The UTM women’s basketball began its final road swing of the regular season on the right foot with a convincing 86-65 road victory at Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) rival Tennessee Tech (TTU) on Thursday night in the Eblen Center.
The Skyhawks (17-9, 13-2 OVC) proved dynamic in several phases of the game while finding contributions throughout the roster. UTM shot 55.8 percent from the floor while winning the battle of the boards convincingly and placing four players in double figures. With the win, the Skyhawks remain tied for first place in the OVC standings.
UTM jumped out to an early 9-0 lead before watching the team’s margin cut to just two points heading into the second. Tennessee Tech built a nine-point run of its own to take a lead as large as five points in the second quarter before the Skyhawks rattled off a 20-0 run to close out the first half and never look back.
Despite sitting for most of the third quarter and part of the fourth with foul trouble, junior forward Chelsey Perry still managed to score around her season average with 22 points in 27 minutes. Stepping up in her absence was fellow junior forward Maddie Waldrop who posted her second double-double against Tech this season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Joining the post duo in double figures was the sophomore pair of Kyannah Grant (17 points) and Brittini Moore (12 points).
“I thought we played really well through some adversity tonight,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “When Chelsey went to the bench, we needed solid minutes to fill her absence and I think Brittni, Kyannah, Dasia (Young) and Demi (Burdick) each stepped up with major contributions. Then you can’t ask for more from Maddie who posted yet another double-double. Wins are hard to come by on the road and we did a nice job of finishing this game. Now we shift all of our focus on getting rested for a tough Jacksonville State squad on Saturday.”
Tennessee Tech (17-9, 10-5 OVC) dropped its fourth game in the last five contests with tonight’s decision. The Golden Eagles struggled to shoot from the floor, shooting just 39.6 percent for the game. TTU would place three players in double figures as Maaliya Owens paced the squad with 15 points off the bench while Mackenzie Coleman (14 points) and Abby Buckner (11 points) also scored in double figures.
UTM will close out the team’s final road swing of the regular season with a matchup at OVC foe Jacksonville State on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tipoff from Pete Matthews Coliseum is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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