ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Anaya Brown collected a game-high 24 points for the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball squad as the Skyhawks broke things open in the second half in a 65-56 triumph at Lindenwood.
UT Martin trailed by one point at the halftime break as neither side led by more than five points for the game’s first 29-plus minutes. Kenley McCarn scored the final four points of the third quarter to extend the Skyhawk lead to eight before UT Martin began the fourth period on a 13-6 run, putting the game out of reach.
Brown made 10 of 18 field goal attempts and added seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks for the Skyhawks, who improved to 12-14 with a 9-6 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play – officially clinching a berth in the upcoming OVC Championship tournament in the process. McCarn (12 points) and Norah Clark (11) also scored in double figures while Lexi Rubel produced game-highs of 15 rebounds (career-best) and five assists.
The Lions (6-19, 4-11 OVC) were led by 14 points from Justis Odom while Ellie Brueggemann added 10 points. Lindenwood was held to 39.3 percent (22-for-56) shooting, including a 25 percent clip (5-of-20) from three-point land.
“I thought that our intensity was pretty good,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “At halftime we made an adjustment to pound it inside and that’s what changed the game for us. I give our kids credit for following through on the adjustment. I’m extremely pleased with our team tonight – they’re giving us effort. Hopefully we can keep plugging away and not run out of gas.”
The Skyhawks shot 66.7 percent (10-for-15) from the floor in the opening quarter, outscoring the host Lions by an 18-4 margin in the paint. Brown had six of UT Martin’s first eight points before a 6-0 Skyhawk run gave UT Martin a 14-9 edge coming out of the media timeout. A Josie Storey floater in the lane kept the Skyhawk lead at five points (21-16) through 10 minutes.
Lindenwood began the second quarter on an 11-3 run, eventually going ahead by a 31-26 margin with under a minute to go before the halftime break. However, an old-fashioned three-point play from Brown and a buzzer-beating trifecta from the left wing by Tori Rubel helped UT Martin trim its deficit to 33-32 at the half.
Brown’s 11 points led all scorers at the break while the trio of Odom, Brueggemann and Alyssa Nielsen paced the Lions with eight points apiece.
The Skyhawks seized control in the third quarter, not relinquishing their lead after McCarn splashed a three-pointer at the 8:28 mark. UT Martin wrapped up the period on a 9-2 surge as McCarn poured in the final five points of the run to give the Skyhawks a 52-44 advantage with 10 minutes left to play.
A pair of free throws by Clark opened the fourth quarter scoring and resulted in a double-digit lead for UT Martin (54-44). Lindenwood pulled within six points at the 7:27 mark but that was ultimately as close as it would get as the Skyhawks stretched out their lead to as many as 15 points in the waning moments.
UT Martin plays its final road regular season contest on Saturday, Feb. 24, traveling to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to take on Southeast Missouri. Tipoff from the Show Me Center is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
