title image via Tennessee State Basketball
A career night from Zyion Shannon was not enough as the Lady Tigers of Tennessee State fell in double overtime to Lindenwood, 81-73.
Despite Lindenwood not scoring their first points until 2:31 mark of the quarter Tennessee State managed to come out of a low-scoring first quarter with just a 10-8 lead.
The Lions tied the game for the first time on an Alyssa Nielsen layup on their opening possession of the second quarter. Lindenwood jumped out front for the first time on the evening at 12-10 on Mykayla Cunningham’s converted layup.
Lyric Cole’s three-point play gave the Lady Tigers the lead back at 13-12. TSU held on the lead for the balance of the period, ultimately taking a 25-20 lead into halftime.
The third quarter was turnover-laden for the Lady Tigers, as they committed 8 in the period. This combined with the 37.5% (6-16) they shot for the frame, allowed Lindenwood, who shot 53% (8-15), throughout the third, to turn a 7-point deficit into a 1-point lead as the game entered the fourth quarter.
Lindenwood took a 42-38 lead on a pair of free throws from Ellie Bruggeman at the 9:08 mark. A 5-0 spurt from TSU put the Tigers back in front, 43-42 at the 7:34 mark. The game was hotly contested for the remainder of the quarter, with 4 lead changes and three ties, the last of which came on a pair of free throws from Bruggemann that tied the game at 51 with just 1:02 left in the contest.
The teams were not able to settle things in regulation, so the battle continued into overtime. Lindenwood took a 58-53 lead on Celina Arnlund’s layup with 2:21 left in the extra frame. The Lady Tigers fought back, whittling the Lions’ advantage down until they finally squared the game at 62 on Zyion Shannon’s three-pointer with only 11 ticks left.
Bruggemann’s potential game-winning jumper came up no good, sending the game to a second overtime.
Lindenwood’s offensive got it going in double OT, only failing to convert 1 of their 5 field goal attempts, but they managed to get to the foul line and astounding 13 times, connecting on 10 of them. This helped to separate the Lions and paved the way for their eventual 81-73 victory.
Elle Bruggemann led seven Lindenwood players in double figures with 20 points. Makayla Wallace added 13 points; Mykayla Cunningham and Justis Odom had 12 each. Mya Skoff contributed 11, while Alyssa Nielsen chipped in 10 points.
In a losing effort, Zyion Shannon had a season-high 32 points on 13-24 from the floor and 3-5 from downtown. Lyric Cole was the only other Lady Tiger in double figures with 13 points and also grabbed 14 rebounds.
The loss drops the Lady Tigers to 7-14 and 4-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference. TSU will look to bounce back Saturday when they head to Cape Girardeau, MO to take on Southeast Missouri. Tip is scheduled for 1:30 PM CST.
