The UT Martin women’s basketball team remains perfect in Ohio Valley Conference play after a hard fought victory over rival Murray State.
The Skyhawks had their struggles on both sides of the ball, but the performance by Ashia Jones’ (44 points) was enough to giveĀ UTM the victory andĀ tie the program’s record for points in a game.
Jones’ 44 points ties Skyhawk greats Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome, whom Jones played with her freshman year.
“Ashia wasn’t feeling good before the game,” said UTM head coach Kevin McMillan.Ā “The sad part is that we had to have that kind of performance to take care of a basketball game.”
Despite coming into the game winless in OVC play, Murray State hung with UTM until the very end.Ā When the Skyhawks would jump out to a sizeable lead, the Racers would answer back with a run of their own.Ā However, Murray State could not muster a run large enough to take the lead over UTM.
“We would get a cushion and then we would let [Murray State] back in,” said McMillan.Ā “I get frustrated with a team that doesn’t learn from their mistakes, and right now that seems to be who we are.”
Two other Skyhawks finished with double digit points: Jessy Ward (17) and Tiara Caldwell (15).Ā Murray State had four players finish with double-digit points: Julia Fox (20), Keiona Kirby (19), LeAsia Wright (18) and Netanya Jackson (11).
Overall the Skyhawks outshot Murray State, shooting 49 percent compared to the Racers 41 percent.Ā The Skyhawks were even with Murray State shooting the 3-pointer, both hitting 41 percent of their shots,Ā butĀ the Racers were able to convert 82 percent of their free-throws while UTM only converted 69 percent of theirs.Ā Murray State also had a huge lift from their bench, scoring 57 combined points.
The win extends UTM’s perfect record to 9-0 in the OVC as the Skyhawks look towards the upcoming OVC tournament.
The Skyhawks’ next game will be Wednesday, Feb. 4 when they travel to Clarksville to take on Austin Peay.Ā Tipoff between the Skyhawks and the Governors is scheduled for 7 p.m.
