By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team opened its three-game appearance in the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic on Monday night but stumbled out of the gates before eventually falling to Sun Belt foe Marshall by a final score of 70-57.
The Skyhawks (1-3) faced an early deficit in the contest as the Thundering Herd came out shooting the lights out – making 8-of-14 field goals (57.1 percent) in the opening quarter. After falling behind by as much as 16 points in the second quarter, UT Martin began to chip away at the margin – cutting the deficit down to as little as six points late in the half.
Once in the second half, UT Martin rallied to cut the margin to five points on several occasions but could not get over the hump down the stretch. Once Marshall had its lead trimmed to five with 6:46 to play in the game, the Thundering Herd finished the game on a slight run to pull away with a 13-point victory.
Keeping with a familiar theme this season, the team’s freshmen led the way offensively. Kenley McCarn led the team with 14 points – tallying her fourth game in double figures this season – while also notching three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Fellow freshman Sharnecce Currie-Jelks had a nice day with 12 points while snagging five rebounds. Meanwhile, the pair of Paige Pipkin and Anaya Brown narrowly missed out on double-digits in the scoring column with eight points each.
Marshall (2-1) picked up its second win of the season behind a nice night by a former league foe as Roshala Scott – who spent three seasons at Southeast Missouri – led all scorers with 19 points while knocking down five three-pointers. The Thundering Herd also got strong performances by the pair of Mahogany Matthews and Abby Beeman with 16 points each.
UT Martin has a quick turnaround when playing defending MEAC champion Norfolk State on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tipoff from the Enmarket Arena is slated for 6 p.m. CT.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information