NASHVILLE - Erica Haynes-Overton scored 20 points, but the Tennessee State women's basketball team fell to the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 67-61 at home Saturday.
The Lady Tigers (11-17, 6-11) had two players score in double figures, led by Haynes-Overton, who had 20 points. Gia Adams tacked on 14 points and Sierra McCullough added eight points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
Lyric Cole pulled down five offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 15 boards and turning them into 14 second chance points.
Tennessee State did a great job disrupting Southern Indiana shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Cole's two rejections led the way individually for the Lady Tigers.
How It Happened
After falling behind 2-0, Tennessee State went on a 7-0 run with 9:40 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Adams, to take a 7-2 lead. The Lady Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 21-12.
Tennessee State kept the Screaming Eagles from increasing their lead before going on a 5-0 run to narrow its deficit to 23-19. Southern Indiana responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Lady Tigers trailing 37-30 heading into halftime.
Following halftime, Tennessee State kept the Screaming Eagles from growing their lead before going on a 6-0 run to trim its deficit to 45-44 with 1:27 to go in the third. Southern Indiana countered and stretched its lead to 47-44 heading into the fourth. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 14 points in the paint.
Tennessee State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 67-61. 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 defense forced 16 turnovers.
» The Lady Tigers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Erica Haynes-Overton led the Lady Tigers with a game-high 20 points.
» Tennessee State got a game-high 11 rebounds from Sierra McCullough.
Up Next
TSU will now shift its focus to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament which is set to begin on Wednesday, March 1. The Lady Tigers will be the seventh seed and will take on No. 6 Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. for their first-round matchup.
