Ohio Valley Conference

MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State got off to fast start and cruised to a 79-53 win over Tennessee State Saturday afternoon in Johnson Arena.
 
Morehead State (16-11, 11-5 OVC) held Tennessee State to just three points in the opening quarter and led 19-3 after the first period. Tennessee State shot just one of 11 from the floor, committing eight turnovers in the opening 10 minutes.

Morehead State was led by Josefine Enander with 20 points. The sophomore from Sodertalje, Sweden hit five of seven from three-point range and seven of nine overall.  Violet McNece finished with 15 points, her fourth-straight game in double figures.

Tennessee State (4-21, 3-13 OVC) was led by Somah Kamara with 18 points. Amiyah Ferguson added 11 for the Tigers.
 
Morehead State outscored TSU 22-18 in the second quarter, spearheaded by Enander who hit two of three treys in the period. The Eagles hit five of 12 from three-point range in the period and led 41 21 at the intermission.
 
The Eagles stretched their lead to 25 on a Forbes layup off a TSU turnover at 57-41 at the 5:01 mark of the period. Tennessee State outscored MSU 20-16 in the quarter and trailed 57-41 with ten minutes to play.
 
The Eagles stretched out their lead in the final period, at one point leading by 29 points with 1:20 left. Morehead State forced eight Tiger turnovers in the period and outscored TSU 22-12.

SIUE 62, UT MARTIN  52
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE women's basketball found another conference win at home dominating UT Martin 62-52 Saturday.
 
SIUE improves to 12-14 overall and 5-11 in the Ohio Valley Conference. UT Martin falls to 13-12 overall and 9-7 in OVC play.
 
Syanne Mohamed opened the scoring with a layup early in the first quarter. Ava Gugliuzza followed with a three-pointer with 4:42 remaining in the first quarter sparking a 10-0 run helping the Cougars build a 17-9 lead to end the first quarter.
 
SIUE continued its momentum in the second quarter with a 6-0 run over 3:15, partnered with a Skyhawk scoring drought lasting 4:15. The Cougars took a 34-14 lead going into halftime.
 
Kiyoko Proctor had a three-pointer with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter to solidify the Cougars' win.
 
Four Cougars stories in the double digits. Mohamed and Lauren Miller had 13 points apiece. Mohamed also grabbed 13 rebounds recording her fourth career double-double. Kiyoko Procotr had 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and added four assists. Kendal George also had 12 points shooting 4-for-9 from the field and recording two steals.
 
UT Martin was led in scoring by Kenley McCarn with 15 points on 1-of-12 shooting.
 
SOUTHERN INDIANA 72, TENNESSEE TECH 60
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball wrapped up its regular-season home schedule on Saturday afternoon, downing Tennessee Tech University, 72-60, on Senior Day at Liberty Arena.
 
USI Women's Basketball (18-7, 12-4 OVC) found itself in another tightly contested battle against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (14-11, 7-9 OVC). However, similar to USI's win on Thursday night against Tennessee State University, the Screaming Eagles created separation with a strong second half, especially in the third quarter after USI outscored Tennessee Tech 25-10 in the third period. Also, like how USI completed a regular-season sweep of Tennessee State on Thursday, the Screaming Eagles completed a regular-season sweep of Tennessee Tech with Saturday's triumph.
 
Saturday's victory also kept USI in a tie for second place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings alongside Lindenwood University and a game back of first-place Western Illinois University, which was idle on Saturday.
 
USI once again had four players score in double figures. Senior guard Ali Saunders totaled a game-high 17 points and matched a season-high eight assists. Junior forward Chloe Gannon registered 15 points with seven rebounds, while freshman forward Channah Gannon tallied 11 points for her first double-digit outing since January 3 at Lindenwood. Junior guard Shannon Blacher notched 10 points, and junior forward Amiyah Buchanan nearly had another double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Overall, the Screaming Eagles shot for 38.5 percent (25-65) from the floor with three triples and went for over 90 percent (19-21) at the free-throw line. USI won the battle on the glass, 45-32, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points.
 
Tennessee Tech, which had only two players score 10-plus in the contest, went for 37 percent (20-54) shooting overall, 45 percent (9-20) from three, and below 65 percent (11-17) at the charity stripe.
 
The game began neck-and-neck, with USI leading 11-7 just over four minutes into the game after a three-pointer by Saunders. A couple of minutes later, Tennessee Tech took a one-point advantage, 14-13, following a three-pointer. Despite going 6-6 at the free-throw line in the opening quarter, USI trailed by one, 16-15, through the first 10 minutes.
 
Both teams came out of the gates for the second quarter with a made three. Free throws continued to aid the Screaming Eagles, who grabbed a 25-21 lead with seven minutes left in the first half before the Golden Eagles answered with another trey. The two sides continued to battle to a one-point difference, as Saunders went over 10 points by the end of the first half. Down 34-28 with 2:30 left until halftime, USI scored six unanswered points to knot the game at 34 going into the intermission.
 
