LEXINGTON, Ky. - Morehead State got off to a cold shooting start and battled to the end as the Eagles went down to the 14th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 85-42 Monday night in Historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
 
Morehead State (0-1) was paced by Kensley Feltner with 16 points. The Belmont transfer from Louisa shot 6-11 from the floor, including 3-6 from three-point range. Lanae Riley finished with 11 points.
 
Kentucky (1-0) placed five players in double figures, led by Clara Strack with 17 points on 8-18 shooting from the floor. Ajsa Sivka, Diana Collins and Maddyn Greenway added a dozen points apiece. Me'Arah O'Neal and Emily McDonald finished with 10 points each.
 
Morehead State struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the opening 20 minutes against the taller and longer Wildcats. The Eagles shot 2-12 from the floor in the first quarter and 3-13 in the second 10 minutes.
 
Morehead State warmed up in the second half. After a slow start in the third quarter, the Eagles finished 6-18 from the floor for 33%. MSU shot better in the fourth frame, hitting 6-12 from the floor and 2-4 from three-point range.
 

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MURRAY STATE 82, SOUTHERN INDIANA 67
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball fell to Murray State University, 82-67, in its season opener Monday night at Liberty Arena after the Racers' fast start and hot 3-point shooting.
 
USI (0-1) and Murray State (1-0) met for the fifth straight season and for the second straight year inside Liberty Arena Monday evening.
 
The Screaming Eagles were led in scoring by sophomore forward Channah Gannon with 16 points, matching her career high, on 6-14 shooting while claiming four rebounds. Gannon scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and helped spark a 10-0 second-quarter run by USI alongside sophomore guard Ella Bobe, who posted nine points in her USI debut after missing last season due to injury. The two contributed to USI's 37 bench points on Monday night. USI shot 38 percent (27-71) overall but was held to 4-20 from three. The Screaming Eagles went 9-for-13 from the free-throw line, shooting 69 percent.
 
Meanwhile, Murray State was led by senior guard Halli Poock, who poured in 33 points on a career-best seven 3-pointers made as part of a 56 percent (14-25) shooting night from beyond the arc by the Racers. Overall, Murray State shot 42 percent (24-57) from the floor and 83 percent (20-24) from the foul line.
 
Murray State jumped out to a quick start on Monday, forcing USI to call a timeout. Despite back-to-back buckets by USI senior forward Chloe Gannon, who finished with seven points, the Racers turned to their returning core and three-point shooting to build a 22-10 lead by the end of the opening frame.
 
The Racers stayed hot from beyond the arc to start the second quarter and extended their lead, but Bobe and Channah Gannon then sparked USI's 10-0 run in the middle of the second to help USI edge Murray State in the quarter. However, the Racers finished the first half with the upper hand, leading 38-28 at halftime.
 
As USI tried to keep within striking distance in the third quarter, Murray State gradually extended its lead to 20 in the middle of the period. Even though a pair of layups later in the third from junior guard Lexi Sepulveda helped USI to trim the deficit to 15, the Racers had the biggest scoring quarter of the night, scoring 28 points to take a 66-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
The Screaming Eagles tried to fight back as Channah Gannon went back to work in the fourth quarter, scoring six points over the first four and a half minutes, and freshman forward Maddy Shirley, who netted eight points in her USI debut, tacked on another bucket to cut the difference down to 14, 72-58. The Screaming Eagles climbed back to within 11 with 2:27 remaining but would be held scoreless for the rest of the contest.
 

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TENNESSEE STATE 95, TOCCOA FALLS 46
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State women's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season with a commanding 95-46 victory over Toccoa Falls on Monday evening at the Gentry Center. The Tigers used a balanced offensive attack and relentless defensive pressure to secure the 49-point win in their season debut.

Somah Kamara led Tennessee State with a game-high 24 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and connecting on four 3-pointers. Genesis Harris added 17 points, knocking down five shots from beyond the arc, while Lakiara Alexander recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Adrienne Hunt also reached double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Defensively, the Tigers were led by Sherry Zheng, who recorded seven steals and six assists, while Kamara added five steals of her own. Tennessee State finished with 24 steals and forced 40 Toccoa Falls turnovers.

Tennessee State established control early, opening the contest with a basket from Kamara before Nandinkhusel Nyamjav connected from beyond the arc to give the Tigers a 5-2 advantage. The Tigers continued to apply pressure defensively, turning turnovers into scoring opportunities. Alexander converted a three-point play, and Kamara followed with consecutive baskets to extend the lead to 12-4. Harris added a 3-pointer late in the period, while Alexander and Nyamjav combined for five points in the closing seconds to give Tennessee State a 25-8 advantage after 10 minutes.

The Tigers continued to build their lead behind Kamara's offensive production. Kamara opened the quarter with a jumper and later connected on a 3-pointer to push Tennessee State ahead 31-14. Harris provided a spark from the perimeter, knocking down two triples during the period, while Zheng added a 3-pointer of her own. Hunt contributed a second-chance basket, and Kamara connected from long range with just over a minute remaining to extend the advantage to 45-26. Tennessee State entered halftime leading 45-27.

