COOKEVILLE, TENN. — Somah Kamara collected 24 points, but the Tennessee State women's basketball team fell to Tennessee Tech 84-71 on the road Saturday.
Kamara's 24 point effort led the Tigers (8-20, 4-14 OVC). Lyric Cole helped out with eight points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals and Krystal Haddock chipped in with seven points and six steals.
The Tennessee State defense was a problem in Saturday's game, forcing 18 Tennessee Tech turnovers while committing 12. Those takeaways turned into 11 points on the other end of the floor. Haddock's six steals led the way individually for the Tigers.
How It Happened
After falling behind 4-0, Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run with 7:01 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Haddock, to take a 6-4 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 23-15.
Tennessee Tech kept adding to that lead, building a 30-15 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a three from Saniah Parker, to narrow its deficit to 30-20. Tennessee Tech responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Tigers trailing 43-31 heading into halftime.
Following halftime, Tennessee State kept the Golden Eagles from growing their lead before going on an 8-0 run to trim its deficit to 45-41 with 6:38 to go in the third. Tennessee Tech countered and stretched its lead to 63-47 heading into the fourth. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 16 points in the paint.
Tennessee Tech kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing an 82-59 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 10-0 run, finished off by Kamara's layup, to shrink the deficit to 82-69 with 37 seconds to go in the contest. The Tigers were unable to cut further into the deficit by the end of the game, losing 84-71. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 18 of its 24 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Tennessee State defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Somah Kamara led the Tigers with a game-high 24 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high 11 rebounds from Lyric Cole.
