MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team picked up its biggest win of the season with a 28-point victory to cruise past NAIA foe Freed-Hardeman in front of a packed Education Day crowd.
The Skyhawks (2-7) hosted approximately 3,000 local students and signed plenty of autographs after posting a big home victory in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. UT Martin saw a balanced scoring column with three players reaching double figures while nine different players recorded a bucket for the home team.
Both teams got out of the gates slow with just 17 combined points in the opening quarter before the Skyhawks pulled away in both the second and third quarters to push their advantage out to as large as 30 points in the opening minutes of the fourth. The Skyhawks posted a strong defensive effort by forcing 23 turnovers while limited the Lady Lions to just 28.9 percent shooting from the field. Along with UT Martin’s defensive prowess, it converted turnovers into 26 points while dominating the paint where it added another 32 points.
Anaya Brown just missed out on a double-double after tallying game highs in both points (15) and rebounds (nine) while Kenley McCarn ranked second on the team with 11 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Lexi Rubel also jumped in double figures for the fourth consecutive game after filling the stat-sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“This is a great atmosphere for the kids,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “We have been doing this for a long time and shout-out to the schools that were here. I appreciate the principals and superintendents who have made this possible. Our administrators have also done a phenomenal job of taking care of this many people. This was a great effort for our whole staff and I hope the kids left with a good memory.”
While the game served as an exhibition matchup for Freed-Hardeman (11-2), the Lady Lions put up a good fight early in the contest but just could not get their shots to fall. 10 players scored for the visitors while Carissa Curtis and Kelsey Bender led the team with nine points each off the bench.
UT Martin returns to action with its final non-conference home game on Saturday, Dec. 16 when playing host to South Dakota. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 1 p.m.