Out of the locker room, USI quickly jumped ahead by four following back-to-back buckets by Chloe Gannon. A little later, Gannon delivered a three-point play that increased the Screaming Eagles' advantage to six, 43-37. In the back half of the third quarter, USI got another three-point play by redshirt sophomore guard Kylee Dennis, and then Gannon knocked down a shot to push USI's lead to 11, 52-41, with under three minutes to play in the third. Another three-point play by Blacher and a pair of buckets by Channah Gannon helped USI carry a 59-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
The Screaming Eagles maintained their double-digit margin into the early parts of the fourth period, seemingly having a response each time Tennessee Tech tried to get something going. The Golden Eagles continued to fight, trimming USI's lead down to 10, 66-56, with just under five minutes remaining. Tennessee Tech got the difference down to eight, 68-60, by the 3:30 mark of the fourth, but the Screaming Eagles held solid from there with baskets by Buchanan and Saunders before closing out the final two minutes scoreless.

LITTLE ROCK 73, EASTERN ILLINOIS 53
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Little Rock delivered a complete performance on both ends of the floor Saturday afternoon, using a dominant first quarter and balanced production throughout the lineup to secure a convincing 73-53 victory over Eastern Illinois at Groniger Arena.

The Trojans improved to 13-13 overall and 9-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play, controlling the game with a 42-37 rebounding advantage and a commanding 38-16 edge in points in the paint.

Little Rock set the tone immediately. Destinee Salgado opened the scoring with a steal and layup, igniting a 29-9 first-quarter explosion that showcased the Trojans' defensive intensity and offensive efficiency. Mya Cotto and Brenna Burk each knocked down three-pointers during the run, while the Trojan defense forced six turnovers and limited the Panthers to just nine points in the period. Jordan Holman punctuated the dominant quarter with a block in the final seconds, symbolizing Little Rock's defensive focus.

Eastern Illinois responded with a 14-2 second quarter, but Little Rock never lost its composure. The Trojans regrouped at halftime and reasserted their control in the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 22-14 behind timely shooting and continued work on the glass.

Burk ignited the second-half push with a layup early in the third, and Holman delivered a key three-pointer midway through the quarter to stretch the lead. Salgado's relentless effort on the boards helped generate second-chance opportunities, while Blessing Teamer added a momentum-stopping block late in the period.

Little Rock closed the game with authority in the fourth quarter, outscoring Eastern Illinois 20-16. Salgado converted a fast-break layup early, Holman added another inside basket, and Cotto capped the scoring with a layup in the final seconds as the Trojans maintained control throughout.

Holman led a balanced Trojan attack with a dominant double-double, finishing with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals. Burk paced Little Rock offensively with 19 points, knocking down five three-pointers, tying her career high in a standout shooting performance.

Holman also reached a significant milestone, scoring her 1,000th point as a Trojan on a drive late in the game.

Salgado added 11 points and 10 rebounds for her own double-double, while Cotto contributed 11 points and two blocks. Alaina Payne orchestrated the offense brilliantly, recording 10 assists along with seven rebounds and two steals.

The Trojans' inside dominance and defensive pressure proved decisive, as Little Rock controlled the glass, protected the rim, and consistently found high-percentage scoring opportunities.

LINDENWOOD 78, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 67
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (20-7, 12-4 OVC) secured back-to-back winning seasons with a 78-67 victory over SEMO (8-17, 4-12 OVC) on Senior Day.

Lindenwood got off to a fast start going up 11-2 behind a pair of three pointers from Mya Skoff. The Lions shit 54 percent from the field in the opening frame and remained comfortably in front leading by double digits. Aleshia Jones gave the Black and Gold a 20-9 lead after one by hitting a long three just before the end of the quarter.

SEMO answered back with an 8-0 run to begin the second quarter to cut the deficit to 20-17. Skoff settled the Lions back down and completed an and one after a feed from Valerie Norwood extending the lead to 24-19 with 5:54 remaining in the quarter. The Lions held a slim lead and grew it back to nine following a Skoff three with 11 seconds to go. The Black and Gold led 39-30 at the break. Skoff had a game-high 13 points, followed by Jones with nine and Brooke Coffey with eight.

Lindenwood took its largest lead of the day following a steal and layup by Jones made the score 46-33 which forced a SEMO timeout. The Redhawks responded and cut the deficit to 50-45 with just over two minutes to go in the quarter. Lindenwood led 57-51 heading into the fourth.

Ellie Brueggemann drilled a three early in the final frame putting the Lions in front 64-53. The Black and Gold closed the game out by shooting 54 percent from the field in the quarter, while Jones led the way with six points.