By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team fell behind in an early hole which they could never quite dig itself out of on Wednesday night, falling to Missouri Valley Conference foe Murray State in the squad’s final non-conference home game of the season by a final score of 71-52.
The Skyhawks (2-5) jumped out an early lead through the first nearly three minutes of the contest before the veteran Racers strung together a 16-4 run over the next seven minutes to take control of the game. After Murray State pushed its advantage out to double figures in the second quarter, UT Martin would never get the margin back within single digits down the stretch.
UT Martin struggled from the floor outside of the first quarter in which they started the game by knocking down 46.2 percent of its field goal attempts. From there, the Skyhawks would be held in check as they shot just 30.2 percent over the final three periods to finish the game well below their season shooting average. The rebounding margin also got out of whack for the home squad as Murray State won the battle of the boards by 20.
Despite the team’s shooting woes, the Skyhawks saw three players score in double figures. Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week Sharnecce Currie-Jelks paced the team in several categories including points (13), rebounds (nine) and blocks (four). Sophomore Shae Littleford also scored in double figures for the third time this season after tallying 11 points while graduate guard Paige Pipkin added 10 points, four assists and three steals.
“Well, the first thing was that we played zone to start because we were having trouble defending and that didn’t work out very well for us,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “At the end of the day, they made shots and we missed them while getting destroyed on the glass. When you get beat like that on the glass, you’re going to have a hard time winning. We have a long way to go and until we get some of these young kids to grow up, it’s going to be tough.”
While the Skyhawks struggled from the field, the Racers packed their shooting touch for the short trek across state lines by knocking down 50.0 percent of their field goal attempts while making 62.5 percent (10-of-16) of their three-point attempts. Leading the charge for the visitors was reigning OVC Player of the Year and MVC preseason selection Katelyn Young who put on a show with 31 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Joining her in double figures was senior guard Macey Turley who knocked down three trifectas and finished with 11 points.
UT Martin will hit the road for its six contests, beginning with a matchup at Southeastern Conference foe Vanderbilt on Sunday, Dec. 4. Tipoff from Memorial Gymnasium is slated for 11 a.m. on SEC Network
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information