Ohio Valley Conference

NASHVILLE - Eastern Illinois had three players score in double figures as the Panthers picked up their first OVC road win of the season with a 65-60 win over Tennessee State on Thursday night at the Gentry Center.

EIU led 50-41 at the end of three quarters and held off a late charge that got the Lady Tigers within five points with 1:21 to play on a Xai Whitfield basket cutting EIU's lead to 63-58. 

Following a defensive stand, EIU extended the lead back to 65-58 on a lay-up by Sydney-James Desroches following a rebound by Meioshe Mason.   James was one of three Panthers in double figures with 16.

Mason had her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds as rebounding was a key factor in the game.  EIU finished the game with a 43-38 rebounding edge including pulling down 13 offensive rebounds.

Eastern Illinois held Tennessee State scoreless for nearly seven minutes to close out the second quarter extending a 16-14 first quarter lead to a 33-22 halftime lead.

Desroches (11) and Tiny Lewis (10) both reached double figures in the opening half as the Panthers closed the half with a 12-2 run.  Whitfield finally broke a long scoreless stretch for TSU with five seconds left in the half.

Lewis was EIU's leading scorer in the game with 19 points including several key baskets early in the fourth quarter.  EIU improved to 4-20 overall, 3-10 in the OVC. 

Clara Glad had eight rebounds and Kennedy Davis added seven rebounds for the Panthers.

Whitfield was the lone TSU player in double figures with 14 points as the Lady Tigers fell to 3-19 overall, 2-11 in the OVC.

UT MARTIN 66, SOUTHERN INDIANA 58
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team led for over 39 minutes and never trailed in Thursday's 66-58 win over Southern Indiana at the Kathleen & Tom Elam Center in Martin.

The Skyhawks were hot out of the gate, shooting 43.8-percent in the first quarter, compared to just 12.5-percent by the Screaming Eagles for a 16-9 lead at the end of the period. UT Martin continued to catch fire in the second, shooting a blistering 53.8-percent from the floor and outscoring Southern Indiana, 19-4 in the frame, for a 12-point halftime lead.

In the third, the Screaming Eagles clawed back with their own hot shooting, going 5-for-9 from the field and 9-for-12 from the free throw to outscore the Skyhawks, 20-13. In the fourth, USI continued to fight back until it eventually tied the game at 50 with 6:25 to play.

However, the Skyhawks buckled down and outscored Southern Indiana, 16-8, from that point on. The Screaming Eagles cut the lead to six with 18 seconds left in regulation, but a pair of free throws by Brittani Wells two seconds later iced the game for the Skyhawks.

Brittani Wells finished the game shooting 5-for-7 from the floor, 4-for-6 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 at the free throw line to lead UT Martin with a career-high 18 points, to go along with a game-high six assists. Zy Thompson scored 12 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Kenley McCarn added 12 points and two steals.

LINDENWOOD 92, LITTLE ROCK 54
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Lindenwood women's basketball team (18-7, 10-4 OVC) picked up a convincing 92-54 win over Little Rock (11-12, 7-6 OVC) on Thursday night from Little Rock, Ark.

The Lions got off to a strong start, knocking down four threes before the midway point of the opening quarter, including a pair from Mya Skoff that put Lindenwood in front 12-2. The hot shooting continued throughout the quarter and the lead was extended to 13 at 22-9 after a jumper by Valerie Norwood with a minute and a half to go. Lindenwood led 26-14 after one quarter.

Lindenwood shot nearly 82 percent from the field in the second quarter, including making all five of its three-point attempts. Ellie Brueggemann drilled one from the top of the key that made the score 43-17 in favor of the Lions. Brooke Coffey had nine points in the second as the Lions led 49-22 at the break. Overall, the Black and Gold shot 62 percent from the field and 56 percent from three-point range to hold a 27-point lead following 20 minutes.

Gracie Kelsey began the third quarter with a tough and one finish the propelled the Lions in front 54-22. A few minutes later, Brueggemann knocked down another three to make the score 63-31. The Lions were on cruise control throughout the second half and led 74-37 after three.  

