Ohio Valley Conference

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The paint belonged to the Trojans Thursday night.

Behind 38 points in the paint and a dominant inside presence, Little Rock (14-13, 10-7 OVC) earned a key 65-57 victory over UT Martin (13-14, 9-9 OVC) at the Jack Stephens Center, strengthening its position in the Ohio Valley Conference race.

After UT Martin's Sidni Middleton opened the scoring with an early layup, Little Rock quickly settled in. Mya Cotto answered with a pair of free throws and added a layup and another free throw to spark a first-quarter surge. Jordan Holman's bucket at the 2:15 mark extended the lead before Cotto buried a three-pointer to close the quarter, giving the Trojans a 15-9 advantage.

Little Rock seized control in the second quarter by capitalizing on Skyhawk turnovers and turning defense into offense. Holman knocked down a jumper to stretch the lead, while Alaina Payne and Destinee Salgado attacked the rim. Salgado scored twice in quick succession, and Jarahle Daniels added a late layup before Holman beat the buzzer with another inside finish to send the Trojans into halftime up 29-18.

Holman was relentless throughout the night, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds and going 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Salgado recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds on seven made field goals, while Cotto added 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Trojans maintained their composure in the third quarter despite UT Martin converting all 15 of its free-throw attempts in the game to stay within striking distance. Holman opened the second half with a fast-break layup, Brenna Burk knocked down a three-pointer, and Salgado continued to control the glass as Little Rock carried a 47-37 lead into the final period.

UT Martin made one final push, trimming the deficit to 54-52 with 3:32 remaining and later to 56-55 after a Brittani Wells three-pointer. But Holman responded with a clutch jumper and later a three-pointer of her own, while Payne added a key layup to put the game out of reach.

Defensively, the Trojans controlled the boards and limited second-chance opportunities, while offensively they continued to pound the paint and execute late.

MOREHEAD STATE 74, EASTERN ILLINOIS 70
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Morehead State led most of the night and turned back a determined Eastern Illinois effort in the second half to come away with a 74-70 win Thursday night in Groniger Arena in Charleston, Illinois.

Morehead State (17-11, 12-5 OVC) was led by Violet McNece, who set a new career high with 19 points. Kate Dike, coming off the bench for the second straight game, tossed in 17, hitting seven of nine from the free throw line.
 
Laura Toffali and Marie Sepp each added 12 for MSU. Sepp, returning after missing the last two games was very efficient. She hit five of her six field goal attempts and was one of two from the free throw line. Landon Forbes battled foul trouble the entire second half, fouling out midway through the fourth quarter, she led all players with eight rebounds and seven assists.
 
Eastern Illinois (4-24, 3-14 OVC) trailing by five at the half came back in the third quarter.  A late 9-0 run put EIU ahead 49-46. A three-pointer by Circe Rubio Remolar tied it up at 49-49. The Eagles went cold in the period hitting just four of their 14 field goal attempts. Morehead State was whistled for nine fouls and the Panthers hit eight of their 12 free throws in the frame. EIU outscored the Eagles 17-12 in the period and the teams went to the final quarter tied at 49-49.
 
The final ten minutes featured 11 lead changes. Morehead State hit nine of their 11 field goal attempts (82%). Dike came up big in the final quarter with nine points. Sepp tossed in seven in the frame.
 
Tied at 70-70, Remolar Rubio hit a driving layup with 34 seconds to play. After an EIU miss, McNece put the game on ice by making two free throws with eight seconds to play.
 
EIU was led by Ava Stoller with 20 points. Ella Lune finished with 19 and Meioshe Mason added 12 points.
 
The Eagles opened the game with a seven-point run. MSU shot 53% from the floor, forced five EIU turnovers and led 19-15 after the first period. NcNece led MSU with seven points in the period. Toffali had six in the opening period.
 
Eastern Illinois came back and got its first lead of the game on a pair of Ava Stoller free throws at the 4:30 mark of the second quarter. MSU responded with a five-point run and led 37-32 at the intermission. Violet McNece led all scorers with 14 points at the half, shooting six of nine from the floor and hit two of her five three-point attempts.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 64, SOUTHERN INDIANA 39
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois women's basketball earned a commanding 64-39 victory over Southern Indiana on Wednesday evening inside Western Hall. With the win, the Leathernecks improved to 22-4 overall and 14-3 in conference play.

