2015 OVC Women's Basketball Championship - First Round

3/4/2015 8:02:09 AM

#1 UT MARTIN 68, #8 EASTERN ILLINOIS 35
NASHVILLE - Meeting for the second time in a week, the University of Tennessee at Martin strung together an impressive performance on both sides of the ball to cruise past Eastern Illinois and into the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinals with a 68-35 victory.

The Skyhawks (21-9) held Eastern Illinois to just 35 points in the contest, ranking as the lowest scoring margin allowed since Jan. 31, 1978 against Middle Tennessee. After holding the Panthers to just 19 first half points, the Skyhawks cranked it up even further in the second half by allowing just 16 while forcing 22 turnovers and winning the battle of the boards 43-35.

On top of the year’s best defensive performance for the Skyhawks, the play of freshly named OVC Player of the Year Ashia Jones was just as potent. Jones scored 30 points in the contest – breaking the program’s record for 30 point games in a single season with her ninth. The All-OVC first team selection was also joined in double figures by Tiara Caldwell with 15 points and eight rebounds while All-Newcomer standout Jessy Ward notched 12 points – including four three-pointers.

Eastern Illinois finishes the season with a 10-20 overall mark after seeing its All-OVC performer Sabina Oroszova be held scoreless for the first time on the season. The Panthers were led by Phylicia Johnson who tallied eight points off the bench.

The Skyhawks would begin the game on a 5-0 run after a pair of jumpers by Caldwell and Jones before EIU scored its first basketball with 17:32 to play on a three-point play by Arnisha Thomas, trimming the margin to two. Four consecutive turnovers in the span of 10 seconds by both teams would stifle the offenses before the Skyhawks would take a 9-6 lead at the first media behind nine combined points from Jones and Caldwell.

Eastern Illinois would narrowly outscore UT Martin over the following four minutes before eventually taking its first lead of the game at the 11:48 mark off a layup by Shakita Cox after scoring five points during the segment.

UT Martin would retake the lead at the 7:37 mark off a three-pointer from Katie Schubert, putting the Skyhawks on top 14-13 while snapping an 0-9 shooting streak and a span of just under three minutes without a score.

The three-pointer would serve as the team’s spring board, starting a 16-2 run over the following seven minutes of play while giving the Skyhawks their largest lead of the game at 11 with 3:19 to play in the first half. During the span it was Jones who took control of the game by scoring nine points.

UT Martin would close the first half on a 10-4 run, finding the bulk of their points from Jones on the free throw line. The Skyhawks would hold a 33-19 advantage at the break with Jones leading all scorers with 17 points.

The second half would begin in the hands of the Skyhawks, charging out of the locker room on a 13-4 run to take a 46-23 lead. During the span Jones scored seven points to notch her 17th 20-point contest of the season while single handedly outscoring the Panther offense.

The following four minute stretch would see both team be held scoreless, combining to miss 12 consecutive shots during the span. Eastern Illinois would snap the scoreless streak at the 6:13 mark with a three-pointer by Alece Shumpert.

The Skyhawks would present a 7-0 run of their own to push the game to a 30 point margin. Included in the run was Jones notching her 30th point of the contest, tying the UT Martin single season record for 30 point games with her ninth of the year, breaking Heather Butler’s record of eight set last season.

As the final minutes ticked down, the Skyhawks would put their margin out to 30 points before capping off the game with a 68-35 victory.

#2 SIUE 72, #7 AUSTIN PEAY 69
NASHVILLE - Tierny Austin scored a game-high 23 points, including a three-point play that put SIUE women's basketball ahead for good, in a 72-69 quarterfinal victory over Austin Peay at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

With the win, the second-seeded Cougars will take on the victor of Thursday's quarterfinal game between No. 3 seed Tennessee State and No. 6 seed Morehead State. SIUE's semifinal game is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m.

SIUE set another Division I era record with its 19th victory of the season, and that victory was hard fought to say the least.

The Cougars erased its third double-digit deficit of the season. After falling 6-0 in the first 38 seconds of the game on a pair of
The Lady Govs, 10-20, played confident in the first half, shooting 48.4 percent from the field. SIUE, however, didn't let the early Austin Peay lead get out of hand. By the halftime buzzer, the game was tied 37-37. Austin and Gwen Adams each had nine points in the opening 20 minutes.

The two teams were tied six times and exchanged the lead seven times overall. The second half became even more of a nail biter than the first half.

SIUE, which entered the OVC Tournament as the top team in rebound margin, was outrebounded 20-17 in the first half. By game's end, a 28-13 second-half advantage on the boards lifted the Cougar defense.

Donshel Beck and Butts joined Austin in double digits. Beck scored 14 in her first OVC Tournament action while Butts added 10.

SIUE, which led by as many as six points, took a 67-62 lead on a free throw by Shronda Butts with 2:53 left to play. Austin Peay tied the game with a layup by Brianne Alexander and a three-pointer by Gray, who finished with 16 points.

Austin Peay then took the lead 69-67 on a pair of free throws by Gray with 1:08 to play.

SIUE would score the final five points of the game on a three-point play by Austin and two free throws from Butts.

With Austin Peay down by three, the Lady Govs were fouled with three seconds left. Jennifer Nwokocha missed both free throws, but the ensuing rebound ended up in the hands of Alexander who missed a potential game-tying three-pointer from the corner as the buzzer closed out the game.