Ohio Valley Conference

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Jordan Holman scored a career-high 29 points and Little Rock dominated the fourth quarter to earn a 73-68 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Morehead State Thursday night at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans outscored the Eagles 28-14 in the final period and went 28-for-34 at the free-throw line, using relentless pressure and composure to secure the comeback win.

With the victory, Little Rock improved to 15-14 overall and 11-8 in OVC play, strengthening its position in the conference standings. Little Rock will stay in the fifth spot in the OVC standings and will be the No. 5 seed in next week's OVC Tournament. 

Holman led all scorers with 29 points, three three-pointers, and eight rebounds while shooting 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. Destinee Salgado added 13 points and went 5-of-6 at the stripe, while Brenna Burk contributed seven points, five made free throws, and two steals as the Trojans consistently attacked the basket.

Little Rock battled through a tightly contested first half, with Holman knocking down two early three-pointers and Salgado converting key free throws as the teams finished the first quarter tied, 17-17. The defensive intensity continued into the second quarter, with Holman adding another three in transition and creating turnovers to spark the Trojans. Neither team could gain separation, and the game went into halftime even at 30-30.

Morehead State used a strong third quarter to build momentum, knocking down multiple three-pointers and taking advantage of second chances to claim a 54-45 lead heading into the final period.

The Trojans responded with their most complete stretch of the night. Salgado and Alaina Payne delivered key baskets early in the fourth, and Little Rock's defense forced critical stops to erase the deficit. With the score tied at 62, Salgado knocked down a clutch jumper before Holman took over, converting free throws and attacking the rim to put the Trojans ahead for good. She later added a late layup and two free throws to seal the victory.

Little Rock's aggressiveness proved decisive, as the Trojans scored 28 points at the free-throw line and held Morehead State to just 14 points in the fourth quarter.

LINDENWOOD 80, EASTERN ILLINOIS 43
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (23-7, 15-4 OVC) extended its win streak to seven after defeating Eastern Illinois (4-26, 3-16 OVC), 80-43 in the final home game of the regular season on Thursday night.

Lindenwood got off to a quick start jumping out to a 13-0 lead and did not allow an Eastern field goal until the 5:14 mark of the opening quarter. The hot shooting for the Lions continued throughout the frame as they knocked down 10-of-15 shots to lead 24-7 after one. Aleshia Jones paced the Black and Gold with seven points in the first 10 minutes.

Alyssa Nielsen knocked down her second three-pointer early in the second stretching the lead to 27-10. EIU cut the advantage to 11 just passed the halfway point of the middle frame. However, Nielsen buried another triple, putting the Lions ahead 34-20. Lindenwood stayed hot from deep with threes from Jones and Ellie Brueggemann extending the lead to 43-22. The Black and Gold led 43-24 at the break and shot 57 percent from the field and 62 percent from three-point range in the opening half. Nielsen led the way with 11, followed by Jones with 10.

The Lions kept their foot on the gas throughout the third quarter outscoring the Panthers 23-8. Brooke Coffey connected from deep three minutes into the frame, growing the lead to 50-28. Nielsen continued the three-point barrage with another a few minutes later, putting the Lions up 55-30 just past the halfway point of the third. Lindenwood finished the quarter on an 11-2 run and led 66-32 after three.

Anna McCarn had a strong fourth quarter with four points and three rebounds in nearly nine minutes of action. Lindenwood cruised to its seventh-straight win and have matched last seasons win total with 23. Once again, the Lions had four players in double figures led by Nielsen with 17.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 89, TENNESSEE STATE 52
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball (11-17, 7-12 OVC) defeated Tennessee State (4-24, 3-16 OVC), 89-52, at the Show Me Center, thanks to a dominant 44 points in the paint and 17 steals. The Redhawks maintained control throughout the game without surrendering the lead.

SEMO took control early with a 14-6 advantage in points in the paint. Nsabua contributed significantly with assists on multiple plays, including a fast-break 3-pointer by Taylor. The home team capitalized on Tennessee State's turnovers, scoring 13 points off turnovers and generating eight steals. At the end of the first quarter, the Redhawks held a 26-10 lead.

The Redhawks connected on 10 of 13 field goal attempts, including four from beyond the arc. McCully contributed significantly with a steal and a 3-pointer early in the quarter. Jackson made back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the Redhawks' lead. At halftime, the Redhawks held a 53–21 advantage.

