On the strength of their best shooting night of the season, the Tennessee State Lady Tigers defeated the Skyhawks of UT Martin 77-61 to end their 10-game losing streak but also notched their first OVC win of the season.
The first quarter was largely a back-and-forth affair that featured 9 lead changes and 5 ties. XaiOnna Whitfield was able to convert an old-fashioned three-point play with 0:33 left in the period that gave Tt SU a 16-13 lead heading into the second period.
An 11-2 run in the first 1:58 of the quarter gave the Lady Tigers their first double-digit lead of the evening at 27-15. Free throws from Norah Clark and Shae Littleford trimmed the TSU advantage to single digits once more at 27-19. Shooting 61.1% for the quarter, Tennessee State was able to build as much as a 17-point lead and ultimately took a 45-30 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, UT Martin was able to get back in the game. The Lady Tigers facilitated the SkyHawks’ comeback by committing a mind-boggling 14 turnovers, connecting on just 2 of their 8 field goal attempts in scoring just 5 points as the game was now tied at 50 heading into the game’s final stanza.
The Lady Tigers took a 52-50 lead on Saniah Parker’s layup on the first possession of the quarter. TSU would show the way for the rest of the quarter, with Martin drawing as close as a single point on Daejah Richmond’s jumper that made the score 54-53 at the 5:54 mark. Tennessee State outscored UT Martin 15-1 over the subsequent 4:05 to take a 69-54 lead with just 1:49 left in the contest and would go on to win 77-61.
Somah Kamara led the Lady Tigers with a strong performance, scoring 20 points on 8-12 from the floor and 3-6 from downtown. XaiOnna Whitfield stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Saniah Parker was another Lady Tiger in double figures with 11 points and 6 assists.
Anaya Brown led three Skyhawks in double figures with 14 points. Shae Littlefield added 13 points and Kaitlyn McCarn chipped in 10 points.
Up next for the Lady Tigers ( 5-14, 1-8) is a meeting with Tennessee Tech on January 23. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm CST.