Lindenwood finished off a dominant 92-54 road win with six players in double figures: Brueggemann, Coffey, Skoff, Kelsey, Alyssa Nielsen, and Aleshia Jones. The Lions shot 56 percent from the field overall, including 50 percent from beyond the arc. Lindenwood also went 18-of-19 from the charity stripe and picked up its 10th conference win of the season.

MOREHEAD STATE 71, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 57
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Morehead State had their leading scorer Kate Dike limited to just 17 minutes because of early foul trouble, but got 23 points from the bench, shot 40% from three-point range and ran their winning streak to six games with a 71-57 victory over Southeast Missouri Thursday night in the Show-Me Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
Morehead State (15-9, 9-3 OVC) was led by the tandem of Violet McNece, who tied her career high with 18 points, and Landon Forbes, who dropped in 18 points off the bench. Forbes also led MSU with eight rebounds. McNece went seven of 10 from the floor, including four of six from three-point range. Forbes shot six of 10 and four of eight from behind the arc. Forbes also set a new career high with five steals.
 
Dike, who played only 4:40 in the first half, finished strong and ended up with 14 markers while playing just 17:37. Laura Toffali chipped in 11 for the Eagles. Toffali also picked up six steals.
 
The Eagles came out of the gates hitting three of their first four shots of the game and used an 11-0 run over 2:54 of game time to push ahead 21-10. The Eagles hit seven of their 12 shots (58%) from the field and four of their seven three-pointers and led 21-12 at the quarter break.
 
Morehead State turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, forcing five turnovers by the media timeout. However, SEMO found the range in the period hitting four of their first six shots from the floor and finished hitting 7-11 (64%) including draining three of their four three-point shots. Morehead State hit four of 11 from the floor (36%) and made just one of their seven three-point shots. Morehead State took a 33-31 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Eagles came out of the intermission hitting four of their first eight shots including three of five from beyond the arc including two straight by Forbes. The Eagles went on a 6-1 run to take a 45-35 lead at the media timeout. MSU committed just one turnover in the quarter and led 52-43 heading to the final 10 minutes.
 
In the final quarter, the Eagles endured a three-minute scoring drought that saw their 13-point lead whittled to eight. A pair of Dike free throws with 4:16 remaining put the Eagle back ahead in double digits and the Eagles led by as much as 17 after a seven-point run capped by two free throws by Toffali with 1:32 remaining.
 
Southeast Missouri (8-14, 4-9 OVC) was led by Raissa Nsabua with 24 points.  Kearra Jones notched a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 68, TENNESSEE TECH 53
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Western Illinois picked up a big road win Thursday night, pulling away for a 68–53 victory over Tennessee Tech at the Eblen Center.

The Leathernecks (19-3, 11-2 OVC) used a dominant second quarter and efficient shooting throughout to take control early and never fully give it back. After a tight first period, WIU outscored the Golden Eagles 21-7 in the second to build a 34-19 halftime lead. Western shot 60 percent from the field in the quarter and turned defense into offense, cashing in on steals and pushing the pace in transition.

Mia Nicastro led the way with a game-high 25 points on an ultra-efficient 12-of-17 shooting performance, while also pulling down 13 rebounds for a double-double. Mallory Shetley added 19 points, attacking the paint and finishing through contact, and Madison Davis chipped in 10 points and six boards. Allie Meadows stretched the floor with eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, and added four assists.

As a team, WIU shot 52.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from three (5-of-10), while holding Tennessee Tech to just 35.6 percent shooting. The Leathernecks controlled the glass with a 33-34 rebounding battle that limited second-chance opportunities and dominated the paint, outscoring TTU 38-22 inside. Western also turned turnovers into 18 points and added 14 fast-break points to keep the pressure on.

Tennessee Tech (12-10, 5-8 OVC) made a push in the third quarter, outscoring WIU 22-16 behind hot shooting, but the Leathernecks responded in the fourth. Western shot nearly 60 percent in the final period and stretched the lead to as many as 17 to seal the road conference win.

WIU led for more than 31 minutes in the game and never trailed after late in the first quarter, continuing its strong win streak.