MONDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 83, Lipscomb 67
@Illinois State 74,
SIUE 53
UT MARTIN 83, LIPSCOMB 67
MARTIN, Tenn. - After being named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks, University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball junior forward Chelsey Perry posted another dazzling performance with 42 points and 10 rebounds to lift the Skyhawks to an 83-67 victory over Lipscomb.
With the win, UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan notched his 200th career milestone victory. McMillan joined select company, becoming just the sixth head coach in OVC history - men's or women's - to tally 200 wins in their respective career alongside Larry Joe Inman (545), Dave Loos (420), Bill Worrell (408), Cal Luther (319) and E.A. Diddle (296).
The Skyhawks (4-5) treated its near-capacity crowd of over 4,000 students from area schools to a strong victory behind a dominating performance by Perry and the supporting cast. UT Martin shot 46.3 percent from the field while scoring 24 points off 22 turnovers. The Skyhawks would tally 16 assists on the team’s 31 field goals while winning the battle of the boards by five.
Perry led all scorers with 42 points while tallying her first double-double of the season and fifth of her career. Her scoring output ranked as the highest total in the OVC this season while ranking third nationally. Her only shortcoming on the afternoon was falling just two points shy of the program’s single-game scoring record of 44 points.
A total of three different players scored in double figures for Skyhawks with Sade’ Hudson (14 points) and Kyannah Grant (13 points) joining Perry in the boxscore. Meanwhile, junior forward Maddie Waldrop tallied six points and 11 rebounds in the contest.
Lipscomb (2-9) kept the game tight throughout the contest, holding a lead as large as five midway through the second quarter. The Lady Bisons would stay in the game by knocking down 12 three-pointers on the afternoon while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor. Blythe Pearson led the team with 20 points off the bench behind five three-pointers while Jalyn Holcomb tallied 16 points to round out the Lady Bisons in double figures.
UT Martin will return to action on Thursday, Dec. 19 when capping off its three-game homestand with a matchup against nationally ranked No. 7 Louisville. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.
ILLINOIS STATE 74, SIUE 53
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State shot 53 percent from the field and defeated SIUE women's basketball 74-53 on its Education Day in front of 1,835 fans at Redbird Arena.
Lexi Wallen led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Mary Crompton pumped in 16 points while Paige Saylor added 13. The Redbirds shot 22 of 52 from the field as a team.
The Cougars fell behind 19-9 after the first period and weren't able to close the gap on the Redbirds, now 7-2.
Kelsie Williams stepped off the bench with eight points for the Cougars.
Mikala Hall was SIUE's top scorer with nine points. She hit three three-pointers for the second straight game.
SIUE, 2-7, is headed to Georgia for the Georgia State Tournament. The Cougars face North Alabama Saturday and host Georgia State Sunday.