Jackson hit a three-pointer early to extend the Redhawks' lead. Jones added two layups, contributing to a 14-point advantage in the paint for the home team. Taylor connected on a three-pointer at 4:48, pushing the lead further. The Redhawks took a commanding 74–38 lead into the final quarter.

Rixter opened the scoring for the Redhawks with a three-pointer, extending its lead early in the quarter. Nsabua and Jones contributed defensively with key steals and a block, respectively. Williams added a jumper from the paint, supported by an offensive rebound, pushing the home team's score further. The Redhawks concluded the game with a decisive 89-52 victory.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 79, SIUE 61
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Western Illinois University women's basketball team closed out its regular-season road slate in dominant fashion Thursday night, defeating SIUE 79-61 inside the First Community Arena.

WIU set the tone early, jumping out to a 20-10 lead after the first quarter behind efficient shooting and active defense. The Leathernecks shot 50 percent in the opening and never trailed, carrying a 35-21 advantage into halftime. After SIUE trimmed the margin with a strong third quarter, Western responded with its most efficient stretch of the night in the fourth, shooting 77.8 percent from the field to seal the 18-point victory.

Mia Nicasro led the way with a dominant 36-point performance, going 14-of-19 from the field and 7-of-7 at the free-throw line while adding five rebounds and five steals. Addi Brownfield and Mallory Shetley each chipped in 12 points, with Brownfield knocking down a trio of three-pointers and Shetley adding four assists. Allie Meadows added 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, helping WIU finish with five made threes.

As a team, the Leathernecks shot 55.8 percent from the floor and 84.2 percent from the line. Western controlled the paint with 30 points inside and forced 12 points off turnovers, while also converting 14 fast-break points. The Leathernecks also outrebounded SIUE 32-33 in a tightly contested battle on the glass and held the Cougars to just 36.2 percent shooting overall.

SIUE was paced by 24 points from Kiyoko Proctor, including five three-pointers, but Western's balanced scoring and efficient offense proved too much down the stretch.

With the win, WIU secures its 24th overall victory and 16th conference triumph, continuing its strong push heading into postseason play.

TENNESSEE TECH 80, UT MARTIN 68
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech women's basketball team got a much-needed win on Thursday night to keep their hopes of an Ohio Valley Conference tournament bid alive as the Golden Eagles rallied back in the second half to beat UT Martin 80-68.

Tech improves to 15-13 overall, 8-11 in the OVC. The Golden Eagles enter Saturday's finale with a one-game lead over SIUE and Southeast Missouri, both at 7-12.

Tech can still finish as high as sixth in the conference race, but can also find itself eliminated if both the Redhawks and the Cougars win on Saturday to force a three-way tie. The Golden Eagles, however, can still make the field with a loss and an SIUE loss.

It was a long-range assault as Tech was 14-for-30 from beyond the arc as Chloe Larry knocked down five and Reagan Hurst and Cam Mathews each knocked down four.

Tech was able to get the upper hand early on, outscoring the Skyhawks 18-12 as the Golden Eagles knocked down seven shots including a trio of 3-pointers.

UTM (13-15, 9-10 OVC), however, went on a tear in the second quarter, putting up 26 points in the period to Tech's 18. Sidni Middleton led the Skyhawk charge with eight points, while Brittani Wells tabbed in seven as UTM shot a scorching 78.6 percent, hitting 11 of 14 from the field. Tech went 6-for-21.

With the Skyhawks leading 38-36 at the intermission, the Golden Eagles flipped the script in the third quarter, surging ahead with a 26-17 period, powered by nine points for LaReesha Cawthorn.

The Skyhawks took a blow in the middle of the third as Middleton went down with an apparent ankle injury that sidelined her for the rest of the contest, ending the night with eight points.

Tech kept building the lead in the fourth, extending its advantage to 12 points and never looked back.

Larry ended the game with a team-best 19 points, while Hurst scored 17. Cawthorn recorded her eighth double-double of the season as she scored 13 points and pulled down 15 boards, while swatting five shots. Mathews ended the game with 12 points. Amaya Redd narrowly missed a double-double of her own as she had nine points and 10 rebounds.

Kenley McCarn led UTM with 21 points.