By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team jumped out to an early lead and held the game’s advantage for the first three quarters of the contest before a wild fourth quarter featured seven lead changes and saw the score become tied on six occasions down the stretch before host Tennessee State pulled out a narrow 66-65 Ohio Valley Conference victory.
The Skyhawks (4-10, 1-2 OVC) have seen each of their three league contests come down to a single-digit margin with this afternoon’s game being decided by the slimmest of margins. UT Martin led by as much as 13 in the first quarter after stringing together a 12-0 run – the team’s largest run of the contest. Tennessee State did not go away quietly however as the Lady Tigers slowly chipped away – including a 13-0 run of their own in the final minutes of the third – setting up the fourth quarter for a winner-take-all finale.
With UT Martin clinging to a one-point advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest, the fourth quarter saw the lead change hands seven times while becoming tied on six separate occasions. Tennessee State took its first lead since the opening possession of the game at the 8:17 mark of the fourth quarter to set up the wild back-and-forth finish until the Skyhawks took their final lead with 38 seconds to play on a single free throw by Kyannah Grant. TSU responded however with a bucket of its own by Dominque Claytor with 20 seconds to play to put the home team on top 66-65. The Skyhawks had one final attempt at the potential game-winner but the team’s 22nd turnover of the contest sealed the game’s fate with six seconds to play.
UT Martin had four different players score in double figures for the first time this season while reigning OVC Freshman of the Week Shae Littleford set a new career-high with 18 points after going 4-for-5 from the field – including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc – while knocking down 7-of-8 free throw attempts. Graduate forward Holly Forbes returned to action after missing the last four games with an injury to score 13 points off the bench while freshman Ella Thompson also scored a new career-high with 12 points. Grant rounded out the quartet in double figures with 11 points.
“I thought our kids battled,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “We had kids that were coming back from the flu. Holly got to play some minutes and was good for us. At the end of the day, we needed a stop and a call and we didn’t get it. That’s the team we are right now. This was a better effort than I expected out of us – if this is what we’re going to do, I can work with that. I have no problems with our toughness and battling – I can handle that. Except for the free throws and a few open shots – those things today weren’t in our control. It’s just going to be a grind for us this year, but I’ll take the effort we brought tonight every game.”
Tennessee State (8-6, 3-0 OVC) remained unbeaten in league play behind its full court pressure defense and a strong second half. The Lady Tigers scored 25 points off turnovers and capitalized on second chance opportunities with 15 points from offensive rebounds. Along with scoring the game-winning layup, Claytor ranked as the game’s leading scorer with 19 points while adding six rebounds and three steals. She was joined in double figures by Saniah Parker who tossed in 14 points.
UT Martin will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 8 when playing host to Belmont in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information