Ohio Valley Conference

MOREHEAD, Ky.  - Morehead State used a 23-5 run in the second half to grab its first lead of the night early in the fourth quarter and held on to top SIUE 64-60 Thursday night in Johnson Arena.
 
Morehead State (13-9, 8-3 OVC) was led by Kate Dike, who posted her seventh double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 rebounds. She hit nine of her 16 from the floor, including two of three from behind the arc. She also hit six of eight from the free throw line.
 
Landon Forbes finished with 12 points and notched three steals and three assists. Marie Sepp added 11 points and seven rebounds.
 
The Eagles trailed 30-23 at the half, and SIUE stretched the lead to 14 at 45-31 on an Ava Gugliuzza three-pointer at the 4:47 mark. Morehead State ended the quarter on a 15-2 run and trailed 47 46 at the end of the period. The Eagles forced seven SIUE turnovers and had an 11-2 advantage in points off turnovers in the quarter.
 
Morehead State's run continued in the fourth period capped by Landon Forbes' three-pointer with 8:22 to go gave the Eagles their first lead of the game at 51-50. After a Kiyoko Proctor three-pointer at 7:00 to go, MSU ran off eight straight points capped by Josefine Enander's three-pointer to give the Eagles their largest lead of the night at 62-55. SIUE got as close as two points, but two free throws by Forbes with three seconds to go iced the win.
 
SIUE (10-11, 3-8 OVC) was led by Proctor with 16 points. Syanne Mohamed posted her second double-double of the season posting 13 points and 12 rebounds. Lauren Miller added 10 points.
 
Morehead State opened the game making just three of 16 (19%) from the floor in the opening period, getting just six points in the quarter all scored by Dike. The Eagles trailed 11-6 after the first ten minutes.

LITTLE ROCK 60, TENNESSEE STATE 54
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Little Rock used a dominant third quarter and a composed finish to earn a 60–54 road victory over Tennessee State on Thursday night at the Gentry Center, strengthening its position in the Ohio Valley Conference race.

The Trojans improved to 10-10 overall and 6-4 in OVC play, snapping back into form with a 21-point third quarter that flipped the game's momentum and proved decisive. Tennessee State fell to 3-17 (2-9 OVC).

The opening quarter featured a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to find rhythm. Alaina Payne got Little Rock on the board first with a jumper, while Jordan Holman added an early layup and free throw. Tennessee State closed the quarter strong, however, and held a 12–9 lead after one.

The Tigers extended their advantage in the second quarter, using transition baskets and timely shooting to build a double-digit lead. Little Rock continued to battle defensively but entered halftime trailing 28–22.

The game turned decisively after the break.

Little Rock outscored Tennessee State 21–12 in the third quarter, sparked by improved ball movement, attacking the paint and a stifling defensive effort. Brenna Burk opened the scoring with a pair of free throws, while Mya Cottorepeatedly finished at the rim to cut into the deficit. Holman drilled a key three-pointer late in the quarter to give the Trojans their first lead, and Payne capped the surge with a jumper at the buzzer to make it 43–40.

Little Rock's defense limited Tennessee State to just two made field goals in the third quarter, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
The Trojans maintained control in the fourth quarter, opening with a Burk layup and continuing to apply pressure on both ends. Payne made her presence felt with a steal and a basket, while Cotto added another layup to keep the margin intact. When the Tigers closed within three midway through the quarter, Holman calmly knocked down free throws to push the lead back to two possessions.

Burk delivered the final blow, burying a three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Holman led Little Rock with a double-double, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and six made free throws, while Payne added 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Cotto chipped in 11 points and six rebounds, and Burk contributed 10 points, including two timely three-pointers.

LINDENWOOD 69, SOUTHERN INDIANA 67
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (16-6, 8-3 OVC) picked up a bug 69-67 road win over Southern Indiana (14-6, 8-3 OVC) on Thursday night in Evansville, Ind.

A few days after making 14 threes, the Lions knocked down nine shots from beyond the arc in the opening half. The first three field goals of the game for Lindenwood were triples, including a pair from Brooke Coffey as the Black and Gold held a 9-8 lead three minutes in. Lindenwood made five threes overall in the first and were in front, 18-13 after one.

