NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State women's basketball team rallied from an 11-point deficit at 40-29 with 5:32 left in the third quarter to knock off the Western Illinois Leathernecks 70-66 at home Thursday
The Tigers (7-16, 3-10 OVC) had three players score in double figures, led by Saniah Parker, who had 18 points, six assists, four steals and two blocks. Somah Kamara tacked on 17 points and Lyric Cole chipped in as well with a double-double off of the bench with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Kiki Roberts pulled down six offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 14 boards and turning them into 11 second chance points.
Tennessee State did a great job disrupting Western Illinois shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Parker's two rejections led the way individually for the Tigers.
How It Happened
Tennessee State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 15-8 at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 30-16 halftime deficit.
Western Illinois continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 40-25 advantage before Tennessee State went on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Cole, to trim its deficit to 40-33 with 3:45 to go in the third. The Tigers continued to reduce the Western Illinois lead, shrinking it to 48-46 by the end of the third quarter. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 24 of its 30 points in the paint.
Tennessee State then came back to even it up at 63-63 before going on a 6-0 run to seize a 69-63 lead with 34 seconds to go in the contest. The Leathernecks narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still held on for the 70-66 win. Tennessee State took advantage of six Western Illinois turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» Lyric Cole notched a double-double for the Tigers with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
» The Tigers rallied from a two-point 48-46 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» Tennessee State rallied from a 14-point 30-16 halftime deficit to pick up the win.
» Tennessee State had a great day defensively, holding Western Illinois to 20 percent from beyond the arc on 20 attempts.
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by adding 24 points to its scoring output.
» The Tigers forced 24 Western Illinois turnovers while committing only 10 on the other end.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 24 turnovers.
» The Tigers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Saniah Parker led the Tigers with 18 points.
» Lyric Cole grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to lead Tennessee State and Kiki Roberts contributed 10.
