MACOMB, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team came all the way back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter but the Skyhawk comeback attempt could not be completed in a 71-61 setback at Western Illinois.
The Leathernecks accounted for the first 10 points of the contest and led by 20 points as late as 5:31 to go before the halftime break. After a Norah Clark free throw knotted the score at 49-all at the 8:36 mark of the fourth quarter, Western Illinois made three-pointers on its next three trips down the floor and UT Martin wouldn’t get any closer than three points the rest of the way.
The Skyhawks (10-13, 7-5 Ohio Valley Conference) were led by Anaya Brown’s 25 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Kenley McCarn added 17 points, five assists and four rebounds for UT Martin, who shot 75 percent (9-of-12) in the third quarter and knocked down 90 percent (9-for-10) of its free throw tries in the fourth quarter during its rally.
Anna Deets recorded 21 points for the Leathernecks (16-7, 7-5 OVC), who also saw Raegan McCowan (15 points), Allie Meadows (12) and Mallory McDermott (11) score in double figures. Western Illinois made 13 of its 31 attempts (41.9 percent) from three-point range, five of which occurred during the last 10 minutes.
“We felt sorry for ourselves the first five minutes of the game because we didn’t have Lexi (Rubel) because of an illness,” Skyhawk head coach Kevin McMillan said. “You can’t win a game in the first five minutes but you can sure lose one. You saw what happened when we just started playing – they could have hung their heads when we were down 20 but they didn’t and I’m proud of that. In the end, Western Illinois got too many good looks from three-point range and we missed enough free throws early to lose the game.”
A drive to the bucket by Love Mays with 4:58 remaining in the first quarter snapped UT Martin’s offensive drought. Brown would add a free throw at the 3:35 mark but the Leathernecks held a 17-3 advantage through 10 minutes of action.
The duo of Brown and McCarn pumped in all 16 Skyhawk points in the second quarter. Brown scored nine of the first 11 points before McCarn tossed in seven – including a strong drive to the hoop with 53 seconds left before halftime that made the score 32-19 in favor of Western Illinois at the intermission.
Brown had 10 points to guide UT Martin in the first half while McCowan and Deets shared the team lead with 10 points apiece for the Leathernecks.
Western Illinois started the second half with back-to-back three-pointers but the Skyhawks responded with a 14-3 run. Norah Clark swished a pair of treys while Brown, Mays, McCarn and Josie Storey each chipped in points during the surge, which trimmed UT Martin’s deficit to 41-33 with a little over five minutes to go in the third quarter. A pullup 15-foot jumper from McCarn pulled the Skyhawks within six (49-43) going into the fourth quarter.
UT Martin scored the first six points of the final quarter, knotting the score at 49-all with 8:36 left to play. The Western Illinois three-point barrage followed but the Skyhawks kept battling, getting within one possession (62-59) after a pair of Mays free throws with 2:48 left to play. However, the Leathernecks wrapped up the contest on a 9-2 run.
UT Martin returns home for the first time since Jan. 27 when it hosts OVC foe Southern Indiana on Thursday, Feb. 15. Tipoff from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 5:30 p.m.
