Grimes sinking a 3-pointer to reclaim a four-point 45-41 advantage.

McGlone tied the game with a 3-point play with a layup and a foul shot to even the game at 46 with 1:51 left in the quarter, but the Golden Eagles got two free throws from Keeley Carter and a layup from Taris Thornton to reclaim a four-point advantage at the end of the third and minimized EIU's 13-10 third-quarter outburst.

Flowers tied the game again at 8:18 remaining with a second-chance layup, then McGlone followed suit at 7:34 to make it a 52-50 game with 7:34 left. Keeley Carter sank the back end of a pair of charity tosses, then Walker drained a trey with 6:32 remaining to reclaim a 54-52 lead.

Tech never trailed again as the Panthers only scored a pair of free throws from Alex Rouse at 3:42. EIU did not score a field goal in the final 7:33 of the game, going 0-for-7 from the floor. The Golden Eagles outscored the Panthers 15-8 in the period with EIU shooting 3-for-14 in the final 10 minutes.

In addition to Walker's 21, Keeley Carter scored 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting and 7-for-8 at the line with eight rebounds. Larry finished with 14 points, four boards and two steals.

Flowers also finished in double-digits for the Panthers with 12 points, while Sydney-James Desroches had 10 points on a 4-for-6 day.

LINEDNWOOD 81, TENNESSEE STATE 70
NASHVILLE - Lindenwood women's basketball (16-7, 12-2 OVC) used a strong second half performance to overcome a three-point halftime deficit to defeat Tennessee State (7-17, 3-11 OVC) by a final score of 81-70. After Eastern Illinois' loss on Saturday, LU and Tennessee Tech are tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. This marked the first time LU has won back-to-back road wins since the 2019-20 season and first time in the Division I era.

There were four Lions to post double-figures in the win including Brooke Coffey who posted her second straight double-double increasing her total to five on the season. Coffey was tied for the team lead in points scoring 18 (career-high) while shooting 6-9 from the field and a perfect 5-5 from the foul line. She added a team-high 10 rebounds along with four assists and a block. Lindenwood out-rebounding TSU by 13 on the glass (42-29).

Mya Skoff kept her OVC hot streak alive scoring 18 points on 5-10 shooting while going 7-8 at the foul line. As a team, Lindenwood went to the foul line 27 times making 24. Their 27 trips marked the third most by the team this season. Skoff also added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In OVC play, Skoff has averaged 11.3 ppg while scoring in double-figures nine times including four straight.

Gracy Wernli also added 17 points in the win, shooting 4-7 from the field and a perfect 7-7 at the foul line. Ellie Brueggemann was the final Lion to score in double figures after scoring 11 points including three threes. In the second half, Lindenwood shot 6-11 from downtown.

Lindenwood finished the ballgame shooting 43.9% from the field and 31.8% from three while going 88.9% from the foul line, their second highest average this season. TSU shot 41.3% from the field while shooting 45.0% from three. LU was forced into 15 turnovers on Saturday while the Lady Tigers had 10. The Lions were able to push the pace of play scoring 23 points on fast break opportunities compared to 14 by TSU.

The Lions got out to a fast start going up 8-2 early through the first three minutes. After TSU tied the game at 8-8, Lindenwood responded with a 5-0 run capped off by a three by Brueggemann. TSU would end the half strong going on a 8-2 run as the Lady Tigers led 18-17 after one quarter.  LU was just 1-5 from three in the first while TSU shot 4-7.

Just one point was scored over the course of the first 3:11 of the second quarter before TSU opened up their largest lead of five points. Lindenwood was able to cut the lead back to two before TSU went on a 5-0 run to lead 27-20 with 3:21 left in the quarter. The Lions eventually cut the lead back to three (28-31) after two free throws by Justis Odom going into halftime. Lindenwood was held to just 4-13 from the field in the second quarter.

Tennessee State's lead was as many as eight points in the third quarter, but the Lions went on a 14-6 run to tie the game at 42-42 with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter. Gracie Kelsey had a huge and-one to tie the game. Lindenwood ended the half out-scoring TSU 12-6 as they went into the final quarter leading 54-48.

The fourth quarter started out all Lindenwood as the Lions jumped out to a 23-7 run which saw the Lions shoot 7-9 from the field including a perfect 3-3 from deep and 6-6 from the foul line. Coffey had eight points during that stretch while Brueggemann added six as the Lions led 77-55 with 4:33 left. Tennessee State's offense ended the game on a 15-4 run but it was too late as the Lions secured their 12th OVC win of the season.

