NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State women's basketball team got a 37-point showing from the bench but fell 79-69 to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at home Friday.
The Tigers (2-7) had three players score in double figures, led by Jordan Aikens, who had 15 points. Zyion Shannon tacked on 11 points off the bench and Eboni Williams helped out with 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Williams pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 13 boards and turning them into six second-chance points.
Tennessee State forced 17 Eastern Kentucky turnovers. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 20 points on the other end of the floor. Sanaa' St. Andre led the way individually with three steals.
How It Happened
After falling behind 2-0, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 7:38 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Aaniya Webb, to take a 5-2 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 18-15.
Tennessee State kept the Colonels from increasing their lead before going on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Shannon, to take a 28-25 lead. The Colonels then came roaring back to take a 36-32 lead heading into halftime.
Eastern Kentucky continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 45-38 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Aikens, to tie things up at 45 with 3:55 to go in the third. The Tigers could not advance their rally further as the Colonels took a 56-52 lead into the fourth quarter. Tennessee State's bench made the most of its minutes in the period, as non-starters totaled 14 of the team's 20 third-quarter points.
Eastern Kentucky kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 69-55 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Webb's three, to shrink the deficit to 69-61 with 4:52 to go in the contest. Eastern Kentucky responded and outscored the Tigers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 79-69. Tennessee State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 17 points.
Game Notes
» The Tennessee State bench made an impact by adding 37 points to its scoring output.
» Jordan Aikens and Zyion Shannon came off the bench to score 15 and 11 points, respectively.
» Tennessee State lost despite a 37-31 rebounding advantage.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Jordan Aikens led the Tigers with 15 points.
» Tennessee State got six rebounds from both Eboni Williams and Aaniya Webb.
TSU will be back in action next Thursday as they are set to host UT Southern for a noon contest.
