Ohio Valley Conference

MOREHEAD, Ky.  - Morehead State shot a season-high 48-percent from three-point range and ran its winning streak to five games with a 65-59 win over Southeast Missouri Saturday afternoon in Johnson Arena.
 
Morehead State (9-8/ 4-2 OVC) hit ten of their 21 three-point tries including five of seven in the second half. The Eagles were led by Kate Dike with 17 points. Dike hit seven of her nine field goal tries, including both of her three-point attempts. Hampered by foul trouble, Dike only played for 16 minutes. She fouled out with 6:43 to play.
 
Landon Forbes finished with 15 points, her second straight game with double figures and the fifth this season. Forbes hit four of her six field goal attempts, including three of five from three-point range.
 
Turnovers were a major factor in the first half. Southeast Missouri (5-10, 1-5 OVC) turned the ball over 14 times in the first twenty minutes, while Morehead State committed 10. The Eagles shot 10-27 (37%) from the floor in the half while SEMO shot 7-19 (37%). The Eagles took a 29-23 lead into the intermission. Kate Dike scored 12 points in the first half.
 
The Eagles stretched the lead to 10 on a Josefine Enander three-pointer at the 5:56 mark. Morehead State hit five of ten from the floor and three of four from three-point range and led 45-36 heading into the final quarter.
 
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Redhawks used an 8-1 run to cut the Eagle lead to 53-51 with 3:30 to go. Morehead State got three driving layups from Marie Sepp and a Forbes three-pointer to seal the victory. Sepp led the Eagles with nine rebounds. MSU shot 7-13 (54%) from the floor in the final quarter, including two of three from three-point range.
 
Southeast Missouri was led by Kearra Jones, who posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Redhawk leading scorer Carmen Taylor added 14.

EASTERN ILLINOIS 71, TENNESSEE STATE 45
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois shot a blistering 70.6 percent from the field in the second quarter as the Panthers scored 29 points in the second quarter running out to a 71-45 win over Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon at Groniger Arena.
 
Tiny Lewis picked up where she left off on Thursday night scoring a team-high 20 points going 7-of-10 from the field as the Panthers won their second straight improving to 3-14 overall, 2-4 in the OVC.
 
Lewis was one of four Panthers in double figures joined by Ava Stoller (11 pts), Sydney-James Desroches (10 pts) and Meioshe Mason (10 pts).
 
Desroches and Mason also helped the Panthers win the battle on the glass with a 43-40 edge with both players collecting double-doubles.  Desroches had 11 rebounds while Mason pulled down 11 rebounds.
 
TSU was led by Aaniya Webb with 11 points scoring ten of those in the opening half.  TSU trailed 13-6 after the opening quarter but could not keep pace with the Panthers hot shooting in the second quarter.
 
Webb also collected nine rebounds for the Lady Tigers as they fell to 2-13 overall, 1-5 in the OVC.

LINDENWOOD 71, LITTLE ROCK 43
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (12-5, 4-2 OVC) picked up a 71-43 win over Little Rock (8-8, 4-2 OVC) on Saturday afternoon inside Hyland Arena.

The Lions were on the front foot early and jumped out to a 13-2 lead, which forced a Little Rock timeout. Lindenwood continued its hot shooting throughout the opening quarter and would continue to expand the lead. Ellie Brueggemann drilled a three to put the Black and Gold in front 20-6. The Lions would go on to score the final 11 points of the first and lead 31-6 after one. Overall, Lindenwood shot 64 percent from the field in the quarter and had seven steals on the defensive end.

Lindenwood began the second quarter with an 8-0 run to go up 39-6. The Lions continued to styme the Trojans on the defensive end holding them to two made field goals in the frame and led 46-15 at the break. Akeshia Jones led the Lions with 11 points, while Brooke Coffey, Mya Skoff and Bruggemann had eight.

The Black and Gold started the third quarter on a 9-2 run, capped off by a layup from Valerie Norwood to go up 55-17. Little Rock responded with a 8-0 run to cut into the deficit, but the Lions would lead 56-27 after three.

Early in the fourth, Mya Skoff drilled a three, and Aleshia Jones followed with a layup to put the Lions up 30, 63-33. Lindenwood went on to pick up a convincing 71-43 win and held Little Rock to 28 percent shooting from the field.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 77, TENNESSEE TECH 60
MACOMB, Ill. - Behind an efficient offensive performance and a dominant fourth quarter, Western Illinois women's basketball pulled away for a 77–60 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon inside Western Hall.