WIU set the tone early and never trailed, holding Southern Indiana scoreless for nearly the first two minutes before building a 10-point advantage midway through the opening quarter. The Leathernecks led 17-11 after one and extended the margin in the second, using a 14-0 run to create separation. A late three-pointer from Mia Nicastro pushed the lead to 15, and WIU took a 33-21 advantage into halftime.

Western Illinois maintained control in the third quarter, pushing its lead to as many as 17 behind strong inside play and timely perimeter shooting. The Leathernecks carried a 47-34 edge into the final period before closing the game on a dominant note, outscoring USI 17-5 in the fourth to secure the 25-point win.

Kaylen Reed led the way with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Addi Brownfield and Mia Nicastro each added 14 points. Nicastro recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds to go along with her 14 points. Mallory Shetley chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds as WIU shot 45.1 percent from the field.

Defensively, the Leathernecks limited Southern Indiana to just 39 points on 25 percent shooting and held the Screaming Eagles to 5 points in the fourth quarter. WIU also dominated in transition, scoring 14 fast-break points and controlling the glass with a 36-35 rebounding edge.

Southern Indiana was led by Chloe Gannon with 11 points, while Kylee Dennis added six.

LINDENWOOD 75, TENNESSEE STATE 70
NASHVILLE - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (21-7, 13-4 OVC) earned its fifth-straight win after defeating Tennessee State (4-22, 3-14 OVC), 75-70 on Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn.

It was a slow start offensively for the Lions who trailed 9-6 at the midway point of the opening quarter. Lindenwood took its first lead of the game after Valerie Norwood grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back, giving the Black and Gold a 15-13 lead. Lindenwood led 19-15 after one with Aleshia Jones having a game-high nine points.

Lindenwood maintained a slim lead throughout the second quarter that grew to seven at 30-23 after Ellie Brueggemann knocked down threes on back-to-back offensive possessions with just over four minutes to play in the half. The Lions held a 34-30 advantage at the break.

Both teams shot the ball well in the third quarter. Brueggemann nailed a three early in the frame to put the Lions up five, 39-34. Tennessee State chipped away with an 11-4 run to tie the game and eventually took the lead going up 45-43 following a steal and layup the other way. The Tigers continued to be disruptive on the defensive end and extended the lead to 53-47 with 3:43 to play in the third.

It was Lindenwood's turn to respond and they did just that with a 9-0 run, capped off by a Gracie Kelsey and-one propelled the Lions in front, 56-53. The Black and Gold led by one, 57-56, after 30 minutes of play.

Lindenwood remained in front by three after a shot from deep by Brooke Coffey went down. Tennessee State responded with a three of its own on the next trip to tie the game at 64. The seesaw battle continued with TSU going back in front, 68-67 just passed the halfway point of the fourth quarter.

Lindenwood locked in defensively and held the Tigers to just two points for the rest of the game and were able to earn a 75-70 road win. The Lions had five players in double figures, including Mya Skoff who had seven of her 10 points in the fourth.

SIUE 76, TENNESSEE TECH 60
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Senior Macy Silvey reached a major milestone Thursday night, scoring her 1,000th career point as SIUE earned a 76-60 win over Tennessee Tech.
 
Silvey becomes the 29th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
 
With their third straight conference victory, the Cougar improved to 13-14 overall and 6-11 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Golden Eagles fell to 14-12 overall and 7-10 in OVC play.
 
SIUE set the tone early, knocking down five of its first seven shots, this pushed them to a 13-3 run lasting over two minutes. The Cougars scored 27 first-quarter points ­­­– their highest-scoring quarter this season against a Division I opponent.
 
Silvey opened the third quarter with a three-pointer before reaching her milestone on a layup with 6:52 remaining in the period.
 
Adebukola Akomolafe helped maintain the momentum late in the third, finished a layup to stretch the lead to 62-45. After Tennessee Tech's Reagan Hurts converted a pair of free throws, Lauren Miller beat the buzzer with a jumper to give SIUE a 64-47 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
The Cougars extended their lead to as many as 22 points in the final quarter following layups from Syanne Mohamed and Miller.
 
Freshman Kiyoko Proctor led SIUE with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Miller followed with 19 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. Silvey finished with 12 points, while Mohamed controlled the glass with 14 rebounds.
 
SIUE shot 52 percent (29-56) from the field, 44 percent (7-16) from three-point range and 85 percent (11-13) from the line. Tennessee Tech shot 41 percent (22-54) from the field, 21 percent (3-14) from beyond the arc and 59 percent (13-22) at the free throw line.