The Lady Tigers were able to force the game into overtime on a free throw from Saniah Parker with 20 seconds left in the game, however were outscored in the extra frame 11-7 as they fell to Eastern Illinois 71-67.
TSU was able to turn an early 9-4 deficit into a 16-9 advantage with 2:18 left in the quarter via a 12-0 run. A three-pointer from Ellie Buzzelle trimmed the Tiger lead to 16-14 at the close of the first quarter.
Tennessee State was able to show the way for the entirety of the second quarter, building the lead to as much as 8 points on multiple occasions before taking a 32-27 lead into halftime.
The Lady Tigers stumbled out of the gates in the second half, shooting just 2-6 from the floor and committing two turnovers in the first 4:49 of the quarter. These offensive struggles allowed the Panthers to fight their way back, with a pair of Taris Thorton free throws putting them up 37-36, their first lead since being up 9-8 at the 5:06 mark of the first quarter. However, Eastern Illinois’ turnout in front was fleeting, as Zyion Shannon’s jumper on their next possession handed the Tigers back the lead at 38-37. TSU extended their advantage to as much as seven at 45-38 and went into the fourth quarter up 45-40.
Eboni Williams’ layup gave the Lady Tigers a 55-44 lead with 6:20 left in the contest. From that point Tennessee State sputtered, connecting on just 2/10 from the floor and committing a trip of turnovers, allowing EIU to claim the lead on a Miah Monahan layup with just 25 ticks left in the contest before Parker’s free throw with 20 seconds left sent the game to overtime.
Tennessee State proved to be unable to keep up on overtime falling behind by five points halfway through the period at 67-62 on Thorton’s jumper with 2:22 left. The Lady Tigers climbed to within four points twice but could get no closer as they ultimately tasted defeat 71-67.
The loss drops the Lady Tigers to 5-13 and 2-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Up next for TSU is a home matchup against Morehead State on Thursday.
Next Game: Morehead State 2/1/2024 | 11:00 AM ESPN+
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | TSU | EIU |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .389 | .388 |
| 3FG% | .200 | .222 |
| FT% | .625 | .750 |
| RB | 45 | 46 |
| TO | 17 | 19 |
| STL | 8 | 8 |
