Nine of the 10 women’s basketball teams in the OVC have opened their regular seasons, and six of those teams picked up wins. 

Eight teams played Tuesday with an additional game Wednesday. 

Eastern won its regular season opener against Division II Lindenwood 86-30, with the Panthers’ defense holding the Lions to just 15 points in the first three quarters. 

The Panthers were led by Lariah Washington with 16 points. 

Murray State also won its opener, beating Asbury 79-40. Katelyn Young led the Racers with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Murray State had 65 rebounds as a team, one shy of the school record set in 1983 and 2014. 

It was the fourth-straight win in a season opener for Murray State. 

Morehead State had a tall task for its opener, playing a Michigan State team that fell just outside the top 25 in the preseason rankings. 

The Eagles lost to the Spartans 93-31, the largest margin of any opener for the OVC this season. 

Morehead State turned the ball over 29 times in the lost and were led in scoring by Tyler Moore, Paris Williams and Jada Claude with 7 points apiece. 

Tennessee State picked up a win in its opener, the first win for the program since Feb. 20, 2020. 

The Tigers were led by freshman Gia Adams with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Tatyana Davis with 16 points and 4 assists. 

Tennessee State outscored Fisk 49-16 in the second half. 

Also winning Tuesday was Tennessee Tech, beating Bethel 85-46. Anna Walker shot 8-of-10 from the field and led the Golden Eagles with 22 points. As a team, they nearly doubled up Bethel in rebounding 50-26.

Belmont backed up its OVC Championship season with an 88-70 win over Chattanooga to open the season. 

Four Belmont players scored in double figures, led by sophomore forward Madison Bartley with 21 points. Guard Destinee Wells, the preseason OVC Player of the Year, scored 20 points. 

Austin Peay suffered a 10-point loss to open its season, falling to Evansville 62-52 on the road. 

The game was a bit of a roller coaster for the Governors, who trailed by double digits in the first half before bridging the first and second half with a 13-0 run, but Evansville stormed back in the fourth to earn the win. 

The Governors led 48-41 at one point, but Evansville took over from there, including putting up a 19-2 run to end the game.

Former Eastern star Karle Pace tied for the team lead with 14 points for Austin Peay.

Southeast Missouri beat University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy 68-45 to pick up a win. 

The Redhawks were led by Roshala Scott with 14 points in the game. As a team, they forced 20 turnovers including 13 steals. 

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville did not open its season until Wednesday, traveling to play Kansas. 

The Jayhawks won the game 98-62 over the Cougars. 

After trailing 46-17 at halftime, the Cougars outscored Kansas 31-23 in the third quarter, led by Mikayla Kinnard who scored 12 of her 14 points in the third quarter. She led the team in scoring.

Only Tennessee-Martin has not opened the season yet. The Skyhawks will play Kansas State on the road Friday evening, one of three games on the day for OVC teams. 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].