With the stands of the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center filled with excitement for a rivalry matchup and a new logo reveal, the UTM women’s basketball team gave its fans yet another reason to celebrate with a dominating 98-56 victory over Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) foe Murray State on Thursday evening.
The Skyhawks (9-7, 5-0 OVC) pushed their winning streak to five games behind a complete team performance. UTM dismantled Murray State from start to finish, leading for over 38 minutes in the game while posting its biggest margin of victory this season of 42 points.
UTM shot 54.3 percent from the floor while knocking down 10 three-point field goals on 26 assists. The Skyhawks would prove stingy on defense, holding the Racers to just 30.8 percent from the floor while forcing 23 turnovers in the contest. Overall, the Skyhawks saw four different players score in double figures.
Reigning OVC Player of the Week Chelsey Perry continued her dazzling junior campaign with her second straight 30-point outing with 30 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. With her three blocks, she surpasses former Skyhawk Rickiesha Bryant for second place on the program’s with 156 career rejections. Meanwhile, sophomore Kyannah Grant who flirted with a triple-double, tallying 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Joining the duo in double-figures was Maddie Waldrop (15 points, six rebounds) and Dasia Young (10 points).
“I thought that our effort was really good and that overcame our being out of sorts with the injury to Maddie,” UTM head coach Kevin McMillan said. “I thought in the third quarter we played really hard and kind of punched them in the mouth and that was able to control the game. We weren’t really in a flow offensive, but we were able to make some plays to put the game away early.”
Murray State (8-8, 1-4 OVC) struggled for much of the contest despite placing three players in double figures. Lex Mayes paced the Racers with 17 points while the duo of Laci Hawthorne and Cekeya Mack tallied 10 points each.
UTM will close out its four-game homestand with a matchup against Austin Peay on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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