All five University of Tennessee at Martin starters logged the full 40 minutes Saturday but the Skyhawks came up just short in a back-and-forth battle to Tennessee State, dropping a close 55-53 decision in Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball action.
Facing a Lady Tiger squad who were fighting for a spot in the upcoming OVC Championship tournament, UT Martin put itself in position to win the game late in a contest where neither side led by more than five points at any moment. However, a go-ahead three-point attempt with five seconds remaining was blocked and Tennessee State eked out the win in a game that featured 14 lead changes and eight ties.
Anaya Brown had 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Skyhawks, who also saw Kenley McCarn score a team-best 16 points with two steals. Josie Storey added 10 points while Lexi Rubel and Love Mays rounded out the scoring for UT Martin, who shot 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the free throw line.
UT Martin will take on the winner of No. 6 seed Tennessee Tech/No. 7 seed Western Illinois on Thursday, March 7 at 3:30 p.m. in the Ford Center at Evansville, Ind.
For the first time in 15 years, the University of Tennessee at Martin is Ohio Valley Conference men’s basketball champions as the Skyhawks pulled off a come-from-behind 96-87 victory over Tennessee State Saturday.
The win led to UT Martin’s second OVC regular season championship and the fifth overall conference title in school history. The Skyhawks equaled the program record for OVC victories (14), wrapping up the regular season in a three-way tie with Little Rock and Morehead State atop the league standings.
UT Martin trailed for 32:34 of clock time and faced an 11-point deficit with 9:23 to go. However, the Skyhawk defense held the Tigers to 1-of-12 shooting down to close out the contest and rode the hot hands of Jordan Sears and Jacob Crews to the finish line while swishing 94.1 percent of their free throw attempts.
Sears accumulated 29 points in the second half alone, ending his day with a perfect 13-of-13 effort from the charity stripe to go along with a game-high six assists. Crews tossed in 20 points in the first 20 minutes, concluding his outing with a game-high nine rebounds and an unblemished 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line.
UT Martin will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s OVC Championship and receives a double bye into the tournament semifinals. The Skyhawks will make their 2023-24 postseason debut on Friday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. against either No. 3 Morehead State, No. 6 SIUE or No. 7 Eastern Illinois.
Elsewhere…
Alabama 34 Tennessee 20
Girls High School Sectional Games
Westview 44 Memphis Business 36
Greenfield 56 Middle College 48
South Fulton 74 University High – Memphis 52
South Gibson 60 Millington 45
Gibson County 75 Trezevant 40
Dyerburg 76 Covington 36
Huntingdon 52 Summertown 49
Jackson South Side 48 Macon County 23