The hot shooting from deep continued in the second with Lindenwood making four more threes in the middle frame. Lindenwood took a 26-19 advantage following a layup by Mya Skoff with six minutes to go in the half. Southern Indiana chipped away a little bit, but the Lions held a 34-31 lead at the break. Ellie Brueggemann led the way with 12 points in the first half, including nine in the second quarter.

Lindenwood took its largest lead, 39-31 a minute into the third after Coffey drilled another three. The Black and Gold remained in front throughout the quarter until Southern Indiana tied it a 43 apiece with 3:39 to go in the third. The Lions responded by scoring the next five points, capped off by an Alyssa Nielsen three to put Lindenwood ahead 48-43. Lindenwood took a 48-36 advantage into the fourth

The fourth quarter featured 11 lead changes in a back-and-forth period. Brueggemann put the Lions up five, 53-48 with another three with 8:48 to go. The Screaming Eagles clawed back and grabbed a 56-55 lead just before the halfway point of the quarter. With the game tied at 58, Alli Saunders hit a big three to propel Southern Indiana back in front, 61-58 with just over four minutes to go.

A few minutes, Lindenwood took the lead again, as Ellie Brueggemann got into the lane and finished off a layup, making the score 62-61. On the next possession, USI regained the lead, going ahead by one and would eventually take a 64-62 lead after splitting a pair at the line with 1:15 remaining.

Following a Lindenwood timeout, Gracie Kelsey grabbed an offensive rebound and found Brueggemann who buried a corner three to give the Lions a 65-54 lead with 52 seconds left. On the defensive end, the Lions got a few key stops, including a big steal by Aleshia Jones who knocked down a pair of free throws to increase the lead to 69-64. Lindenwood hung on for a 69-67 win, securing the program's first-ever win in Evansville.

UT MARTIN 62, EASTERN ILLINOIS 46
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team picked up its fourth consecutive victory Thursday night with a convincing 64-46 win over Eastern Illinois at Groniger Arena in Charleston.

After the Panthers scored the opening basket of the game, Brittani Wells quickly answered with a 3-pointer, giving the Skyhawks a lead they would never relinquish. UT Martin led by just five at halftime, but a monster third quarter in which they outscored Eastern Illinois, 21-11, helped seal the win.

UT Martin outshot Eastern Illinois in the game, 42.9-percent to 37.5 percent, on 21-of-49 shooting. The Skyhawks shot 50-percent from behind the arc in the game, going 8-for-16, and were nearly perfect at the charity stripe, where they were 12-for-13.

Individually, Brittani Wells led UT Martin with a career-high 16 points, including going 3-for-6 from 3-point range, while Kenley McCarn notched her second career double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cam Ward scored a career-high 12 points, to go along with six rebounds and a 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line. Meanwhile, Norah Clark registered a new career best in assists with a game-high seven, tying Brittani Wells for the most by a Skyhawk this season.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 69, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 55
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois women's basketball used a dominant second half and a monster performance from Mia Nicastro to power past SEMO, 69–55, Thursday evening at Western Hall.

With the win, the Leathernecks improved to 17–3 overall and 9–2 in OVC play, continuing their strong push near the top of the conference standings. 

After a tightly contested first half that saw Western Illinois carry just a 30–24 lead into the break, the Leathernecks took control in the third quarter. WIU outscored SEMO 17–11 in the period, stretching the advantage to double digits behind efficient scoring in the paint and strong work on the glass. 

Nicastro was the driving force all night, finishing with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting while going a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line. She also dominated the boards with 13 rebounds to record a double-double. 

Addi Brownfield provided a major boost on the perimeter, knocking down four three-pointers on her way to 16 points while pulling down 10 rebounds for a double-double of her own. 

Mallory Shetley added 10 points, while Kaylen Reed chipped in eight points and Allie Meadows contributed across the stat sheet with six points and four assists as WIU shot 45.3% from the field and 50% from three-point range as a team. 

Western Illinois controlled the interior, outrebounding SEMO 39–25 and scoring 32 points in the paint. The Leathernecks also capitalized on extra possessions, turning Redhawk turnovers into 17 points. 

SEMO made a push in the fourth quarter with a 20-point period, but the Leathernecks matched the run and never allowed the lead to dip below single digits down the stretch.