UT MARTIN WOMEN’S HOOPS OUTLASTS BELMONT TO RECORD 71-68 OVERTIME VICTORY

Thursday, February 28

Martin, Tenn.

5:30 p.m.

UT Martin

20-8, 12-5OVC

Belmont

22-6, 15-2OVC

OT 1

Belmont

UT Martin

UT MARTIN WOMEN’S HOOPS OUTLASTS BELMONT TO RECORD 71-68 OVERTIME VICTORY

2/28/2019 9:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Boxscore PDF Photo Gallery Postgame Press Conference

MARTIN, Tenn. – Despite leading by as much as 21 points in the first half, the University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team needed overtime to seal a 71-68 overtime victory against Ohio Valley Conference champion Belmont on Thursday night in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

The Skyhawks (20-8, 12-5 OVC) recorded their ninth 20-win season in program history and the sixth under UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan. While the win marked a big plateau for the team, it kept the Skyhawks in a fight for the No. 2 seed in next week's OVC Basketball Championship. The win also resulted in the Skyhawks posting a dominating 13-1 record at home this season.

While UT Martin would hold a lead as large as 21 points behind a big second quarter, a strong third quarter by Belmont trimmed the margin to single digits heading into the fourth quarter. Action would remain tight throughout the fourth quarter as the Bruins finally found the game's equalizer with 18 seconds to play to force overtime. The Bruins would ultimately take their first lead of the game with 45 second remaining in overtime but four consecutive points by senior guard Emanye Robertson proved to be the difference in the game, lifting the Skyhawks to a 71-68 victory.

With the game in the hands of Robertson for much of the fourth quarter, the senior guard took control of the game. She would not only score the final four points of the game, but tally 10 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth and overtime period while notching six assists, four rebounds and four steals on the night. Sophomore Chelsey Perry also scored in double figures with 15 points while fellow sophomore Demi Burdick continued her impressive play by seeing action in a career-high 30 minutes while scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds off the bench.

"I am pleased with three quarters and the last five minutes of the game," McMillan said. "You can look at the stat sheet. It will show that Belmont laid down in the second quarter and we simply took their place in the third. I decided in the fourth quarter that I would win or lose the game with the ball in Emanye's hands and she simply willed us to a victory. Tonight we showed that we had some toughness and when we can get after it like that, we are pretty tough to deal with. Hopefully this win laid the foundation for our program getting back to where we want it to be."

Belmont (22-6, 15-2 OVC) snapped a 14-game winning streak despite a valiant comeback attempt. The Bruins shot 70.8 percent in the second half as three different players scored in double figures. Junior Ellie Harmeyer posted a double-double for the second time this season against the Skyhawks with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile the guard duo of Darby Maggard (18 points) and Maura Muensterman (12 points) combined to score 30 points on the night.

UT Martin will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, March 2 when playing host to Tennessee State. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. with Senior Day festivities scheduled prior to the start.