Hot shooting from downtown power Tennessee State women’s hoops past Western Illinois

^{title image via Tennessee State Basketball}

Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics

71

WIU

84

Winner TSU

The Tennessee State women’s basketball team shot 55.6 percent from three-point range on the way to an 84-71 win over the Western Illinois Leathernecks at home Saturday.

The Tigers (8-16, 5-9) had five players score in double figures, led by Zyion Shannon, who had 26 points, five assists and two steals. Lyric Coletacked on a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and Eboni Williams chipped in as well with 14 points and three steals.

The Tennessee State offense was impressive from downtown, pouring in 10 threes on 18 attempts. Shannon hit four treys for the Tigers in the contest.

Tennessee State forced 16 Western Illinois turnovers while committing 14 themselves in Saturday’s game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 23 points on the other end of the floor. Saniah Parker led the way individually with three steals.

How It Happened

After falling behind 7-6, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 6:31 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Shannon, to take an 11-7 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 21-20.

Western Illinois kept adding to that lead, building a 29-26 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Shannon, to take a 36-29 lead. The Tigers proceeded to tack on two points to that lead and enjoyed a 39-30 advantage heading into halftime. Tennessee State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 19 points.

Tennessee State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Cole, to expand its lead further to 49-39 with 5:39 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Leathernecks had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Tigers still entered the fourth quarter with a 57-53 edge. Tennessee State turned four offensive rebounds into six second-chance points on the way to scoring 18 total points in the quarter.

Tennessee State started tacking on points in the fourth almost immediately, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Parker’s three, to grow the lead to 62-53 with 9:20 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 84-71 win. Tennessee State took advantage of four Western Illinois turnovers in the quarter, scoring seven points off of those takeaways.

Game Notes

» Lyric Cole notched a double-double for the Tigers with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
» The Tigers made over half of their attempts from three-point range, knocking down 10 of 18 shots.
» Tennessee State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Tennessee State tallied 15 total assists in the game.
» Every Tennessee State starter scored in double figures.
» Five Tennessee State players scored 10 or more points.
» Tennessee State had a 40-36 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 16 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Zyion Shannon led the Tigers with a game-high 26 points.
» Tennessee State got a game-high 11 rebounds from Lyric Cole.

Next Up

The Lady Tigers will be back in action next Thursday as they are set to host Eastern Illinois. Tip-off is slated for 5:00 p.m. 

Next Game:
Eastern Illinois
2/22/2024 | 5:00 PM
ESPN+

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