By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Junior guard Paige Pipkin collected a game-high 20 points for the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team as the Skyhawks gave No. 24 Virginia Tech a scare before falling 54-49 on the final day of the San Juan Shootout.
A superb third quarter performance helped UT Martin (3-4) have a legit chance of knocking off a ranked opponent. The score was knotted at 42-all through 30 minutes and the Skyhawks only trailed by one point with 1:15 left to play before the Hokies (6-1) escaped with the win.
Pipkin played all 40 minutes today, shooting 7-of-15 from the floor (including a 4-for-5 effort from beyond the three-point arc). The Henderson, Tenn. native also hauled in a career-best nine rebounds to go along with her season-high scoring tally. She was joined in double figures scoring by teammates Hayley Harrison (12 points) and Holly Forbes (10 points).
Virginia Tech was guided by Elizabeth Kitley’s 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. Kayana Taylor also added 11 points as the UT Martin defense limited the Atlantic Coast Conference foe to just 36 percent (18-of-50) shooting.
The Skyhawks found themselves in an 8-1 hole to start off the contest as Virginia Tech soon extended its lead out to 14-5. Forbes collected an old-fashioned three-point play and Pipkin knocked down a three-pointer late in the opening quarter to trim UT Martin’s deficit to 16-11 after 10 minutes. Harrison’s four points led the Skyhawks in the opening quarter.
A Harrison triple and Pipkin pull-up jumper on back-to-back possessions pulled UT Martin within four points at 20-16 with 6:40 to go before the halftime break. That duo struck again two minutes later when Pipkin (three-pointer) and Harrison (driving layup) sliced the Skyhawk deficit to 22-21. The Hokies eventually scored the final four points of the period to take a 30-24 lead into the locker room at the intermission. Pipkin (seven) and Harrison (six) combined for all 13 of UT Martin’s points in the second stanza.
Pipkin and Harrison each had a game-high 10 first-half points, sharing the lead with Kitley (10) from Virginia Tech.
The Skyhawks faced a six-point hole (35-29) at the 6:17 mark of the third quarter but quickly reversed course. Pipkin amassed five straight points before a driving layup by Forbes with 4:20 remaining in the period tied the score at 36-36. Treys from Forbes and Pipkin helped UT Martin keep the score tied heading into the fourth and final quarter. Pipkin was responsible for eight points in the third quarter alone as the Skyhawks shot 50 percent (6-of-12) from the field.
The Hokies scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter but Pipkin answered right back, nailing a jumpshot 14 seconds later to make the score 44-all. Virginia Tech was able to stretch its lead out to six points with 3:18 to go but a Kyannah Grant three-pointer and second chance bucket from Forbes whittled UT Martin’s deficit to 50-49 at the 1:16 mark. However, those would be the final points of the contest for the Skyhawks as the Hokies ended the game with four unanswered points.
UT Martin has eight days off before its next matchup, kicking off a three-game homestand on Sunday, Dec. 5 against Saint Louis. Tipoff time from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 2 p.m.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information