The UTM women’s basketball team could not pull out a victory on Saturday night, coming up just short of SEC powerhouse Missouri by a score of 77 to 74.
The loss is the Skyhawks’ first at home this season and drops the team’s record to 3-2 so far on the year. Meanwhile, the Tigers climb to 5-0 to remain undefeated on the season. This was the fourth meeting between the two teams and the first game in the series to be contested in Martin. In all four previous games, the Tigers were victorious.
The Skyhawks were led by seniors Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome. Butler, who had averaged 20.5 points per game going into Saturday’s tilt, was 6-for-10 on shots from beyond the arch and shot 6-of-7 seven from the line, while Newsome (who came in with 24.5 PPG) recorded seven assists and made several crucial shots to keep UTM in the game late. The Skyhawks were aggressive on defense, forcing 21 turnovers, including eight steals (five courtesy of freshman Elizabeth Masengil).
Missouri held the advantage in three-point shooting, hitting 53.6 percent of their trey attempts (71.4% in the second half), compared with UTM’s 37.7 percent from range.
The Skyhawks were fiercely competitive for most of Saturday’s contest, leading for the majority of the game and extending their lead to as many as 19 points at one point early in the second half. Mizzou bounced back, however, and rallied to tie the game with just under six minutes remaining. The Tigers gained their first lead since the early stages of the game following a three-pointer by junior guard Morgan Eye. Eye was a crucial part of the Tigers’ comeback, hitting eight three-point attempts in the second half.
The Skyhawks were able to regain the lead briefly on a jumper by Newsome with eight seconds remaining, but immediately afterward Jordan Frericks, Mizzou’s starting freshman guard, hit a layup to provide the last go-ahead score.
Frericks pulled down 17 rebounds, more than the Tigers’ other four starters combined. A failed inbound by sophomore Katie Schubert and a pair of free throws by Missouri forward Bri Kulas sealed the victory.
The Skyhawks have one home game remaining–Monday night’s battle against Evansville–before they embark on an eleven-game road trip dating from Novembver 30 to January 6; after that, they will host OVC foe Belmont on the eleventh of January. Missouri, meanwhile, returns home to face Kansas City on Tuesday.
