Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics
NASHVILLE — Christmas break is over, which means one thing for the Tennessee State women’s basketball team, it’s time for Ohio Valley Conference play. The Tigers are set to host two OVC opponents this weekend as they will welcome Morehead State on Thursday evening, followed by a contest with the OVC’s newest member Little Rock on Saturday. TSU finished its non-conference slate with a 5-6 record, including five wins at home.
The Matchup: Tennessee State (5-6, 0-0 OVC) vs. Morehead State (4-7, 0-0 OVC)
Date/Time: Thursday, December 29 at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Gentry Center || Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
SERIES INFORMATION: This will be the 68th all-time matchup between the Tigers and the Eagles. MSU leads the series 40-28. TSU topped Morehead twice last year after dropping the previous nine contests. TSU and MSU are 15-15 in their last 30 games dating back to the 07-08 season. The Tigers are 21-14 all-time against MSU when playing inside the Gentry Center, whereas they have struggled at Morehead.
SCOUTING MOREHEAD: The Eagles come into Thursday’s OVC opener averaging just 55.2 points per outing while giving up 67.1. MSU is shooting 35.6 percent from the floor and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc. Veronica Charles leads the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (4.8 rpg). Charles also leads the team in made threes with 17. MSU’s last win came on December 4 as they took down Bellarmine 63-59.
CENTURY MARK: TSU surpassed the century mark in scoring for the first time in 11 years when they took down Wilberforce 105-54 in their last game before the break. The last 100-point output was on January 2, 2011, as they lost 114-105 to UT Martin.
12 FOR 12: All 12 players that suited up for TSU against Wilberforce got in the game and scored four or more points. The Tigers had a season-high 57 points off the bench led by Zyion Shannon’scareer-high and game-high 20 points.
THREE BALL: TSU finished with a season-high eight made three-pointers in the win over Wilberforce. The Tigers shot 50 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-16) as Saniah Parker led the team the three three-pointers. Freshman Dream Muhammad knocked down her first two-three balls of the year, while Corina Suarez-Tudela also chipped in with two.
LOVE TO OVC IT: As OVC play is set to start, the Tigers have two players in the top 10 in the league in points per game. Gia Adams is tied for second with 14.5 ppg, while Erica Haynes-Overton is tied for seventh with 12.6. Sierra McCullough leads the OVC in rebounds per game with 7.4, followed by Lyric Cole who is tied for fourth with 6.5 boards per outing.
