Ohio Valley Conference

NASHVILLE - Playing in front of a lively Kids Day crowd at the Gentry Center, Aaniya Webb delivered a career night and Erin Martin controlled the paint as the Tennessee State women's basketball team earned a 70–62 victory over Morehead State on Thursday afternoon.

The Lady Tigers (3–13, 2–5 OVC) placed two players in double figures and relied on balanced offense, ball movement, and defensive pressure to secure the conference win.

Webb led all scorers with 29 points, knocking down timely shots throughout the contest while adding two steals on the defensive end. Martin followed with a strong all-around performance, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three steals as she anchored the interior on both ends of the floor. Kiki Roberts added seven points, six rebounds, and a team-high five assists, helping TSU control the tempo.

Tennessee State shared the ball effectively, assisting on 19 of its 22 made field goals. Roberts led the way in playmaking, while Xai Whitfield chipped in four assists as the Lady Tigers consistently created quality scoring opportunities.

Defensively, TSU forced 19 Morehead State turnovers and converted those takeaways into 20 points. Martin's three steals set the tone, as the Lady Tigers disrupted passing lanes and applied pressure throughout the game.

How It Happened

Tennessee State fell behind early before responding with a 6–0 run midway through the first quarter, capped by a Martin basket that tied the game at 9–9. Morehead State regained the lead late in the period, but TSU entered the second quarter trailing just 17–12.

The Lady Tigers surged in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 21–18 before unleashing a 13–0 run highlighted by a Webb three-pointer. TSU carried that momentum into halftime, holding a 35–30 advantage after knocking down four three-pointers in the period.

Morehead State briefly took the lead in the third quarter, but Tennessee State answered with a 9–0 run to regain control. TSU entered the final period ahead 53–51, buoyed by nine bench points in the quarter.

Tennessee State opened the fourth quarter with a 6–0 run, finished by a Whitfield jumper, and maintained its advantage the rest of the way. The Lady Tigers closed out the game at the free-throw line and on the defensive end to secure the eight-point victory.

LINDENWOOD 78, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 66
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (13-5, 5-2 OVC) picked up its fourth-straight win after defeating SEMO (5-11, 1-6 OVC) 78-66 Thursday night in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Lindenwood jumped out to a 9-4 lead after an Ellie Brueggemann jumper with 6:52 remaining in the opening quarter. A few minutes later, Mya Skoff and Aleshia Jones hit back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 17-10. The Lions would lead by four, 17-13 after shooting 53 percent from the field in the first quarter.

The Lions maintained a seven-point lead following another three from Skoff put the Black and Gold ahead 22-15 three minutes into the second. SEMO closed the gap to one at 24-23, but Lindenwood got some stops and grew the lead to 30-24. The Lions would take a 30-26 advantage into the break with Skoff leading the way with eight points.

SEMO scored the first four points of the third quarter to tie the game at 30, but Lindenwood responded with the next six to regain the lead, 36-30. The Lions remained in front throughout the quarter and took a 48-39 lead into the fourth after Skoff beat the third quarter buzzer with a spinning layup.

Lindenwood took a double-digit lead 53-42 early in the fourth as Brook Coffey cleaned up a miss. The Redhawks wouldn't go away, however and got back within five at 53-48 with just over seven minutes to go in the quarter, Aleshia Jones would take over for the rest of the game, scoring 12 of her 24 points in the final frame, including a pair of threes and a big and-one finish that put the Lions up 10, 71-61

The Black and Gold went on to win their fourth-straight game, 74-64. Jones finished with 24 points, while Brooke Coffey picked up her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Valerie Norwood chipped in a career-high 11.

LITTLE ROCK 55, EASTERN ILLINOIS 47
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Little Rock used a dominant third-quarter performance and a stifling defensive effort to pull away from Eastern Illinois, earning a 55–47 Ohio Valley Conference victory Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center.

The Trojans (9-8, 5-2 OVC) forced 22 Panther turnovers and seized control of the game by outscoring Eastern Illinois (3-16, 2-6 OVC) 19–11 in the third quarter, turning a halftime deficit into a comfortable lead they would not relinquish.

Little Rock struck first when Mya Cotto finished a fast-break layup just 37 seconds into the game, but the opening quarter developed into a defensive grind. Jordan Holman anchored the Trojans inside with a block midway through the period, while Cotto knocked down a three-pointer at the 4:01 mark to give Little Rock breathing room. Eastern Illinois answered at the buzzer, however, as Nyah Hardy converted a jumper with two seconds left, trimming the Trojan lead to 9–8 after one.

The Panthers briefly grabbed momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Little Rock 14–11. Ava Stoller's three-pointer less than a minute into the period gave Eastern Illinois the lead, and despite a Holman triple that tied the game at 15–15, the Panthers carried a 22–20 advantage into halftime following a late three-point play by Stoller.
Coming out of the break, the Trojans flipped the game on its head.

