By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The backcourt duo of Seygan Robins and Shae Littleford each came away with double-digit scoring performances this evening but the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team fell by a 61-51 margin at Tennessee Tech.
Robins was responsible for a game-high 15 points off the bench, canning three of her four 3-point attempts and making all four of her tries from the free throw line. Littleford accounted for 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, marking the 13th game in double figures scoring for the freshman out of Charleston, Ill.
Ella Thompson (team-high seven rebounds), Paige Pipkin (team-best four assists) and Holly Forbes (team-high three steals) also performed well for the Skyhawks, who wrap up the regular season with a 12-17 overall record and 9-9 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Having already clinched the No. 2 seed in next week’s OVC Championship tournament, Tennessee Tech (19-9, 14-4 OVC) was led by Maaliya Owens’ 15 points. Megan Clark added 12 points while Jada Guinn (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Anna Jones (10 points, 10 rebounds) accumulated double-doubles.
“I actually thought we executed really well and controlled the tempo, especially in the second half,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “We only committed five turnovers but there was a stretch where we could not put the ball in the hole. Our gameplan worked but Tennessee Tech had too many second-chance points – we have to eliminate those offensive rebounds. But overall, I’m pleased with our effort – you need to be playing well going into the OVC Tournament and we are.”
Following a Golden Eagle three-pointer to open up the contest, the Skyhawks went on a 5-0 run behind a Forbes layup and Thompson trifecta. After a Littleford layup kept UT Martin on top, Tennessee Tech responded with an 8-2 run to go ahead by a 14-9 margin with three minutes to go in the quarter.
The Skyhawks answered with an 8-1 surge, thanks in large part to back-to-back layups from Raegan Johnson. A pull-up jumper from Littleford with 19 seconds remaining in the period gave UT Martin a 17-15 lead but the Golden Eagles made a three-pointer just before the buzzer to take a one-point advantage into the second quarter. The Skyhawks shot a sizzling 66.7 percent (8-of-12) while Tennessee Tech made five of its eight 3-point tries (62.5 percent) in the first 10 minutes.
The Golden Eagles scored the first five points of the second period as part of a 9-2 run. Robins converted four consecutive points (two free throws and a layup) in the span of 19 seconds for UT Martin to trim its deficit to 27-23 midway through the quarter. A triple from Littleford and two Pipkin free throws pulled the Skyhawks within a single possession (32-30) with a little under two minutes to go until the halftime break. Tennessee Tech then posted the final four points of the half to take a 36-30 lead into the locker room.
Littleford was tied for a game-high with nine points at the break while Clark and Guinn each had nine points apiece for the Golden Eagles.
The third quarter began with a 7-2 Tennessee Tech run before a pair of Kyannah Grant free throws at the 5:37 mark got UT Martin back on track. A quick 5-0 Skyhawk run that included a Johnson layup, Littleford free throw and Pipkin jumper in the paint made the score 45-39 before the Golden Eagles took an eight-point lead into the final quarter.
UT Martin kept charging in the fourth quarter thanks to a masterful performance from Robins. The sophomore from Harrodsburg, Ky. accounted for 11 of the Skyhawks’ 12 points in the quarter, scoring 11 straight points in a 4:49 stretch. That included a trio of three-pointers – the last of which occurred with 2:41 left to play as UT Martin got within five points at 56-51.
However, that was the Skyhawks’ final points of the contest as Tennessee Tech ended the game with five unanswered points.
UT Martin will enter the 2022 OVC Basketball Championship tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Skyhawks will take on No. 7 seed SIUE at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information