Friday, December 18
Cape Girardeau, Mo.
3:30 p.m.
UT Martin
2-1, 1-0OVC
61
at
58
Southeast Missouri
2-4, 0-1OVC
1
2
3
4
F
UT Martin
11
17
15
18
61
Southeast Missouri
8
8
25
17
58
Photo by: Charles Balcom, SEMO Athletics
UT MARTIN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPENS TITLE DEFENSE WITH 61-58 WIN AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
12/18/2020 6:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team opened defense of its Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship with a 61-58 road victory at Southeast Missouri on Friday afternoon in the Show Me Center.
The Skyhawks led by as much 12 points right before halftime but had to hold off a strong second half surge by the Redhawks. Southeast Missouri would outscore UT Martin by 10 in the third quarter and later trimmed the margin to as close as two points midway through the fourth quarter. The Skyhawks would hold a steady three-score advantage with nine-seconds to play before a pair of desperation three-pointers in the final moments brought the tally to its final score of 61-58.
UT Martin (2-1, 1-0 OVC) moderately struggled from the field, shooting just 40.7 percent from the field while converting just 30 percent of the team's three-point attempts. The only stat that mattered however was the game's lead changes which was zero as the Skyhawks never trailed in the contest.
Reigning OVC Player of the Year Chelsey Perry led all scorers with 28 points while tallying seven rebounds and three assists. Dasia Young was charged with guarding All-OVC performer Tesia Thompson but still managed to tally four points, nine rebounds and three assists. Seygan Robins (six points, four assists) and Maddie Waldrop (six points, seven rebounds) tied for second on the team in points scored.
Other highlights saw the return of redshirt-junior Paige Pipkin who played 18 minutes in her first action in over two years while Zaire Hicks and Kyarrah Grant also made their respective season debuts following season-ending injuries last year.
Gallery: (12-18-2020) WBB at Southeast Missouri
"Today was a rough game and I think you saw a team which was playing its third game of the season," UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. "It was nice to get so many players back on the floor but it is going to take some time to really get us in a rhythm. I thought we played ok defensively in the first half, but a lot of that was them just missing shots. We have a long way to go, but keep in mind, this was just the sixth time that we have been able to go five-on-five this season because of health and injuries. I was really proud of how Dasia stepped up and guarded Thompson all game long and made things difficult on her. She really battled."
"COVID is affecting the way teams build their programs." McMillan continued. "I have found the way I like to build my team is like a house. I build a foundation in the summer, get the 2x4s in August and September, put it under a roof in October, get the drywall, electric and plumbing in during November and December before finally moving in during January. Now because of COVID, we are trying to move into our house without the foundation build and that isn't the kids fault. That is just the reality of the world we live in right now. We just have to stay together and trust we have the ability to fix our mistakes because I think we can be really good."
Southeast Missouri (2-4, 0-1 OVC) dropped the nail-bitter despite a balanced effort offensively. Thompson paced the squad with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in the loss. Fellow standouts Taelour Pruitt (13 points, five assists) and LaTrese Saine (10 points, seven rebounds) also scored in double figures.
UT Martin is looking to add a few non-conference opponents over the next 12 days before returning to OVC play on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at Jacksonville State.
The Skyhawks led by as much 12 points right before halftime but had to hold off a strong second half surge by the Redhawks. Southeast Missouri would outscore UT Martin by 10 in the third quarter and later trimmed the margin to as close as two points midway through the fourth quarter. The Skyhawks would hold a steady three-score advantage with nine-seconds to play before a pair of desperation three-pointers in the final moments brought the tally to its final score of 61-58.
UT Martin (2-1, 1-0 OVC) moderately struggled from the field, shooting just 40.7 percent from the field while converting just 30 percent of the team's three-point attempts. The only stat that mattered however was the game's lead changes which was zero as the Skyhawks never trailed in the contest.
Reigning OVC Player of the Year Chelsey Perry led all scorers with 28 points while tallying seven rebounds and three assists. Dasia Young was charged with guarding All-OVC performer Tesia Thompson but still managed to tally four points, nine rebounds and three assists. Seygan Robins (six points, four assists) and Maddie Waldrop (six points, seven rebounds) tied for second on the team in points scored.
Other highlights saw the return of redshirt-junior Paige Pipkin who played 18 minutes in her first action in over two years while Zaire Hicks and Kyarrah Grant also made their respective season debuts following season-ending injuries last year.
"Today was a rough game and I think you saw a team which was playing its third game of the season," UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. "It was nice to get so many players back on the floor but it is going to take some time to really get us in a rhythm. I thought we played ok defensively in the first half, but a lot of that was them just missing shots. We have a long way to go, but keep in mind, this was just the sixth time that we have been able to go five-on-five this season because of health and injuries. I was really proud of how Dasia stepped up and guarded Thompson all game long and made things difficult on her. She really battled."
"COVID is affecting the way teams build their programs." McMillan continued. "I have found the way I like to build my team is like a house. I build a foundation in the summer, get the 2x4s in August and September, put it under a roof in October, get the drywall, electric and plumbing in during November and December before finally moving in during January. Now because of COVID, we are trying to move into our house without the foundation build and that isn't the kids fault. That is just the reality of the world we live in right now. We just have to stay together and trust we have the ability to fix our mistakes because I think we can be really good."
Southeast Missouri (2-4, 0-1 OVC) dropped the nail-bitter despite a balanced effort offensively. Thompson paced the squad with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in the loss. Fellow standouts Taelour Pruitt (13 points, five assists) and LaTrese Saine (10 points, seven rebounds) also scored in double figures.
UT Martin is looking to add a few non-conference opponents over the next 12 days before returning to OVC play on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at Jacksonville State.
Team Stats
UTM
SEMO
FG%
.407
.328
3FG%
.300
.267
FT%
.778
.800
RB
37
40
TO
14
13
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
8
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
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