The Lady Tigers of Tennessee State led for 75.3 percent of the game and built a double-digit lead and seemed to be firmly in control of the game. Despite holding the Skyhawks to 23.5 % shooting (8-34) in the opening half, the Lady Tigers’ seeming inability to defend without fouling led to Martin shooting 22 free throws, connecting on 16. This glut of free throws allowed them to get back in the game. The Lady Tigers were unable to stop the Skyhawks’ offense in the second half, as they shot 58.6% (17-29) from the floor, including 66.6% (6-9) from downtown, and a 34-point fourth quarter proved to be their undoing, falling 86-79.
After 3 lead changes and ties in the early going, Sadie Sanchez’s three-pointer put the Lady Tigers up 9-6 at the 5:20 mark of the opening frame. Martin closed the lead to 11-10 on a pair of Norah Clark free throws, however a 9-3 burst over the final 3:42 of the period, gave the Tigers a 20-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Despite being held to just 11.7% (2-17) from the field, the Skyhawks were able to stay in touch with TSU via 13 trips to the charity stripe, of which they converted 9.
Tennessee State pushed their lead to double digits for the first time at 27-15 when Genesis Harris connected from downtown at the 7:16 mark of the second quarter. The Lady Tigers were up 35-25 with 3:19 remaining in the first half. The Skyhawks went on a 9-0 run to trim the TSU advantage to just a single point, 35-34, as the game headed into halftime. The quarter played out largely like the first, in that the Skyhawks shot poorly from the field (35.2%), but were able to use the foul line to get back in the game; Martin went to the free throw line 9 times, connecting on 7 of them.
In the third quarter, UT Martin’s offense got in gear, shooting 66.6% (8-12), briefly taking a 39-37 lead on Kenley McCarn’s pull-up J at the 7:28 mark. The Lady Tigers reclaimed the lead, 40-39 on Sadie Sanchez’s free throws. Even with UT Martin’s hot shooting, TSU was able to push the lead to as much as 53-45 and took a 57-52 lead as the game progressed to the fourth quarter
It was in the game’s final frame that the Skyhawks seemingly could not miss, connecting on 9-13 from the floor (69.2%), 4-5 (80%) from the land of three, and 12-13 (92.3%) from the charity stripe, scoring 34 points in the period. The Skyhawks, even with that offensive efficiency, did not take the lead until Brittani Wells’ driving layup with 3:26 remaining in the contest. Tennessee State was able to draw even at 72 on Erin Martin’s jumper at the 3:12 mark, however, they would never lead again, as the Skyhawks outscored the Lady Tigers 14-7 the rest of the way to claim the 86-79 win.
Kenley MCCarn led the way for the Skyhawks with 28 points, she hurt the Tigers from downtown, connecting on 5 of her 9 attempts. She also added 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Sidni Middleton added 20 points and Brittani Wells, the other UT Martin player in double figures, contributed 12 points.
In a losing effort, Erin Martin led the Lady Tigers with 25 points and a team-high 11 boards. Sadie Sanchez added 15 points and Kiki Roberts added 13 points to go along with 8 rebounds.
The Lady Tigers (1-9, 0-1) return to action Saturday when they host SEMO; tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST.
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