Holman opened the third quarter with a layup to tie the score, igniting a surge fueled by defensive stops and transition offense. Alaina Payne drilled a three-pointer midway through the period to put Little Rock in front for good, and later found Brenna Burk for a layup that pushed the lead to seven. Destinee Salgado capped the quarter at the free-throw line as the Trojans took a 39–33 advantage into the final 10 minutes.

Eastern Illinois made one last push in the fourth, cutting the deficit to one on Tiny Lewis' three-pointer at the 5:17 mark. But Little Rock responded with poise. Cotto buried a timely three to restore breathing room, and Burk's jumper with 1:12 remaining sealed the win.

Four Trojans finished in double figures, led by Payne and Cotto with 12 points apiece. Holman added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, while Burk chipped in 10 points to round out a balanced offensive effort.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 71, TENNESSEE TECH 69  OT
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball opened its two-game Ohio Valley Conference road swing in Tennessee Thursday night with a 71-69 overtime victory against Tennessee Tech University.
 
With the win, USI Women's Basketball (12-4, 6-1 OVC) kept pace with Western Illinois University for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. USI is also 1-1 in overtime games this season, both of which have come on the road.
 
The Screaming Eagles shot 44 percent (24-55) from the floor, 33 percent (5-15) from three-point range, and 82 percent (18-22) from the free-throw line. Senior guard Ali Saunders led USI and matched a game-high 23 points on 7-14 shooting and 7-8 at the foul line. Saunders also had six rebounds and eight assists. Junior forward Chloe Gannon tallied 14 points with seven boards, while junior guard Sophia Loden scored 12 points.
 
Tennessee Tech (10-6, 3-4 OVC) was held to 33 percent (24-72) shooting overall and 30 percent (7-23) from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles shot 82 percent (14-17) at the charity stripe. Tennessee Tech had 44 rebounds compared to USI's 39.
 
After USI jumped out to a 6-2 lead two minutes into the contest, junior guard Shannon Blacher picked up where she left from her career game last Saturday. A pair of driving layups from Blacher in the middle of the first quarter pushed the Screaming Eagles out in front, 10-7. Blacher finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the game. USI maintained a three-point margin until a late shooting drought in the opening period. Tennessee Tech took advantage and grabbed the lead, carrying a 16-14 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Golden Eagles extended their lead to seven, 21-14, to start the second quarter. After Tennessee Tech took a 26-18 lead at the midway point of the second, back-to-back baskets by Saunders and Gannon pulled USI within four, 26-22. Gannon scored again late in the period to make it a one-possession game, as USI held Tennessee Tech without a field goal for the last 2:49 of the first half. Tennessee Tech led by two, 29-27, at halftime.
 
The game remained within one possession in the early minutes of the second half. At the 6:46 mark of the third quarter, Gannon converted an offensive putback to knot the game up at 34. In a back-and-forth finish to the third, the game was tied 47-47 heading to the fourth quarter.
 
On three different occasions early in the fourth quarter, Loden scored to give USI a three-point advantage. Following a two-minute dry spell for both sides, Gannon pushed the Screaming Eagles ahead by five, 56-51, at the halfway point of the fourth. The Golden Eagles kept hanging around down the stretch of the fourth, pulling to within one possession. With USI up by three and 20 seconds left in regulation, Tennessee Tech cashed in a game-tying three with 12 seconds remaining. The game went into overtime tied at 59.
 
USI began the overtime session with a three-point play by junior forward Amiyah Buchanan. Tennessee Tech answered with four straight points to take a one-point advantage, 63-62. With the Golden Eagles leading by one at the 2:30 mark, both sides went scoreless for the next two minutes. In the final 30 seconds, USI converted seven free throws to overtake Tennessee Tech for the road victory.

UT MARTIN 64, SIUE 55
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team rallied from an 11-point third-quarter deficit to top SIUE, 64-55, Thursday night at the Kathleen & Tom Elam Center in Martin, Tennessee.

UT Martin got off to a shaky start in the first half, giving up 21 second-quarter points to trail SIUE at halftime, 25-21. The Cougars pushed their lead out to as much as 11 in the third quarter and outscored the Skyhawks, 18-14, in the frame.

However, in the fourth quarter, it was all UT Martin. The Skyhawks outscored SIUE, 29-12, in the quarter and ended the period on a 14-2 run over the final four minutes and four seconds of the game.

UT Martin shot 42.3-percent from the floor in the contest and tied the Cougars in rebounds at 35. Another key to UT Martin's win was its performance at the free throw line, where it went nearly perfect, making 17 of 19 shots. The Skyhawks also committed fewer turnovers than the Cougars on the night, with 14, compared to 18 by SIUE.

Kenley McCarn led the Skyhawks in the game with 15 points to go along with nine rebounds. Zy Thompson notched her fourth double-double of the season on the night, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 boards. Sidni Middleton added nine points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists to the cause, while Brittani Wells had nine points and three assists.