CHARLESTON, Ill. — The Tennessee State women's basketball team came up short in a 69-49 loss to Eastern Illinois on the road Thursday.
The Tigers (7-18, 3-12 OVC) had two players score in double figures, led by Saniah Parker, who had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Aaniya Webb added 12 points and Lyric Cole added four points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Erin Martin pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 14 boards and turning them into 18 second chance points.
Tennessee State forced 15 Eastern Illinois turnovers. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 12 points on the other end of the floor. Cole's two steals led the way for Tennessee State.
How It Happened
After falling behind 9-3, Tennessee State went on an 8-0 run with 6:36 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Somah Kamara, to take an 11-9 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 17-15.
Eastern Illinois kept adding to that lead, building a 26-19 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a three from Parker, to narrow its deficit to 26-25. Eastern Illinois responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Tigers trailing 30-27 heading into halftime.
Eastern Illinois continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 47-33 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Martin, to trim its deficit to 47-38 with 59 seconds to go in the third. Eastern Illinois countered and stretched its lead to 51-40 heading into the fourth. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 13 points in the paint.
Tennessee State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 69-49. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring six of its nine points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Tennessee State defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Saniah Parker led the Tigers with 13 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high eight rebounds from Lyric Cole.
