UT MARTIN WOMEN’S HOOPS PLACES FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES TO PUSH PAST MURRAY STATE AT HOME

Saturday, January 16

Martin, Tenn.

1 p.m.

UT Martin

5-3, 4-1OVC

Murray State

5-6, 2-4OVC

Murray St.

UT Martin

UT MARTIN WOMEN’S HOOPS PLACES FOUR IN DOUBLE FIGURES TO PUSH PAST MURRAY STATE AT HOME

1/16/2021 7:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score PDF Postgame Press Conference Highlights Photo Gallery

MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team used a balanced offense which featured four players scoring in double figures to pick up a 78-71 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Murray State on Saturday afternoon.

With 49 miles separating the two universities, the two geographical rivals went back and forth throughout the 40-minute contest which features eight lead changes and seven ties. Both teams exchanged eight-point leads of their own while stringing together scoring runs which eclipsed double figures.

The Skyhawks (5-3, 4-1) came out on top behind its balance throughout its starting lineup as four of their five starters scored in double figures for the first time this season. UT Martin shot 48.4 percent from the field – including a pair of strong periods in the second and third in which the team shot over 52 percent in both quarters. The home squad also won the battle of the boards, turnovers and registered five blocked shots.

Senior Chelsey Perry led all scorers once again with yet another explosive and record-setting contest. Perry scored a season-high 36 points while tallying 11 rebounds and four blocks for her fifth double-double. The game saw Perry become the program's all-time leader in career blocks, breaking the previous record which stood for 31 years while also moving into fourth place on the program's all-time scoring list by surpassing Zabrina Harris (1,723) with her 1,739^th career point.

Congratulations to UT Martin senior forward Chelsey Perry on tallying her 204th career block to become the program's all-time leader. pic.twitter.com/UsBWr4WmJY
— UT Martin Athletics (@UTMSports) January 16, 2021

Joining Perry in double figures was the trio of Seygan Robins, Maddie Waldrop and Dasia Young. Robins tallied 14 points for her third double-figure performance of the season while also tallying three assists. Waldrop tossed in 12 points, six rebounds and three assists for her second straight game in double figures while Young rounded out the quartet with 10 points and five boards in the win.

Gallery: (1-16-2021) WBB vs. Murray State

"I thought early on, Murray State outplayed us because their effort and energy was better than ours," UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. "They had a bounce in their step that we didn't. I was impressed with our kids because late in the first half and late in the game they were able to ramp it up, get some stops, execute and score to win the game. Having not played a whole lot, we have not had to face a lot of these things and I was not sure how they responded. You must give them credited because they found a way to step up. I did think it was nice to see four players in double figures because we have the firepower, we just haven't been able to show our consistency yet. Hopefully we will be able to find that level over the next couple of weeks because with how our schedule has come together, it looks like we will be playing three games a week for most of the rest of the season."

Murray State (5-6, 2-4 OVC) jumped out to an early lead behind a strong first quarter in which the Racers shot 50 percent from the field but saw its shooting percentage dip throughout the course of the game before falling all the way to 38.6 percent for the contest. All-OVC guard Macey Turley would give the Skyhawks problems from the jump by scoring 12 of her team-high 23 points in the opening quarter while also dishing out a game-high six assists. Turley would not be the lone threat for the Racers offense on the day as Bria Sanders-Woods chipped in 16 points while Katelyn Young tallied 11 points and eight rebounds.

UT Martin will now return to the road for its next two scheduled contest with OVC matchups against Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State beginning on Thursday, Jan. 21 in Richmond, Ky.