By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team faced a deficit as large as 14 points in the fourth quarter but rallied in the final minutes to cut the margin in half before ultimately dropping the first game of its four-game homestand to Ohio Valley Conference co-leader Tennessee Tech by a final score of 67-56.
The Skyhawks (5-14, 2-6 OVC) battled for much of the first half which saw the game’s lead change hands four times and become tied twice. The game remained a single-digit margin until midway through the third quarter when the Golden Eagles pushed their advantage out to 11 points on a three-pointer by McKenzie Coleman off a turnover. TTU’s lead ballooned to as large as 15 points late in the third and sat at 14 in the early minutes of the fourth before the Skyhawks began to chip away.
UT Martin finally got the deficit back to single digits with just over seven minutes to play off a three-pointer by Seygan Robins off a turnover to make it a seven-point game. The score would fluctuate over the final few minutes but another seven-point margin following a jumper by Robins with just over a minute to play proved to be the Skyhawks final push as the Golden Eagles pulled away down the stretch.
Both teams shot in the low to mid-40s in the contest as UT Martin made 43.8 percent of its shot attempts but just 2-of-12 three-point tries. Tennessee Tech was slightly better from the field, shooting at a 45.1 percent clip while knocking down 5-of-14 attempts from beyond the arc and committing just eight turnovers.
UT Martin placed three players in double figures with junior guard Paige Pipkin leading the team in scoring for the 12th time this season, tallying 16 points, three rebounds and two assists. She was joined in double figures by Kyannah Grant and Robins who each tallied 11 points. Graduate forward Holly Forbes also contributed with six points and nine rebounds.
“I thought the third quarter, we didn’t handle well,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “I messed up at the end of the first half. We outscored them in the first and second quarter before I made that mistake. But the first and third quarters, we didn’t have it which is disappointing because you’d think we’d be fresh. I thought we were a little more energetic subbing as much as we did. I thought that our minutes and subbing pattern that we came up with might have helped. We’re going to have to figure out how to keep our kids rested, healthy and fresh. That’s going to be the key for us down the stretch. We’re too thin not to. That’s what we’re going to do going forward and we’ll see what happens.”
Tennessee Tech (13-7, 8-2 OVC) remains tied for first place in the league standings with another key win. Graduate forward Anna Jones led all scorers with an impressive double-double, tallying 25 points and 12 rebounds. She was not alone in the scoring column as Anna Walker ranked second on the team with 14 points while Coleman chipped in 13 points and seven boards for the Golden Eagles.
The Skyhawks will get a much needed off day before preparing for a matchup against regional foe Southeast Missouri on Thursday, Feb. 3. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information