EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Freshman Norah Clark exploded for a career-highs of 29 points and nine rebounds today as the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team swept its weekly road trip with a resounding 75-46 victory over Ohio Valley Conference rival SIUE.
Clark’s scoring tally was 10 points higher than her previous career-best score while her nine boards were also a game-high. The Springfield, Mo. native generated 23 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) in the second half alone and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line as the Skyhawks sank 20 of their 22 attempts (90.9 percent) from the charity stripe as a team.
UT Martin (9-12, 6-4 OVC) received 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals from Lexi Rubel this afternoon. Kenley McCarn (career-best eight rebounds, game-high four assists) and Anaya Brown (five rebounds, three assists, two blocks) each scored 12 points apiece as the Skyhawks led for 37:18 of clock time.
Macy Silvey scored 13 points with a team-best eight rebounds while Halle Smith also registered 10 points for the Cougars (4-19, 1-9 OVC). SIUE was held to 26.9 percent shooting (14-for-52) – including a 15.8 percent clip (3-of-19) from three-point range – and committed 19 turnovers.
“I thought our second half was as impressive of a second half as we’ve had this year,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “We were really locked in defensively in the first quarter and had multiple players contribute in the second half. I couldn’t be more pleased with our effort with the quick turnaround from Thursday – for me, that’s the biggest takeaway I have from today. I like the response from our kids these last two games.”
Fittingly, it was Clark who opened the game’s scoring as she sank a pullup jumper just 24 seconds into the contest. The Cougars scored five of the next seven points but a Josie Storey three-pointer with five minutes to go in the first quarter gave the Skyhawks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way. UT Martin ended the opening period on a 10-0 run, wrapped up by a McCarn three-pointer from the right corner that made the score 17-7.
After the Skyhawks opened up an 11-point advantage with an old-fashioned three-point play by Rubel, SIUE went on a 7-0 run. The Cougars eventually pulled within three points with 1:23 remaining before the halftime break but a pair of McCarn free throws gave UT Martin a 28-23 lead at the break.
Rubel’s eight points led a balanced first-half scoring effort for the Skyhawks while Silvey’s seven points guided SIUE.
UT Martin outscored the host Cougars by a 27-8 margin in the third quarter. Brown scored the first five points before Clark went on a personal 12-point run for the Skyhawks. As a team, UT Martin wrapped up the third quarter with 15 unanswered points, capped off with a Brown straightaway three-pointer that just beat the buzzer and gave the Skyhawks a 55-31 advantage.
Clark put an exclamation point on her performance with nine out of 11 UT Martin points during one stretch in the fourth quarter. Her trifecta from the left corner at the 4:33 mark gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the day at 71-39 as UT Martin’s lead never dipped below 22 in the final period.
UT Martin resumes its lengthy road trip on Tuesday, Feb. 6 when it travels to OVC foe Little Rock. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
