EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team did not rest on its regular season title in the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championship quarterfinals, posting a dominating 88-33 victory over Murray State on Wednesday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (21-9) broke their own OVC Basketball Championship record by posting a 55-point margin of victory, besting the conference’s previous record of 52 when UT Martin knocked off Eastern Kentucky in 2014. The game marked the fewest points (33) allowed by the Skyhawks since 1998 when holding former OVC foe Middle Tennessee to just 32 points.
Ranking as the top seed in the field, the Skyhawks shot 51.5 percent from the floor while knocking down 9-of-18 three-point attempts. UT Martin spread the ball around with 26 assists on the team’s 35 field goals while dominating the battle of the boards by 12. Conversely, Murray State was limited to shooting just 20.0 percent from the floor while making 3-of-21 three-pointers.
UT Martin used a balanced offensive attack with five different players scoring in double figures. OVC Player of the Year Chelsey Perry led all scorers with 21 points while tallying a game-high eight rebounds in just 28 minutes of action. Demi Burdick scored a season-high 14 points off the bench while fellow junior Tamiah Stanford posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, the sophomore duo of Brittni Moore and Sade’ Hudson each scored 11 points to round out the Skyhawks in double figures.
“Even though the score got away late, it was kind of a sluggish start for us,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “I don’t know how focused we were in the first couple of minutes but then in the third quarter we picked it up, played well and looked like we were on a mission. The more balance we get across the board, the better we are going to be. After losing Kyannah, we have to rework some things over the next two days and get ready for the semifinals.”
Murray State (14-16) saw its season come to a close after key injuries plagued the squad down the stretch. The Racers had just one player score in double figures as Ashley Hunter tallied 10 points off the bench.
UT Martin advances to the OVC Basketball Championship semifinals on Friday, March 6. The Skyhawks will play the winner of No. 4 seed Eastern Illinois and No. 5 seed Jacksonville State with action getting underway from the Ford Center at 1 p.m.