BIG NIGHTS BY PERRY AND ROBINS LEAVES TSU SINGING THE BLUES IN MUSIC CITY

Thursday, January 7

Nashville, Tenn.

5 p.m.

UT Martin

3-3,2-1OVC

Tennessee State

0-6,0-4OVC

UT Martin

Tennessee St.

BIG NIGHTS BY PERRY AND ROBINS LEAVES TSU SINGING THE BLUES IN MUSIC CITY

1/7/2021 8:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score PDF Highlights Photo Gallery

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team turned up the intensity on both ends of the floor in its first Ohio Valley Conference contest of the new year on Thursday evening with a statement 80-39 road victory at Tennessee State.

The Skyhawks (3-3, 2-1 OVC) jumped out to an early advantage and never looked back in a contest in which the visitors never trailed and led by as much as 37 points. UT Martin posted its largest scoring output of the season while equaling its highest single-half scoring total in both halves with 40 points – matching previous high in the season opener against fifth-ranked Louisville.

While the Skyhawks rolled on the offensive end, the squad was equally as impressive on the other end with five blocks, nine steals and 23 forced turnovers while holding its opponent to fewer than 40 points for just the fifth time in the Kevin McMillan Era. The turnovers led directly to 24 points for the Skyhawks while scoring 36 points in the paint and nine via the fast break.

McMillan cited the team's fluidity on both ends to a simplified approach implemented over the past week during practice. "I told the girls that I made a huge mistake when I looked back at how we prepared this team," McMillan said. "I wanted to get this team prepared like any other team and 2020 simply did not allow that time commitment. The reality is that we have probably been around our kids about 70 percent less than we would normally have been since June in a normal year. Because of that, we decided to really strip things down and simplify our offense and I think you were able to see us get in sync for the first time this season. Then on the defensive side, I think we looked a lot better. We just have to keep working, get everyone to sell out to play hard all of the time and keeping working."

The simplified approach showed up on the box score. Senior forward Chelsey Perry continued her offensive tear to start the season, tallying 32 points, seven rebounds, four steals and one block in just over 23 minutes of action – sitting for much of the second quarter and all of the fourth. Meanwhile, newcomer Seygan Robins posted a new career-high with 18 points after knocking down 6-of-7 three-point field goal attempts and dishing out three assists.

With several minutes allocated to the secondary unit, nine of the 12 Skyhawks which saw action scored in the contest. Damiah Griffin, Demi Burdick and Sade' Hudson each scored six points off the bench while Dasia Young tallied a balanced stat line with five points, six rebounds, four assist and two steals on the night.

Gallery: (1-7-2021) WBB at Tennessee State

Tennessee State (0-6, 0-4 OVC) saw its losing streak stretch to six games after another tough shooting night from the field. The Lady Tigers made just 13-of-52 attempts from the field and 4-of-21 attempts from beyond the arc. Andreana Wrister ranked as the lone TSU player in double figures with 10 points on the evening.

UT Martin jumped out to an early advantage in the contest, holding a lead as large as 16 points in the first quarter behind a 13-1 run which spanned four minutes. The Skyhawks would later push the margin out to 22 points following Robins' sixth three-pointer of the first half to take a 40-18 lead into the break.

The game proved to get completely out of hand in the third quarter when UT Martin capped a 17-point scoring run on a layup by Perry with 5:45 to play in the period. At the end of the third quarter, the starters were pulled from the contest with Perry and Robins combining for 50 points while the Lady Tigers combined for 25 points as a team. The reserves would push the advantage out to as large as 42 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

UT Martin is tentatively scheduled to return to OVC action on Thursday, Jan. 14 when playing host to Austin Peay. For all of the latest up-to-date information, including breaking news and scheduling updates, please continue to visit UTMSports.com.