UTM women climb out of 15-point hole for road win
UTM women climb out of 15-point hole for road win Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 12:02 am
Newsome scored 23 second-half points, but it was a 23-6 run in the first half that helped the Skyhawks overcome a 15-point deficit en route to the victory. “Jasmine played well and carried us,” UT Martin second-year head coach Kevin McMillan said. “No question.” The deficit was the largest of the season for the Skyhawks who have battled back from double figures two other times this season. The Skyhawks trailed by 13 points with 13:07 to play in the game at Air Force on Nov. 23 and won 91-87. The Skyhawks also overcame a 12-point deficit with 11:15 in the first half against Indiana State on Dec. 19 to win 68-66. “Coach told us at the half, he didn’t want to call time out because we were taking good shots, they just weren’t falling,” Newsome said. The Skyhawks trailed by 15 points with 12:55 to play in the first half when Jacksonville State’s Destiny Lane made a 3-pointer. The Skyhawks went on a 23-6 run and tied the game at 25-all when junior Taylor Hall made a layup with 1:01 remaining. Rickiesha Bryant gave the Skyhawks a 27-25 halftime lead when she made a jumper with 18 seconds on the clock. The Skyhawks forced 12 turnovers in the run while Jacksonville State only scored on three of its last 25 possessions of the half. Jacksonville State’s Brittany Manning opened the second half with a 3-pointer and the Gamecocks led 28-27, but that was the last time they led. The Skyhawks built a 14-point lead when freshman Heather Butler made a layup with 11:02 to play in the game. The Skyhawks were able to build the lead because of their defense, Newsome said. “We just wanted to put pressure on them and force their mistakes.” At the same time the UT Martin defense picked up its intensity, Newsome found herself working harder to score. “In the first half our shots would not fall and it was frustrating,” the Millington native said. “For me and several of the others the 3-pointer was not falling, but after I started attacking the basket I was able to score.” Newsome scored 23 of her 30 points in the second half. Butler finished the game with 11 points, while freshman Jaclissa Haislip finished the game with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. The three freshmen combined for 51 of the Skyhawks’ 74 points. The trio combined for 50 of the Skyhawks’ 57 points against Tennessee Tech on Thursday, Jan. 13. Junior college transfers Bryant and Taylor Hall scored eight and seven points, respectively. Bryant had nine rebounds and led the Skyhawks to a 49-42 rebounding edge over the Gamecocks. “Our post play was what tipped the game,” McMillan said. “Rickiesha battled on the boards and blocked some big shots for us.” Perica Glenn, Beth Hawn and Shelby Crawford also helped the Skyhawks at the post position. Glenn played seven minutes and scored six points and pulled down five rebounds. Hawn, making her second consecutive start, added two points and grabbed three rebounds. “Perica was very good for her minutes today and I hope we see more of that,” McMillan said. “Beth (Hawn) and Shelby (Crawford) also played huge.” Manning led Jacksonville State with 25 points, while Brittany Wiley added 17 points. Jacksonville State cut the UT Martin lead to four points twice in the final 1:13 of the game. “I was proud of our composure and the way we battled back. This is a great win for a young team on the road.” The victory over Jacksonville State was the first for McMillan in three tries. The Skyhawks will return to the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center Wednesday to host Southeast Missouri State. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. None
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