Ohio Valley Conference

NASHVILLE - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball fought back from an 11-point deficit to gut out a 72-67 road victory at Tennessee State University on Saturday afternoon, giving the Screaming Eagles an Ohio Valley Conference road swing sweep and the team's fourth win in a row.
 
Coming off a thrilling overtime victory at Tennessee Tech University on Thursday, USI Women's Basketball (13-4, 7-1 OVC) finished off its third OVC weekly sweep of the conference season. Saturday was USI's first win at Tennessee State (3-14, 2-6 OVC) since the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, which was USI's first year competing at the Division-I level. Plus, Saturday's triumph kept the Screaming Eagles at the top of the OVC standings alongside Western Illinois University.
 
Saturday's contest was highlighted by senior guard Ali Saunders' 29-point performance, which is her second-best scoring output in a USI uniform behind her career-high 35 points from earlier this season at home against Morehead State University. Saunders' 29 points marked her second consecutive 20-point effort, the fourth time scoring 20-plus in the last five games, and the fifth time dropping 20 or more in OVC play. The guard scored 23 of her 29 points in the second half on Saturday. The senior was 9-17 from the floor with a pair of three-pointers and went a perfect 9-9 at the free-throw line. Saunders also corralled five rebounds.
 
Another notable performance came from junior guard Shannon Blacher, who notched 14 points on 6-12 shooting for her second double-digit scoring game out of the last three outings. Blacher helped USI chip away at Tennessee State during the middle of the game and hit a big three in the fourth quarter. Junior forward Chloe Gannon posted 10 points and 10 boards for her second double-double of the season. Junior guard Sophia Loden also had 10 points with nine rebounds, coming up a rebound shy toward an eighth double-double on the year.
 
As a team, USI shot 38 percent (24-63) overall with four three-pointers and went a perfect 100 percent at the foul line with 20 makes in 20 attempts. The last time USI went perfect at the free-throw line with at least 15 attempts was February 9, 2023, at Tennessee Tech (18-18). The last time the Eagles were 100 percent at the foul line with at least 20 attempts was January 16, 2014, against Saint Joseph's College (22-22). The Eagles also won the rebounding battle on Saturday, 44-35.
 
Tennessee State, which had three double-figure scorers on Saturday, shot 37 percent (23-62) from the floor and 38 percent (8-21) from beyond the arc. The Tigers were 13-16 for 81 percent at the charity stripe.
 
In a back-and-forth start to Saturday's contest, Blacher and Gannon each scored a pair of field goals in the early minutes. However, Tennessee State led 10-8 through the first five minutes. After the Tigers built a 15-10 lead late in the first period, USI finished with a 7-0 run to lead 17-15 at the end of the opening quarter.
 
Tennessee State jumped out in front early on in the second quarter, but Blacher scored a layup to knot the game at 19 at the 7:33 mark of the frame. The Tigers then went on an 8-0 run to grab a 27-19 lead. Despite a three-point play by Blacher later in the second, Tennessee State pushed its lead to double figures, 35-24, with 1:49 left in the first half. Saunders tallied a couple of makes from the floor down the stretch of the second quarter to help bring USI within seven, 35-28, at halftime.
 
Out of the break, Loden and Gannon scored in back-to-back possessions for USI to bring the Screaming Eagles within one possession, 35-32. The Tigers responded and pushed their lead back to eight, 40-32. However, the Eagles had an answer themselves. Saunders helped spark a 12-0 USI run, scoring eight points during the run to propel the Screaming Eagles in front, 44-40, with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Tennessee State closed back in, but Saunders remained in control with her second three-point play of the period. USI led by one, 49-48, through 30 minutes of action.
 
The seesaw battle continued into the start of the fourth quarter, as Saunders continued to assert her scoring ability for the Screaming Eagles. With USI up by two, 59-57, and less than five minutes left, Loden scored inside to give the Eagles a two-possession advantage.  USI's lead later grew to five after vital free throws from Loden. The Tigers fought back to tie the game at 65 with two minutes to go. Seconds later, Saunders had the answer with another three-point play. USI cashed in on late free throws to seal the gutsy road win and complete the road swing sweep.

MOREHEAD STATE 67, TENNESSEE TECH 66
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - After a game largely playing out with both teams trading scoring runs, the final minutes were a nip-and-tuck affair as Morehead State prevailed over Tennessee Tech 67-66 on a Laura Toffali free throw with 0.9 on the clock Saturday afternoon in Cookeville, Tennessee.
 
With the game tied at 59, MSU's Marie Sepp made a driving layup with 2:15 to go. On the next possession Sepp sank a pair of free throws to make it 63-59. Tennessee Tech's Chloe Larry canned a three-pointer with 1:02 to pull the Golden Eagles to within one at 63-62. MSU responded when Anja Ekstrom drilled a trey from the left corner to push the lead to 66-62.
 
After a Tech score to cut the lead to two, Ekstrom was fouled and missed both free throws. Larry hit a driving floater in heavy traffic in the lane to tie the game again at 66. After an MSU timeout, Toffali was fouled while attempting a three-pointer for the win and was fouled, setting up her clinching free throw.
 
Morehead State (10-9, 5-3 OVC) was led by Kate Dike with 24 points. She hit 10-15 from the floor. Marie Sepp matched her season high with 21 points. She also led the Eagles with seven rebounds.
 
Tennessee Tech (10-7, 3-5 OVC) was paced by Larry with 18 points. Reghan Grimes notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Reagan Hurst added 10 points for the Golden Eagles.
 
Morehead State opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run, continuing a trend from the second period, to take the lead 38-37. Grimes ended the run with a trey at 6:53 to put the Golden Eagles back on top 40-38. Morehead State shot six of 11 (55%) from the floor in the quarter, while Tech hit just three of their 16 field goal attempts in the period.
 
