PDF Box
MARTIN, Tenn. - Success from the free throw line led UT Martin to a 90-66 win over Eastern Illinois women's basketball Thursday night. The Skyhawks were 22-of-29 from the foul line while the Panthers finished with only seven attempts in the game. EIU falls to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in the OVC, while UTM improves to 13-5 overall and 5-2 in the OVC.
The Panthers came out hot in the first quarter shooting 66.7 percent from the field to take a 25-20 lead over the Skyhawks. EIU held the UTM without a field goal in the final 3:48 of the quarter, but the Skyhawks still managed to shoot 50 percent from the field.
The Skyhawks strung together a couple runs in the second quarter to take the lead over the Panthers. From the 7:03 minute mark to the 6:02 mark, UTM went on a 9-0 run to take a 33-29 lead. The Skyhawks then went on an 11-0 run to close the half leading 50-35 over the Panthers.
Carmen Tellez came out of the break scoring 11 straight points for EIU. She was 3-of-3 from the arc and scored on a fast break layup to narrow the Skyhawks lead to single-digits in the first three minutes of the third quarter. UTM managed another 8-2 run to close the quarter and lead by 13 heading into the final ten minutes.
The Skyhawks outscored the Panthers 18-7 in the final quarter leading them to their fifth OVC win of the year. UTM scored 12 second chance points as they dominated the boards 33-23. They also forced 22 EIU turnovers leading to 32 points.
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field in the game. The Panthers knocked down eight three-pointers shooting 34.8 percent from the arc. The Skyhawks shot 47.1 percent from the arc led by Brittni Moore who was 5-of-8 from three-point range.
Carmen Tellez finished with a team-high 14 points on 4-of-5 from the arc.
Abby Wahl added 11 points and six rebounds, while
Taylor Steele finished with 10 points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks.
Moore finished with a game-high 22 points, while Emayne Robertson added 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Chelsey Perry recorded 15 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
The Panthers will be back in action this Saturday Jan. 26 with a 2 pm tip-off at Southeast Missouri.