title image via TSU Basketball
Courtesy Tennessee State Athletics
The Tennessee State women’s basketball team got a 22-point performance from the bench, but fell 73-52 to UT Martin on the road Tuesday.
The Tigers (8-19, 4-13 OVC) had three players score in double figures, led by Saniah Parker, who had 15 points. Erin Martin tacked on 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals off the bench and Aaniya Webb helped out with 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Webb pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 16 boards and turning them into 15 second chance points.
The Tennessee State defense caused its share of mistakes in Tuesday’s game, forcing 20 UT Martin turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Martin’s two steals led the way individually for the Tigers.
How It Happened
After falling behind 4-2, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 7:34 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Lyric Cole, to take a 7-4 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 15-14.
The Tigers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 35-19 halftime deficit.
UT Martin continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 37-19 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run to trim its deficit to 37-25 with 7:48 to go in the third. UT Martin countered and stretched its lead to 54-34 heading into the fourth. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 15 points in the paint.
UT Martin kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 68-46 advantage before Tennessee State went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Parker’s layup, to shrink the deficit to 68-52 with 50 seconds to go in the contest. UT Martin responded and outscored the Tigers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 73-52. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 18 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by scoring 22 points to its scoring output.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 20 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 16 offensive boards in the game.
» Saniah Parker led the Tigers with 15 points.
» Tennessee State got eight rebounds from both Erin Martin and Aaniya Webb.
