By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Despite trailing by double figures in the first half, the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team used a dominating third quarter which saw the team outscore Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Illinois by 17 en route to a 58-45 road victory.
The Skyhawks (2-2) picked up their fourth win in the last five games after another big second half performance down the stretch. UT Martin trailed by as much as 10 points in the second quarter before whittling the margin down to four points at the half. After coming out of halftime, the Skyhawks played like a totally different team and outscored the Panthers 19-2 in the third on their way to a 13-point victory.
UT Martin’s effort in the third quarter featured an 18-point run which leaked into the fourth quarter while six different players scored in the period – including eight points by Charleston native Shae Littleford in her first collegiate game in her hometown. While the Skyhawks flourished offensively by shooting 53.8 percent from the field, they were equally as impressive on defense where they limited the Panthers to just 7.1 percent shooting and a lone field goal in the third.
Once taking the lead in the third, UT Martin never trailed again after shooting 40.4 percent from the floor while getting it down at the free throw stripe by knocking down 12-of-13 free throws for the game. The Skyhawks also won several battles within the game by outrebounding EIU and picking up 18 points off turnovers.
The Skyhawks were led in scoring by Seygan Robins who scored 14 points off the bench – knocking down four three-pointers – while tallying five rebounds and four assists. Littleford also reached double-digits for the 11th time this season with 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Paige Pipkin also had a nice afternoon with seven points, seven rebounds and five steals.
“Any win you get on the road is huge and that was a gutsy win over an experienced team,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “This one came down to the third quarter. We looked really good in the third but I don’t think you can count on a 19-2 quarter very often. This game is tough because the way the tournament is set up, we will be playing a lot of these same teams again in just a short amount of time, so you don’t want to over do anything. This was a really good effort on the road for a young team against a team with all types of experience. Shae had a big game in front of her family while Seygan was really solid by hitting a couple big threes in the first half when we were really struggling for offense. Our kids are doing what we ask them do by battling and playing hard. That is all we can ask them to do.”
Eastern Illinois (13-12, 8-6 OVC) jumped out early in the contest to take a double-digit advantage but could not sustain its hot start which saw the team shoot 54.5 percent in the opening period. Kira Arthofer paced the team offensively with 12 points, six assists and five turnovers while Lariah Washington also scored in double figures with 10 points.
UT Martin will return home for its final homestand of the season beginning with a Valentine’s Day matchup against Austin Peay on Monday, Feb. 14. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information