Fans saw a different team Monday afternoon as UTM’s Skyhawks women’s team took on the Austin Peay Governors, pulling a 84-57 victory over them.
After the Murray State game Saturday, thoughts were running on whether or not the Skyhawks would show up to the game. The Skyhawks had the loss weighing over their heads as they came on to the court Monday afternoon.
The Skyhawks started off strong as Heather Butler hit the opening shot. It was a close game for most of the first half, and it seemed the Skyhawks were going to put up a fight when the Governors took a three-point lead. It looked as if it was going to a repeat of the Murray State game when the Skyhawks went down by nine.
Something must have clicked. The Skyhawks suddenly started playing in sync. At one point some of the ladies were calling each other out on bad plays. It wasn’t until Jasmine Newsome stole the ball and scored that he tide of the game changed. After that, the Skyhawks never led again. When the game went into halftime, the Skyhawks were up 38-28.
“I thought you saw a look that you haven’t seen out of these kids really, honestly this year. There was a little pep in our step, a little defense, a little pushing and a little getting on to each other,” said head coach Kevin McMillan.
The second half was almost a repeat of the first. At one point the Skyhawks were up 65-36. Then something happened. They seemed to deflate and the Governors began to chip away at the lead. But the Skyhawks recovered and held firm. The Governors couldn’t catch up as time ran out. The Skyhawks pulled out the victory.
The leading scorer was Heather Butler 32 points, one rebound, three assists and one steal. Butler passed Tara Tansil in scoring points with 1,732. She needs 23 points to be the all-time scoring leader in UTM’s scoring records. The runner-up was Jasmine Newsome with 22 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals.
The Skyhawks will in action again against Belmont at Belmont on Saturday, Jan. 12. To follow the game, follow The Pacer on Facebook or Twitter, @thepacer.
