Unlike most performances so far in the 2020-21 campaign, the Skyhawk women’s hoops squad (5-3, 4-1 OVC) featured a balanced offense that edged out Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) opponent Murray State (6-6, 3-4 OVC) in a down-to-the-wire matchup.
While senior forward Chelsey Perry excelled offensively as usual, she had help in the form of three other double-digit scorers in sophomore guard Seygan Robins (14 points), senior forward Maddie Waldrop (12 points) and sophomore forward Dasia Young (10 points).
Perry was dominant on both ends of the court, recording solid defensive stats such as 10 defensive rebounds and four blocks to go along with her game-leading 36 points. Perry’s four blocks now gives her the all-time UTM career lead in blocks with 204, according to Sports Information. While Robins committed seven turnovers for a second-straight game, her point total increased from five in her last outing. Waldrop stood firm defensively with six defensive rebounds.
The Racers were led offensively by guard Macey Turley’s 23 points. Murray State, in addition to Turley, also had multiple double-digit scorers in guard Bria Sanders-Woods (16 points) and forward Katelyn Young (11 points). Katelyn Young also had a solid night in her own zone with a team-leading seven defensive rebounds and two steals.
The Skyhawks jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on the backs of Perry and Waldrop, but a three by Sanders-Woods got the Racers within striking distance. After Waldrop tied up the score at 6-6, the Racers broke the tie and held the lead until the 2:26 mark of the first quarter when a jumper by Perry got the Skyhawks up 14-13. However, the Racers would immediately respond and exit the first quarter with a 20-16 lead.
The Racers opened up quarter two with a quick 5-2 run that helped Murray State maintain their lead. The Skyhawks would go on to surpass the Racers again at the 5:08 mark thanks to a layup by junior guard Sade’ Hudson. After earning that 28-27 lead, the Skyhawks embarked on a 9-5 run to close out the second quarter with a 37-32 lead.
UTM held onto their lead through the early minutes of quarter three, but two consecutive by Sanders-Woods tied both squads up at 41-41 at the 7:25 mark. Multiple three-pointers allowed the Racers to jump to a 50-43 lead shortly after, keeping the Skyhawks down until the 1:09 mark when Dasia Young tied the score back up at 54-54 with a jumper. Going into the final quarter, UTM held a tight 58-56 lead.
Sanders-Woods kicked off the final quarter, with help by a Turley steal and assist, with two back-to-back three-pointers that put the Racers up 62-58. Jumpers by Perry and Waldrop tied the score up at 62-62 at the 7:39 mark. The two squads tied twice more in the quarter before the Skyhawks took the lead permenately at the 2:30 mark when a layup by Dasia Young kicked off a 12-5 run that sealed a UTM win.
The Racers recorded a remarkable 24 points off turnovers while beating out UTM on the fast break by a seven point margin. However, the Skyhawks dominated in the paint (48-16) and managed eight second chance points.
Murray State’s strength came from beyond the arc, as the Racers went 9-19 (47.4%) on three-pointers. The Skyhawks, with a mere 4-15 (26.7%) record from beyond the arc on the night, countered in the paint and managed a 30-62 shooting record (48.4%) from the field.
“I thought early on, Murray State outplayed us because their effort and energy was better than ours,” head coach Kevin McMillan said, according to Sports Information. “They had a bounce in their step that we didn’t. I was impressed with our kids because late in the first half and late in the game they were able to ramp it up, get some stops, execute and score to win the game. Having not played a whole lot, we have not had to face a lot of these things and I was not sure how they responded. You must give them credited because they found a way to step up. I did think it was nice to see four players in double figures because we have the firepower, we just haven’t been able to show our consistency yet.”
The Skyhawks will leave the confines of the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center to travel to Richmond, Kentucky, to take on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (6-6, 5-3 OVC) on Jan. 21.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
