Morehead, Ky.
--- Despite having a 32-25 lead at halftime, Tennessee
State was not able to end Morehead State’s 13-game home winning streak as
the Lady Tigers fell to the Eagles 60-51 in Ellis T. Johnson Arena on Thursday
night.
The Eagles (13-9, 7-3 OVC) used a 9-0 run late in the second
half to help lift them past the Lady Tigers (11-10, 7-3 OVC). MSU outscored TSU
35-19 in the second period.
Jasmine Smith led TSU in scoring and recorded her third double-double
of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Tiffany Jackson posted 12 points
for the Lady Tigers.
Brittany Pittman led MSU with 18 points in addition to 11
boards. Deja Watson pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds.
The opening six minutes of play featured three ties and
three lead changes. With 11:41 on the clock and the score tied 13-13, a lay-up
from Jasmine Smith and a triple from Kendra Appling put TSU ahead 18-13.
Shortly after, Kendra Appling went to the bench with her
second foul but the Lady Tigers continued to rally. A jumper by Charisse Hicks
capped an 11-0 run that saw TSU capture a 24-13 advantage with 7:08 on the
clock.
With 6:09 left in the half, Brittany Pittman, ending nearly
seven minute scoring drought for the Eagles, scored MSU’s next seven points to
cut the deficit down to six (26-20).
TSU built the lead back up to 30-20 before going into the
break with a 32-25 lead.
In the second half, MSU outscored TSU 7-1 to dwindle the
Lady Tiger lead down to one point (33-32) before the first media timeout. The
Eagles knotted the contest at 35-apiece at the 13:46 mark.
Over the next couple of minutes, the teams traded buckets and
the score remained close. That is, until Morehead posted nine unanswered points
to grab a 50-40 lead at the 7:42 mark.
Jasmine Smith nailed a 15-footer to end TSU’s four minute
scoring drought with 7:26 left to play but Morehead would once again stretch
the lead to double-digits (55-43).
In the final five minutes of the game, TSU was not able to
overcome the deficit falling to MSU 60-51.
TSU shot a dismal 7-of-30 from the field in the second half,
including 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The Lady Tigers return to action on Saturday when they
face-off against the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky.
