By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Seygan Robins calmly sank a pair of go-ahead free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining as the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball squad edged Illinois State by a 54-52 margin in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center Saturday afternoon.
The Skyhawks led for 36:21 of clock time today but it took a gutsy performance on the defensive end to fend off a furious Redbird rally. With 2:46 remaining in the contest, Illinois State took its first lead since midway through the first quarter but UT Martin held the Redbirds to just one field goal for the rest of the game.
Paige Pipkin poured in a season-best 17 points while adding team-highs of three assists and three steals for the Skyhawks in a rematch of last year’s season finale in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Holly Forbes contributed 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds for UT Martin, who led by as many as 13 points while improving to 3-2 on the season.
Illinois State (1-3) placed three players in double figures scoring, led by DeAnna Wilson’s 14 points. Maya Wong and Jada Stinson each had 12 points for the Redbirds, who made things interesting by outscoring the Skyhawks by a 16-8 margin in the fourth quarter.
“We love playing at home and it was good to get off that (season-opening) long trip,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “Playing four games in six days is still in our system and I think you saw that in the fourth quarter when we were just worn out. Illinois State is a really good basketball team and for us to get a win like this is great at this time of the year. We’re going to play hard – it’s not always going to be pretty but I was pleased with our effort today.”
The Skyhawks were on fire early as three-pointers from Kyannah Grant and Robins less than a minute into the contest resulted in a 6-0 lead for the home squad. The Redbirds rallied for an 8-0 run before back-to-back jumpers by Pipkin and a floater in the lane from Grant gave UT Martin a 16-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Skyhawks shot a sizzling 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the floor while forcing Illinois State into six turnovers in the opening 10 minutes.
UT Martin kept the lead for the entire second quarter although the Redbirds put up a fight. Six unanswered points for Illinois State pulled it within a single point but Forbes accounted for seven consecutive Skyhawk points – including an old-fashioned three-point play at the 5:39 mark to push UT Martin’s lead out to 25-17. The Redbirds later went on an 8-0 run to once again get back within one but a pair of Forbes free throws made the halftime score 31-28 in favor of the Skyhawks. Forbes piled up nine of UT Martin’s 15 points in the second period as the Skyhawks were a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.
Forbes was responsible for a game-high nine points at the break while Wong’s eight points guided Illinois State.
UT Martin’s lead ballooned out to 13 points in the third quarter thanks to its long distance shooting. Robins, Pipkin and Emma Davis all swished three-pointers as part of an 11-2 run that lasted 4:05. Davis’ trey gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the day at 46-33 with 2:37 to go in the quarter before UT Martin settled for a 46-36 lead heading into the final period. The stingy Skyhawk defense put in work during the third quarter, limiting the Redbirds to 10 percent shooting (1-of-10).
The momentum changed hands quickly as Illinois State started the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run, taking a 47-46 lead with 2:46 left to play. A pull-up jumper in the paint from Pipkin 21 seconds later snapped UT Martin’s scoreless drought and tilted the favor back in favor of the Skyhawks (48-47). Pipkin and Shanice Simpson-Whiteley each converted two huge free throws over the next two minutes until a Redbird three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining knotted the score at 52-all. On the ensuing possession, Robins drove the lane and was fouled with 1.3 seconds on the clock. The Harrodsburg, Ky. native went 2-for-2 from the line to nudge UT Martin ahead 54-52. Following a series of timeouts as each coach tried to find the proper personnel, the Skyhawk defense prevailed once again as Illinois State could not get a shot off before the final buzzer.
UT Martin heads back on the road for its next two contests as it will square off against George Washington (Nov. 26) and No. 25 Virginia Tech (Nov. 27) in the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information