2019 OVC Women's Basketball Championship Recaps - First Round

3/7/2019 8:44:31 AM

#4 TENNESSEE TECH 68, #5 AUSTIN PEAY 57
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The scoring depth on the Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team has been one of its major strengths all season, and it came to the forefront again Thursday afternoon in TTU’s 68-57 victory over Austin Peay in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at The Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.

The victory moves Tech’s record to 21-9 on the season, and is the program’s first in the OVC Tournament since March 8, 2013.

Coleman and Brady were Tech’s top two scorers in the game with 18 points and 16 points, respectively, and combined for 34 of Tech’s 40 bench points.

Coleman’s scoring output was her second-highest of the season, and came on 8-of-14 shooting (57.1 percent) in 28 minutes of action. Her marksmanship paced a Golden Eagle team that shot 49.1 percent from the field for the game, their fifth-best clip over 30 contests.

The Golden Eagles were feeling it from 3-point range as well, connecting on 7-of-13 from downtown for a percentage of .538. Paired with their long-range display last Saturday against Eastern Illinois, Tech has made 18 of its last 32 triple tries (56.3 percent).

Brady provided an instant spark upon subbing in in the first quarter. The sophomore scored five of Tech’s first eight points in the game, and finished with eight in the frame to give TTU a four-point lead after one, 15-11. The sophomore from Smyrna was highly effective driving to the basket, as she drew a team-high eight fouls on Austin Peay and visited the free throw line nine times.

Coleman and Jordan Brock carried the offensive load in the second, tallying eight points apiece.

Brock hit a pair of threes in the period on her way to a team-best 3-of-4 showing from behind the long line. She would finish as Tech’s third leading scorer, collecting 13 points to go with three rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

Tech won the game with its rebounding and defensive efforts in the second half.

After finishing minus-three on the glass in the first half, the Golden Eagles flipped the script on the APSU after halftime, outrebounding the Govs 22-11 to finish plus-eight (39-31).

Coleman was highly involved in that facet of the game as well, gathering a team-high eight boards. Kentoria Alexander, arguably one of the best pound-for-pound rebounders in the country, also made a notable contribution with seven caroms.

Alexander, who has played a Swiss-Army-knife style for the Golden Eagles all season, did so again on Thursday with seven points and a team-high seven assists to go with her rebounds.

The Tech defense shined brightest in the third quarter, holding Austin Peay to 11 points on 20 percent shooting (3-of-15). The Govs were limited to a 32.6-percent clip for the game, and made just 6-of-22 from behind the arc (27.3 percent), which included a 1-of-8 mark in the second half.

Perhaps the most impressive element of Tech’s defensive display was its ability to defend without fouling. Tech forced APSU into a plethora of tough, contested looks at the basket, and was only whistled for 10 fouls in the game, a season-low.

A Maggie Knowles jump shot would get Austin Peay within four points with just over six minutes to go in the game, but Tech’s Abby Buckner had the immediate answer, burying a trifecta just five seconds later that swung the tide back in Tech’s favor permanently. The Governors would get no closer than seven for the remainder of the contest.

Tech will take on two-time defending OVC Tournament champion Belmont tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT.

#3 UT MARTIN 77, #6 MURRAY STATE 56
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The third seeded University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team used a big second quarter to gain a sizable lead and never looked back, cruising past sixth seeded Murray State 77-56 in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championship. With the win, UT Martin advances to the semifinals for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.

The Skyhawks (22-8) used a balanced scoring attack and solid defensive showing to notch the opening round victory. In a game with very few turnovers, UT Martin still forced Murray State into nine turnovers while dishing out 17 assists and winning the battle of the boards convincingly.

UT Martin shot 50 percent from the floor, 58.3 percent from beyond the arc and 88.9 percent from the line to cap off an efficient afternoon. All-OVC forward Chelsey Perry led the squad with 20 points while the guard tandem of All-OVC senior Emanye Robertson and sophomore Zaire Hicks chipped in 19 points each while combining for 14 assists and 10 rebounds. All-Newcomer honoree Brittni Moore just missed out on double figures with nine points.

Murray State (13-17) saw its season come to an end in the first round for the second consecutive season. Brianna Crane paced the Racers in scoring with 14 points while chipping in seven rebounds. Meanwhile, All-OVC selections Evelyn Adebayo and Macey Turley were held well below season average with 12 points and seven points, respectively.

With the win, UT Martin advances to the OVC Basketball Championship semifinals against No. 2 seed Morehead State. Action from the Ford Center is scheduled to get underway on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m.