The Leathernecks (13–2, 5–1 OVC) shot an impressive 58.3 percent from the field and went 18-for-20 at the free throw line, using a 23–15 fourth-quarter surge to turn a tight contest into a convincing win. WIU led 43–27 at halftime after shooting nearly 77 percent in the second quarter and never trailed in the game.

Mia Nicastro led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting while adding five rebounds as she continued her strong play in conference action. Mallory Shetley added 14 points and five assists, while Addi Brownfield stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Allie Meadows chipped in 10 points and three steals as five Leathernecks reached double figures.

Western Illinois built early momentum behind strong interior play, scoring 48 of its 77 points in the paint while holding Tennessee Tech to just 31.7 percent shooting for the game. The Golden Eagles briefly cut the deficit to single digits in the third quarter, but the Leathernecks responded with timely baskets and defensive stops before breaking the game open late with a 12–2 run in the fourth.

WIU also won the turnover battle, forcing 16 Tennessee Tech miscues and turning them into 19 points. The Leathernecks improved to 8–0 at home this season and remained at the top of the OVC standings with the win.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 52, UT MARTIN 43
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball leaned on its defense Saturday evening inside Liberty Arena to battle its way past the University of Tennessee at Martin, 52-43, and complete this week's homestand sweep.
 
USI Women's Basketball (11-4, 5-1 OVC) not only captured its second OVC win at home this week but also held its opposition to below 50 points for the second straight game. The Screaming Eagles improved to 8-1 at home this season after winning their seventh consecutive home contest.
 
On Saturday, USI shot for 33.3 percent (16-48) from the floor and 25 percent (6-24) from beyond the arc. The Eagles went 14-21 for 66.7 percent at the foul line. USI dominated on the glass, outrebounding UT Martin 45-32.
 
Defensively, USI limited UT Martin to 26 percent (13-50) shooting overall and below 20 percent (6-31) from three. The Skyhawks were 11-18 for just above 61 percent from the free-throw line.
 
Junior guard Shannon Blacher paced USI with a career-high 20 points, going 7-11 from the field while hitting four of eight from three-point range. Blacher bested her previous career mark of 15 points, which she set in the season opener against Franklin College. Junior guard Sophia Loden posted her seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Junior forward Chloe Gannon tallied eight points and matched a career-best 12 rebounds.
 
Two of the top defenses in the Ohio Valley Conference clashed and showcased their strengths on Saturday evening. The first points of the game came on a three-pointer by Blacher nearly three minutes into the contest. Blacher drained another triple about two minutes later to give USI an 8-1 lead at the midway point of the opening period. After Blacher's second three, UT Martin held the Screaming Eagles scoreless for the rest of the first quarter. The Skyhawks would score eight unanswered to take a 9-8 lead after the first.
 
USI flipped a switch to start the second quarter, scoring 14 straight points. Blacher connected on her third three of the game 1:15 into the second period that pushed USI ahead 15-9. USI's lead reached 10, 19-9, when Gannon scored her second field goal of the quarter with 5:47 left in the first half. The Eagles' lead reached 22-9 before UT Martin got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with 3:48 on the clock. The Eagles doubled up the Skyhawks, 28-14, on a layup by Blacher, as the junior reached double figures in the contest. Freshman Lily Graves hit her second three of the period with 1:16 to go in the first half to increase USI's lead to 31-15. The Screaming Eagles went into halftime ahead 31-18.
 
The second half featured another slow start for the offenses to find rhythm. USI's first field goal of the second half came at the 6:30 mark of the third quarter when Blacher scored inside and was awarded a three-point play to extend the Screaming Eagles' advantage to 36-22. Later in the third quarter, Blacher set a new career high by canning another three-pointer to give USI a 43-26 lead with three minutes left in the third. By the end of the third period, UT Martin climbed back to within 12, 45-33, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Shots from the floor were still hard to come by in the fourth quarter. Following three minutes of action without a made shot, UT Martin snapped the shooting drought. The Skyhawks scored five points to draw within eight, 46-38, with six minutes to go. USI finally got their first field goal of the fourth period at the 4:53 mark when Blacher scored a layup, adding to her career night and pushing the Eagles' lead back to double digits, 48-38. USI tacked on to their lead with free throws to put the game out of reach.
 
After Saturday's game slate around the Ohio Valley Conference, USI remains tied at the top. The Screaming Eagles are even with Western Illinois University for first place with a 5-1 conference record.