Jakob Milani
Staff Writer
It was a back-and-forth battle on Saturday, Jan. 16, as the UT Martin Skyhawks defeated the Murray State Racers 78-71.
Both teams started strong, with each making two of its first three shots. Murray State played great defense to start, but struggled scoring after the 7:10 mark, missing its next three shots. The Racers picked it up after that, with junior guard Macey Turley scoring the final nine points for Murray State in the quarter, and finishing the quarter 4-4 from the field. The Skyhawks kept up, however, making all four of their free throws in the final two minutes in the quarter. The Racers were up 20-16 after the first quarter.
Murray State started the second quarter making two of its first three shots, as well as a free throw. However, the Skyhawks took off after that, making four of their next six shots to take a 28-27 lead with 5:08 left in the quarter. The lead remained in UT Martin’s favor for the rest of the quarter, as the Skyhawks made four of their last five shots and went into halftime up 37-32.
Turley led the Racers at halftime, scoring 14 points on 5-9 shooting. She shot 2-3 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line. Freshman Katelyn Young had six points in the first half, shooting 2-3 from the field, 2-3 from the free throw line and grabbing four rebounds.
Senior forward Chelsy Perry scored 18 for the Skyhawks in the first half. Perry also had five rebounds at halftime. Senior forward Maddie Walrop scored six points in the first half, shooting 3-3 from the field, grabbing three rebounds and assisting on three shots.
The Racers came out of the half strong, taking a 44-41 lead with 7:04 left in the quarter and having missed only two shots in the first five minutes of the quarter. Murray State led by as much as eight, going up 49-41 with 6:09 left in the third quarter. The Skyhawks kept it close, though, allowing just two points in the last three minutes of the quarter. Thanks to this defensive effort, the Skyhawks led the Racers 58-56 going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle with neither team giving in. The Racers took a 62-58 lead with 8:30 left in the game, but the Skyhawks kept it close, taking a 64-62 lead before the Racers tied the game at 64 with 5:09 left. As the Skyhawks took a 71-68 lead, the Racers began fouling in an attempt to stay in the game. However, the Skyhawks pulled away, missing just one free throw in the last minute. The Skyhawks defeated the Racers by a score of 78-71.
UT Martin finished with four of its starters in double digits. Sophomore forward Dasia Young finished with 10 points. Waldrop finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Seygan Robins finished with 14 points, but had seven turnovers. Perry finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
The Racers finished with three players in double digits. Young had 11 points and eight rebounds. Freshman guard Bria Sanders-Woods finished with 16 points, but had six turnovers. Turley finished with a season-high 23 points on 7-13 shooting and had six assists.
Murray State drops back-to-back games, falling to 5-6 on the season and 2-4 in the conference. The Racers will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to play Belmont on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m.
