UT MARTIN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CRUISES PAST MURRAY STATE AND INTO THE OVC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS

Thursday, March 7

Evansville, Ind.

3 p.m.

UT Martin

22-8

Murray State

13-17

Murray St.

UT Martin

UT MARTIN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CRUISES PAST MURRAY STATE AND INTO THE OVC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS

3/7/2019 6:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Boxscore PDF Photo Gallery Postgame Press Conference

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The third seeded University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team used a big second quarter to gain a sizable lead and never looked back, cruising past sixth seeded Murray State 77-56 in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championship. With the win, UT Martin advances to the semifinals for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.

The Skyhawks (22-8) used a balanced scoring attack and solid defensive showing to notch the opening round victory. In a game with very few turnovers, UT Martin still forced Murray State into nine turnovers while dishing out 17 assists and winning the battle of the boards convincingly.

UT Martin shot 50 percent from the floor, 58.3 percent from beyond the arc and 88.9 percent from the line to cap off an efficient afternoon. All-OVC forward Chelsey Perry led the squad with 20 points while the guard tandem of All-OVC senior Emanye Robertson and sophomore Zaire Hicks chipped in 19 points each while combining for 14 assists and 10 rebounds. All-Newcomer honoree Brittni Moore just missed out on double figures with nine points.

"I thought that our kids did a really good job of attacking the paint pretty much for 40 minutes, with only a few let downs," UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. "The group of Chelsey, Emanye and Zaire was really solid. Our defense was probably the difference in the game along with our board work. This time of year it is about defense and execution while having a bit of grit and toughness about you. I thought our kids did a good job today."

Murray State (13-17) saw its season come to an end in the first round for the second consecutive season. Brianna Crane paced the Racers in scoring with 14 points while chipping in seven rebounds. Meanwhile, All-OVC selections Evelyn Adebayo and Macey Turley were held well below season average with 12 points and seven points, respectively.

With the win, UT Martin advances to the OVC Basketball Championship semifinals against No. 2 seed Morehead State. Action from the Ford Center is scheduled to get underway on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m.