Both teams opened the game shooting well: the Eagles hit four of their first eight shots from the floor, while Tech went four of seven in the early going. MSU went through a field goal drought of nearly four minutes and trailed 17-14 after the first ten minutes.

The second period featured multiple runs by both teams. Tennessee Tech opened the second quarter with a six-point run on a field goal and four free throws. Marie Sepp then scored seven straight points with a three-pointer from the top of the key sandwiched between two driving layups.

Tech responded with another 7-0 run to go ahead 30-21. Dike took over and scored the next seven points capped by an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:48 to go. Tech again responded with another 7-0 run to move ahead 37-28. Toffali ended the quarter with a long two-pointer at the buzzer to trim the Golden Eagle lead to 37-30 at the intermission.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 75, LITTLE ROCK 59
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Western Illinois women's basketball closed the game on a strong fourth-quarter run to secure a 75–59 Ohio Valley Conference road victory over Little Rock on Saturday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center.

After leading by double digits early, the Leathernecks saw Little Rock trim the margin to single digits late in the fourth quarter before Western Illinois responded with timely stops and clutch scoring at the free-throw line. WIU outscored the Trojans 27–20 in the final period to put the game away and improve to 15–2 overall and 7–1 in OVC play.

Mia Nicastro led all scorers with 28 points, going 9-of-14 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 at the free-throw line. The senior also pulled down 14 rebounds to record her double-double while playing all 40 minutes. Addi Brownfield added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, knocking down three three-pointers, while Mallory Shetley chipped in 13 points and five rebounds. Allie Meadows finished with 12 points, including a pair of threes, and dished out four assists.

Western Illinois set the tone early, shooting 64.7 percent from the field in the first quarter and building a 26–13 lead after one. Despite a cold stretch in the middle quarters, the Leathernecks maintained control and leaned on their defense, holding Little Rock to 27.1 percent shooting for the game.

At the free-throw line, WIU was nearly flawless, converting 17-of-19 attempts, including key makes down the stretch to seal the win. The Leathernecks also forced 14 Trojan turnovers and turned them into 13 points.

Little Rock was led by Jordan Holman's 17 points and eight rebounds, but the Trojans were unable to overcome their shooting struggles from the floor.

UT MARTIN 73, LINDENWOOD 70
MARTIN, Tenn. - Kenley McCarn of the University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team scored 40 points to help lead her team past Lindenwood, 73-70, Saturday afternoon at the Kathleen & Tom Elam Center in Martin.

The game was back and forth from the jump, with 19 total lead changes and 10 ties in the contest. Up by one with 16 seconds to play, Aleshia Jones gave Lindenwood a three-point lead, 70-67, on a layup after a Skyhawk turnover.

With six seconds left in the game, Norah Clark pulled UT Martin within one on a driving layup at 70-69. After a subsequent foul by the Skyhawks, Lindenwood missed both free throws to leave the Lions up by just one. With two seconds left, McCarn was fouled going up for a shot and hit both free throws to put her team on top, 71-70.

With 1.7 seconds left, McCarn intercepted the inbound pass from Lindenwood and was fouled, sending her to the free throw line again, where she sealed the 73-70 win by making both free throws. The Lions had a look at a game-tying shot, but it did not go in, as UT Martin held on for its seventh consecutive home victory. The Skyhawks ended the game on a 6-0 run over the final six seconds of the contest.

The Skyhawks shot a season-high 59.1-percent from the floor, 41.7-percent from 3-point range and went 16-for-19 at the free throw line in the game. Ten of UT Martin's 16 made three throws Saturday came in the fourth quarter, where it went 10-for-11.

With 40 points, not only did McCarn set a new career high, but she became the first player since Chelsey Perry in 2019 to score 40 or more points for the Skyhawks in a game. She ended the game by going 14-for-16 from the floor, 4-for-4 from 3-point range and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line, in addition to four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Norah Clark added 11 points on the afternoon for UT Martin to go along with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a 5-for-6 clip at the free throw line.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 64, SIUE 56
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (6-11, 2-6 OVC) defeated SIUE (8-10, 1-7 OVC), 64-56, at the Show Me Center, capitalizing on 22 points off turnovers to secure the win. The Redhawks maintained a steady lead, bolstered by a 21-point effort in the first quarter.

Southeast Missouri took an early lead with Kearra Jones contributing a jumper and a fast-break layup. Madison Ayers added a layup, and Da'Kariya Jackson connected on a 3-pointer to extend the lead. Raissa Nsabua's steal and fast-break layup capped a strong start. At the end of the first quarter, the Redhawks led SIUE 21–12.

Lexi McCully scored a pair of jumpers to help build a lead for the Redhawks. Ayers added a three-pointer, contributing to the team's scoring efforts. Ava Gugliuzza hit a late quarter layup, bringing Southern Illinois within striking distance. At halftime, the Redhawks led 32–23.

Nsabua hit two free throws at the start, extending the Redhawks' lead early in the period. Southern Illinois responded with Macy Silvey's 3-pointer at 8:24, narrowing the gap. McCully added a key 3-pointer at 5:58, pushing the home team's advantage to double digits. Despite Southern Illinois's late push with a 3-pointer from Adebukola Akomolafe, the Redhawks maintained a 45–39 lead heading into the final quarter.

Jackson opened with a jumper, assisted by Nsabua, to maintain the Redhawks' lead. Southern Illinois briefly took the lead with a fast-break layup and free throw by Gugliuzza, making it 49–48. McCully's 3-pointer at 3:26 restored the lead for the Redhawks, assisted by Jackson. Jackson's defensive rebound and subsequent free throws pushed the final score to 64–56 in favor of the Redhawks at the buzzer.