Ohio Valley Conference

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois put on a show at Western Hall on Thursday night, taking down Lipscomb in the first round of the WNIT by a score of 89-74 behind a dominant offensive performance.
The Leathernecks (17-16) got off to a fast start, outscoring the Bison (20-12) in three of the four quarters and never letting up. WIU was led offensively by Raegan McCowan, who posted a double-double with 28 points and 15 rebounds, and Mia Nicastro, putting up 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists while adding two blocks on the defensive end. Mallory McDermott chipped in 16 points, draining three shots from beyond the arc. 

Both teams came out firing in the opening quarter, but Western Illinois established their presence in the paint early. The Leathernecks outscored Lipscomb 17-10 in the first period, taking advantage of strong interior play and transition buckets. Mia Nicastro got going quickly, knocking down early jumpers and attacking the rim, while McCowan cleaned up the glass.

Lipscomb struggled from deep right out of the gate, missing their first five three-point attempts and shooting 0-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first quarter. By halftime, WIU had built a 38-24 lead, thanks to a 21-point second quarter. Nicastro and Mallory McDermott each knocked down key shots from the perimeter, helping WIU maintain its momentum. Meanwhile, the Leathernecks' defense kept Lipscomb in check, holding the Bison to just 14 points in the second quarter.

One of the key factors in WIU's first-half dominance was their rebounding edge. The Leathernecks out-rebounded Lipscomb 19-10 in the first two quarters, limiting second-chance opportunities and controlling possession. On the other side, Lipscomb's offensive struggles continued as they shot just 5-for-17 (29.4%) from three-point range in the first half. 

However, Lipscomb came out of the break with renewed energy, exploding for 30 points in the third quarter in an attempt to claw back into the game. The Leathernecks answered every run with a response of their own. McCowan continued to dominate in the paint, and Nicastro added several clutch baskets. The Leathernecks matched Lipscomb's third-quarter push with 28 points of their own, ensuring the lead for WIU. The Leathernecks ability to score in transition was another major factor. The Leathernecks poured in 21 fast-break points, consistently beating Lipscomb down the floor for easy buckets.

With a 66-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter, Western Illinois closed things out in dominant fashion. Nicastro and McCowan continued to attack combining for 22 points in the fourth quarter. Nicastro would get a steal for a fast break layup late in the fourth quarter to seal the win for WIU. With the win tonight, it is WIU's first postseason tournament win since March 17th, 2016 when WIU beat Southern Illinois by a score of 99-97 in Macomb in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational.

LINDENWOOD 76, TULSA 60
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood women's basketball (22-10, 16-4 OVC) earned their first post-season victory since reclassifying to Division I after defeating Tulsa (17-15, 11-7 AAC) in the first round of the WNIT by a final score of 76-60. The Lions' 22 wins are now the most in program history during the NCAA era as the advance to round two on Sunday.

In a Oklahoma reunion during Lindenwood's first ever victory over the Golden Hurricane, the trio of Gracy Wernli, Ellie Brueggemann and Alyssa Nielsen put on a show in front of the fans of Hyland Arena. All three Lions are natives of Oklahoma and all provided an impact for Lindenwood.

LU had five double-digit scorers in the win including 12 from Wernli and Brueggemann. Wernli shot 4-6 from the floor including two threes while adding three rebounds and two steals. Brueggemann also had 12 points in the win while shooting 4-6 from the floor, connecting on three threes. She also added a team-high five rebounds while dishing out three assists.

Brooke Coffey was the Lions' leading scorer on Thursday dropping 13 points on 6-15 shooting while grabbing five boards. Mykayla Cunningham put on a show for Hyland Arena scoring 10 points while dishing out a season-high eight assists. The sophomore guard played 28 minutes off the bench shooting 5-12 from the floor. LU assisted on 16 of their 27 made field-goals.

Gracie Kelsey in her first start since late January, also scored in double figures adding 12 points and five rebounds while going a perfect 6-6 at the foul line. Nielsen off the bench scored nine points in the win including two threes. Lindenwood's bench out-scored Tulsa 21-11.

Lindenwood shot 43.5% from the floor on Thursday while going 9-21 (42.9%) from three and 13-15 (86.7%) from the foul line. The Golden Hurricane were held to 35.2% shooting for the game including 5-27 from deep. Rebounding was even for both teams at 34. Lindenwood's defense also forced 18 turnovers leading to 17 points.

To begin the game, Tulsa jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first 90 seconds. Lindenwood responded with a 16-0 run capped off by a Wernli three heading into a media timeout. The Lions stretched the lead out to 15 points on three different occasions in the first 10 minutes as they went into the second leading 27-12. Wernli led the way with eight points as the Lions shot 10-19 from the field and 4-6 from three. Tulsa only shot 26.7% in the first quarter including 0-9 from long range.

Lindenwood kept the offensive momentum going into the second quarter with a 6-2 run after a Nielsen jumper fell through putting LU on top 33-14. Mya Skoff made her lone three in the second quarter pushing the lead to a quarter-high 24 points with 2:21 left in the half. Lindenwood eventually went into the locker room leading 45-24 after shooting 51.4% from the floor. Coffey and Wernli both had double-digits in the half.

Tulsa made a push to open up the third quarter with a 6-0 run at the 7:25 mark forcing a Lindenwood timeout. The Lions responded with a 8-2 lead of their own pushing the lead back to 21 (53-32) with 4:37 left in the third. The Golden Hurricane out-scored LU 16-15 in the period but the Lions still led 60-40 with 10 minutes left.

Cunningham came out of the huddle helping LIndenwood to a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter with 6:44 left as they pushed the lead all the way to 26 points. Tulsa shot better from the floor in the fourth quarter but Lindenwood hung on to win 76-60 as they clinched a second round appearance in the WNIT. They become the second Ohio Valley Conference school in as many years to advance in the WNIT (Southern Indiana).