The top-seeded UTM women’s basketball team passed its first test of the week, pulling off a season sweep of eighth-seeded Eastern Illinois in the Oho Valley Conference (OVC) Basketball Championship quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon with a 65-56 victory.
The Skyhawks (19-4) advanced to the tournament semifinals for the fifth straight season behind a well-balanced performance on both ends of the floor against a familiar foe. Having just matched up against Eastern Illinois four days ago, UTM knew it was in for a tough challenge looking to beat a team for a third time in one season.
UTM responded by starting the game strong, scoring 22 points in the first quarter after sluggish starts in its previous road trip while shooting 44.2 percent on the afternoon. The Skyhawks also held the offensive-minded Panthers to just 37.1 percent from the floor and 19.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Freshly minted All-OVC first team selection and OVC Player of the Week Dasia Young followed up her career-best 30-point performance in Saturday’s contest against the Panthers with another star-studded day to pace the Skyhawks. Young led all scorers with 24 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Keying her big offensive day was her work at the free throw line where she tied the program’s single-game record by making 16 free throws ā tying Jasmine Newsome (twice) and Tessa Fields for the all-time mark after drawing 11 fouls.
Joining in the action was sophomoreĀ Seygan RobinsĀ who posted a nice afternoon in her OVC Basketball Championship debut, tallying 14 points and four rebounds while cashing in four three-pointers in the second half. SeniorĀ Maddie WaldropĀ also scored in double figures for the Skyhawks, tossing in 12 points while notching six rebounds.
“I am really proud of our kids,” UTM head coachĀ Kevin McMillanĀ said. “Our kids have put themselves in a bubble all season long, they have done things the way they are supposed to do done and given themselves a chance to really compete for a championship. This game was a dogfight. You’ve got to remember EIU was a four-seed last year and didn’t lose anybody. I’m impressed with our kids for finding a way to take care of their business today.”
With today’s loss Eastern Illinois finished the season at 11-15. The Panthers led by four points early in the contest but would never be able to retake the advantage after the five-minute mark. All-OVC first team honoree Abby Wahl posted a big day, just missing out on a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the team. Meanwhile, senior Karle Pace scored 12 points to rank as the Panthers other top contributor.
UTM will await its next opponent, playing the winner of the #4 seed Jacksonville State and #5 seed Tennessee Tech matchup on Friday, March 5 at 1 p.m.
