Fewer points still plenty for Skyhawk ladies

Posted: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 12:00 pm

The last time The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team scored fewer than 80 points and walked out of the gym as a winner was Dec. 16, 2011, when the Skyhawks defeated Evansville 78-69.
That changed Saturday night as the Skyhawks posted a 77-44 victory over host Southeast Missouri State in the Show Me Center.
While the Skyhawks managed to win with 77 points against SEMO, the important score came from Charleston, Ill., where visiting SIU Edwardsville scored a 59-54 victory over host Eastern Illinois. Because EIU came up short, UT Martin is now in first place with a 13-1 Ohio Valley Conference record. EIU falls to second in the standings with a 12-2 mark.
Sophomore guards Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome combined for 48 points. Butler scored 27, while Newsome tossed in 21 points.
It was Newsome who kept the Skyhawk faithful focused on the stat sheet. For the second consecutive game and the second time in three days, Newsome flirted with a triple-double. The Millington native scored 21 points and had nine rebounds and nine assists.
The Skyhawks opened the game with a 9-2 run and never really looked back. At the intermission, UT Martin led 35-20.
Southeast Missouri State opened the second half with a 7-3 run, but it was not enough. The Skyhawks shot 41 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the arc. SEMO shot 33 percent from the field and 16 percent form 3-point range.
Brittany Harriel led SEMO with 16 points and seven rebounds.
UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillian said his team played one of its better games of the season against SEMO. “Our defense and rebounding was the difference,” he said.
The Skyhawks out-rebounded SEMO 46-31. Newsome’s nine rebounds were significant as were Shelby Crawford’s seven rebounds.
UT Martin closes out the home portion of the 2011-12 season when it hosts Austin Pay Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 5:30 at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Published in The WCP 2.21.12