By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team posted a valiant comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, but the Skyhawks came up just short on their way to a Senior Day victory at the hands of Little Rock by a final score of 53-49.
Little Rock (16-9, 13-1 OVC) moved into a tie for first place in the league standings after building a lead as large as 14 points in the fourth quarter. Facing a large deficit, UT Martin (10-15, 6-8 OVC) chipped away in the final minutes and brought the margin to as close as four points on multiple occasions but could not find the needed shots down the stretch.
After a pregame ceremony which honored the Skyhawks graduate guards Paige Pipkin and Seygan Robins, the tandem had a nice afternoon with both players reaching double figures in the scoring column. Pipkin – who started her first game for the Skyhawks since the team’s last matchup against Little Rock on Dec. 29 – scored 12 points in the contest while tallying three steals in 28 minutes. Meanwhile, Robins joined in the action with 11 points, two assists and two steals.
While the graduates got the pomp and circumstance, the freshmen duo of Anaya Brown and Sharnecce Currie-Jelks also got in the action with double-digit performances. Brown led the team with 13 points and nine rebounds in the game while Currie-Jelks tallied her 17th game in double figures after notching 11 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
The Trojans continued a stretch of defensive dominance in which they have held OVC opponents under 50 points in 11 of 14 conference matchups. While the visitors shot a blistering 53.7 percent from the field, their defense limited the Skyhawks to just a 34.0 percent clip while forcing 17 turnovers.
“I have no problems with this game,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “We didn’t execute well and we played just ok. But at this point, with this team, we aren’t ready to play well. So as long as they come out here ready to compete and fight, I can live with it. I have no qualms about us. We showed up today. We had two or three chances in this one to lay down and we didn’t. We came back and gave ourselves a chance at the end. I have no problems with this young team if they are going to play like that.”
Little Rock was led by Sali Kourouma who scored 22 points while adding five rebounds and five steals. Tia Harvey – who hit the game-winner against the Skyhawks back in December – also scored in double figures with 12 points in the win.
UT Martin will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 16 when playing host to SIUE. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information