UT MARTIN 75, WESTERN ILLINOIS 55
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team outscored Western Illinois, 43-19, in the second half of Saturday's game at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center in Martin, propelling them to a 75-55 win and the season sweep of the Leathernecks.

Just like in their January meeting, four different Skyhawks scored 10-plus points and at Ananya Brown tallied a double-double. However, this time, Daejah Richmond also had a double-double, her third straight, marking the first time since January of 2024 that two Skyhawks had a double-double in the same game.

Brown scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, while Richmond had 17 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with a game-high six assists. Over the last three games, Richmond has averaged 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

For the fourth time in five games, Kenley McCarn led UT Martin in scoring with 21 on Saturday, while Shae Littleford added 12 to the cause. The 21-point outburst marked the fourth time this season McCarn has scored 20-plus points and the third time in OVC play.

As a team, the Skyhawks shot 50.8-percent (30-59) from the floor and 37.5-percent (9-24) from 3-point range. UT Martin is now 5-1 on the season when shooting 50.0-percent or better in a game.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 67, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 56
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball bounced back at home on Homecoming Night, completing the season sweep over Southeast Missouri State University, 67-56.
 
USI concludes the three-game homestand at 17-8 overall and 9-5 in the OVC. SEMO falls to 4-19 overall and 2-12 in OVC play. The Screaming Eagles remain in fifth place, behind Tennessee Tech University (12-2), Lindenwood University (12-2), Eastern Illinois University (11-3), and University of Arkansas at Little Rock (10-4)
 
The Eagles fed graduate forward Meredith Raley early and often scoring the first six points on a perfect three-for-three shooting. Raley's offensive momentum carried into defense, firing up the USI faithful with an emphatic block.
 
After the first media timeout, USI continued to overwhelm the Redhawks with defensive pressure, holding SEMO to seven points in the first quarter, leading 12-7. USI dominated the boards with a nine-rebound advantage.  
 
The USI offense caught fire early in the second quarter, going on a 9-3 run with seven points from senior Vanessa Shafford, forcing a Redhawk timeout only 2:58 into the second quarter. Shafford's hot shooting continued to haunt the Redhawks as the senior scored 13 of the teams 18 second quarter points. 
 
The Eagle headed into the locker room leading 30-20. Both Shafford and Raley cracked double-digit points in the first half. Shafford totaled a game-high 13, while Raley finished with ten as each took over their own quarter. USI dominated the boards, 26-14, as ten were produced on the offensive end leading to eight second-chance points.
 
The Redhawks made an early push in the second half, closing the gap to seven before a strong Eagles retaliation sent the lead back to 12. Shafford remained on fire, converting an isolation three from the elbow.  However, SEMO refused to go away, pulling within ten points on multiple short offensive runs. The Eagles failed to let the runs escalate, matching the Redhawks spurts.
 
USI closed out the third quarter on an explosive 8-1 run, extending the lead to 48-34. After three quarters, USI led the rebound battle 34-25 resulting in 12 second-chance points compared to the Redhawks two.
 
The offensive barrage continued as the USI squashed any Redhawks comeback attempts. Every SEMO basket was followed by a USI return shot, as sophomore Sophia Loden hit a midrange jumper, while Shafford drilled another three to maintain a 14-point lead before the media timeout.
 
Late in the fourth quarter, USI hit an offense cold patch as the team went over two minutes without scoring, allowing a seven-point SEMO run. The lead dwindled to six points with 34 seconds remaining in the game before junior Ali Saunders iced the game with a pair of free throws. 
 
As a team, USI shot an impressive 40.8 percent from the field while holding SEMO to just 32.3 percent. The rebound battle was decisively in the Eagle's favor, 44-34, leading to 14 second-chance points. USI finished 20-49 from the floor, 5-18 from beyond the arc, and 16-20 from the charity strike. Shafford led the way in scoring with 24 points, while Raley trailed behind with 15. Shafford barely missed a double-double, leading the squad with nine rebounds.
 
SEMO went 21-65 shooting overall and 7-21 from three. The Redhawks were led by guard Lexi McCully, tallying a massive 30-point game with five three pointers. Forward Ainaya Williams totaled ten rebounds before fouling out.