Tennessee State came out of the break firing, with Nyamjav opening the second half with a 3-pointer before Zheng added a layup to push the lead to 50-27. Kamara continued her strong performance, connecting from beyond the arc and adding another basket as the Tigers extended their advantage. Addison Melton knocked down a 3-pointer and followed with a layup, while Danica Lazic contributed a triple to give Tennessee State a 64-34 lead. Harris added another 3-pointer late in the quarter, helping the Tigers carry a 69-36 advantage into the final period.

The Tigers closed out the contest with their highest-scoring quarter, outscoring Toccoa Falls 26-10. Harris continued her success from long range, while Hunt provided an offensive boost with a 3-pointer and multiple baskets. Tennessee State's defense remained active, with Serenity Byrd recording consecutive steals and converting one into a layup. Akeera Sparks added two baskets in the closing minutes, including the game's final field goal with 31 seconds remaining, to secure the 95-46 victory.
 

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UT MARTIN 90, EASTERN KENTUCKY 89
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team won its 2026-27 opener dramatically with a 90-89 win over Eastern Kentucky Monday night at the Kathleen & Tom Elam Center in Martin. Raven Sims led five players in double figures, with a debut double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds.

The Colonels jumped out to an early advantage in the game and led the Skyhawks by as many as 11 in the opening quarter. However, the Skyhawks bounced back and trailed just 45-40 at the half, then outscored Eastern Kentucky 24-18 in the third to take a 64-63 lead into the final 10 minutes.

UT Martin steadily built on the lead in the fourth quarter and led by as many as eight with 2:38 remaining. The game, however, was far from over, as the Colonels outscored the Skyhawks 10-3 down the stretch. Eastern Kentucky had two cracks at the basket in the last nine seconds, but could not get either to fall as the Skyhawks held on for their first win in a season opener since 2018.

Both teams pounded the paint Monday, but the Skyhawks did it just a little bit better, outscoring the Colonels there, 48-42. UT Martin also got more out of its bench in the game, with its reserves outscoring Eastern Kentucky's, 30-18. UT Martin also shot 50.7-percent from the floor in the contest and outperformed the Colonels at the free-throw line by going 18-for-24 (75.0) compared to 24-for-41 (58.5) by EKU.

Tyler Jones followed Sims on the night with 13 points, while Kennedy Horton added 12 and Sidni Middleton and Olivia Smith each had 10.
 

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COLORADO STATE 63, LINDENWOOD 46
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (0-1) fell in the season opener at Colorado State (1-0), 63-46 on Monday night in Fort Collins, Colo.

It was a slow shooting start for both teams, but a three at the 7:28 mark by Cadence Dykstra put the Lions up 5-4. A few minutes later, another triple by Brenna Rucker extended the lead to 8-4. The Rams scored the final six points of the first to lead 10-8 after one.

Violet McNece put Lindenwood back in front, 11-10 with another three to begin the second quarter. Colorado State took its largest lead at 22-16 with just over four minutes to play in the half and would lead 26-22 at the break. Defensively, the Black and Gold held the Rams to 38 percent shooting and forced seven turnovers.

The Lions cut the deficit to one at 28-27 following a Rucker three with 7:02 to play in the third. Colorado State held a slim lead throughout the quarter and were able to extend it to double digits with a late run and led 43-32 after three.

Another three by Saniah Tyler early in the fourth made the score 47-35, but the Lions couldn't get closer on the evening. CSU grew its advantage to as many as 16 in the fourth and won by a 63-46 score.

Nine of Lindenwood's 17 field goals in the game were three pointers. Dykstra posted the first double-double of her career with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 

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MISSOURI STATE 77, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 40
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Southeast Missouri lost to Missouri State 77-40 on Monday. 

The Redhawks (0-1) scored first on Yar Manyiel's offensive-rebound layup, but the Bears (1-0) moved ahead 10-2 midway through the first quarter as SEMO. finished the frame with six turnovers and nine fouls. Southeast Mo. St. answered late with takeaways by Zoe Newland and Faye Williams, and Hailey Buckman's 3-pointer off Jolie Bonderer's assist cut the Bears' lead to 14-11. The Bears added a final-minute free throw, and SEMO entered the second quarter trailing 15-11.

SEMO was held scoreless for the first 5:48 of the second quarter as the Bears moved ahead 24-11. Madison Ayers hit two 3-pointers and Carrington Jones added two baskets to get The Redhawks back on the board, but the Bears closed the quarter with a 34-21 lead after outscoring Southeast Mo. St. 19-10 in the frame.

Southeast Missouri struggled to find offense in the third quarter, shooting 1-for-15 while the Bears outscored it 17-2. Newland accounted for the Redhawks's lone basket, finishing a fast-break layup off an assist from Ayers at 4:49 to make it 47-23. The Bears closed the quarter ahead 51-23 after SEMO went scoreless the rest of the way.

The Redhawks were limited to four field goals and committed five turnovers in the fourth quarter as the Bears scored 26 points in the segment. Jolie Bonderer hit SEMO's lone 3-pointer and added a second-chance basket, while Newland turned a steal into a fastbreak layup and the team went 8-for-8 at the line. The Bears finished off a 77-40 win.