SKYHAWK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FLIES HIGH IN WIRE-TO-WIRE 80-65 OVC VICTORY AT EASTERN ILLINOIS

Thursday, February 1

Charleston, Ill.

5 p.m.

UT Martin

8-12,5-4OVC

Eastern Illinois

9-13,6-3OVC

UT Martin

Eastern Ill.

SKYHAWK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FLIES HIGH IN WIRE-TO-WIRE 80-65 OVC VICTORY AT EASTERN ILLINOIS

2/1/2024 7:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Stats PDF Photo Gallery

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team shot 80 percent in the opening quarter and never looked back, starting its grueling road trip with a convincing 80-65 road triumph at Eastern Illinois.

The Skyhawks (8-12, 4-4 Ohio Valley Conference) never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. The Panthers never got any closer than 11 points in the second half as UT Martin coasted to one of its most impressive wins of the 2023-24 campaign.

Anaya Brown put together a dominant performance this evening, dialing up a game-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting while adding a career-high six steals and five rebounds. Kenley McCarn registered 22 points, six rebounds and six assists while Norah Clark (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Skyhawks. Josie Storey (nine points on three treys), Lexi Rubel (eight points, team-best nine rebounds, five assists, four steals) and Love Mays (six points) rounded out the scoring for UT Martin, who shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) and made nine of its 19 three-point tries.

Eastern Illinois (9-13, 6-3 OVC) received double-doubles from Macy McGlone (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Taris Thornton (11 points, 11 rebounds). Ellie Buzzelle chipped in 11 points but the Panthers were held to 39.1 percent shooting (25-of-64) and committed 21 turnovers.

"This was a huge win for our kids given how we did it – Eastern Illinois is second in the conference standings," Skyhawk head coach Kevin McMillan said. "We were able to make some shots early and we had a lot of unselfish play tonight. I thought the difference in the game was after went up by 19 points in the third quarter – they cut it to 11 early in the fourth and then we scored three straight baskets. Maybe this is a game that we learn from that turns the corner for us."

Gallery: (2-1-2024) WBB at Eastern Illinois

UT Martin began the contest with a flurry of baskets, shooting a remarkable 12-for-15 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes. The 28 points were tied for the highest-scoring quarter of the season for the Skyhawks, who also put up 28 points in the fourth period at Murray State on Nov. 28. McCarn's seven points led six UT Martin scorers.

A Mays three-pointer from the right wing got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard in the second quarter and gave UT Martin a 31-18 advantage at the 6:50 mark. The Panthers cut their deficit to six points but the Skyhawks closed out the second quarter on a 12-4 run, capped off by a McCarn trifecta to give UT Martin a 45-31 lead at the halftime break.

The Skyhawk trio of McCarn (12 points), Clark (11) and Brown (10) all scored in double-digits in the first half while McGlone's 12 points paced Eastern Illinois.

After a Storey left corner trey opened the scoring for UT Martin in the second half, Brown tossed in the Skyhawks' next seven points. Following a WNBA-range triple from McCarn, a Brown free throw extended UT Martin's advantage out to 20 points (59-39) with 6:33 to go in the third quarter. The Panthers went on a 9-2 run down the stretch but the Skyhawks took a 65-51 lead into the final quarter.

Just as she did in the third period, Storey canned a three-pointer from the left corner to open UT Martin's fourth-quarter scoring. Back-to-back Eastern Illinois triples shaved the Skyhawk advantage to 11 with 7:26 remaining but the duo of McCarn and Brown scored four points apiece in a crucial 8-0 run. The Panthers would not get any closer than 15 points the rest of the way.

UT Martin continues its four-game road swing on Saturday, Feb. 3, taking on SIUE at 1 p.m.