Southern Indiana wins OVC title however UT Martin will get NCAA bid

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Vanessa Shafford scored 15 factors to steer Southern Indiana to the Ohio Valley Convention championship on Saturday, however Tennessee-Martin is headed to the NCAA event regardless of shedding 81-53.

The Screaming Eagles are within the second yr of the four-year reclassification to Division I and are ineligible to play within the NCAA event. They may take a 10-game successful streak into the WNIT.

Triniti Ralston and Chloe Gannon every scored 14 factors for Southern Indiana (24-6), which gained the OVC by six video games at 17-1 after going 6-12 in its first season. Meredith Raley added 13 factors.

In coach Rick Stein’s 25 years, the Screaming Eagles made eight NCAA Division II Event appearances, reaching the Elite Eight in 2001.

“So proud, so glad. We labored so exhausting, it is enjoyable to see the grins on their faces,” Stein mentioned. “And to have the ability to rejoice in entrance of our dwelling crowd. Wonderful.”

UT Martin (16-16) goes to the Massive Dance for the primary time since a four-year run by means of 2014 regardless of falling to 4-9 in OVC title video games. Brief-handed all yr, coach Kevin McMillan elected to relaxation 4 starters, and go away the minutes to his different six gamers, together with two freshmen who didn’t rating all season.

A type of freshmen, Amari Bonds enjoying in simply her seventh recreation, poured in 26 factors in 31 minutes as the one nonstarter for the Skyhawks. Mah Minthe had 12 factors. Sophie Singleton scored the primary 4 factors of her profession in her fifteenth recreation.

Love Mays was the one traditional starter for the third-seeded Skyhawks, who superior to the title recreation and NCAA event by beating second-seeded Little Rock 54-48 within the semifinals.

Southern Indiana used a 9-0 run early and led 17-8 after one quarter. A 7-0 run within the second quarter helped push the result in 36-23.

Ali Saunders and Addy Blackwell had 3-pointers because the Screaming Eagles broke the sport open by scoring the primary 10 factors of the second half for a 46-23 lead.