The duo of senior forwards Chelsey Perry and Maddie Waldrop reemerged to help the Skyhawks take down the conference-leading Austin Peay Lady Governors (7-3, 5-1 OVC) in a 69-53 victory.
The Skyhawks (4-3, 3-1 OVC) took to Pat Summit court in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center for the first time since Feb. 29, 2020, when the Skyhawks defeated the Southeast Missouri Redhawks 78-72 to clinch a regular season title. Now, UTM has managed to take down the undefeated (in conference play) Lady Govs in their home court return.
Perry and Waldrop flashed their All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) talent once again. Perry led all scorers with 32 points while Waldrop followed with 21 of her own. Perry was stout defensively, collecting 11 defensive rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Waldrop had six rebounds and three assists in addition to her point total.
Sophomore forward Dasia Young was also a defensive force on the starting lineup, picking up nine total rebounds (seven defensive). Fellow starter sophomore guard Seygan Robins struggled, only scoring five points while committing seven turnovers.
The Govs were led offensively by guard Kasey Kidwell and her 10 points. Austin Peay’s starting lineup struggled with rebounds, with none of them earning more than four, but guard/forward Maggie Knowles and forward Kemia Ward were both solid defensively, as Knowles recorded four defensive rebounds and two steals while Ward also picked up four defensive rebounds.
The two teams went score-for-score for the first five minutes of action. It wasn’t until the end of the first quarter at 0:46 when a three by Perry finally elevated one squad’s margin to 10+ points. Perry’s three was soon followed by a three by junior guard Zaire Hicks that pushed UTM’s margin to 24-10 over the Govs.
The Skyhawks held onto their double-digit lead going into the second quarter. The Govs managed to prevent UTM from expanding their lead past 17 points throughout the second quarter, giving Austin Peay a manageable 40-23 deficit going into the third quarter.
A layup by Perry at the 5:09 mark of the third quarter established the Skyhawks first 20-point lead (46-26). An Austin Peay three would soon cut the lead under 20, but a three by Waldrop at 4:22 put the Skyhawks up by 22 points with a lead of 51-29.
UTM held a 54-32 lead over the Govs going into the final quarter. The Govs flirted with a comeback attempt, chipping their deficit down to a 14-point margin (35-67) late into the the quarter. However, Austin Peay’s surge was too late, and the Skyhawks sealed a huge victory.
Though UTM pulled out the win, they did it with minimal help from their bench, further highlighting the dominance of Perry and Waldrop. The Skyhawks had a mere five points off the bench while the Govs had 33. Fast break points were minimal, as the Skyhawks and Govs only had one and five fast break points, respectively.
UTM’s perimeter defense was effective in limiting the Govs’ scoring ability from beyond the arc. The Govs shot a mere 25.9% (7-27) from beyond the arc. Even more impressive was UTM’s defense against field goals, as Austin Peay shot a miserable 29.6% (16-54) from the field. Even the Govs’ free throw percentage of 58.3% (14-24) was lacking. The Govs’ leading and most reliable scorer in Knowles (14.5 ppg) was held without a bucket, going 0-5 on three-pointers and 0-6 on field goals.
“We haven’t played in Martin for almost a year so I’m glad that our kids finally got to play here,” UTM head coach Kevin McMillan said. “I wish our fans could see us more, especially our senior class. We’re probably more thankful than anything that we are playing games. We’ve got a chance on Saturday to play two games in three days and I think right now more than anything, I think we need to get into a rhythm as a team and be ready to play.”
The Skyhawks will have a quick turnaround, as they host the Murray State Racers (5-5, 2-4 OVC) on Jan. 16.
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