OVC Championship Bound: Skyhawks defeat Panthers

OVC Championship Bound: Skyhawks defeat Panthers

The Skyhawks took down the Eastern Illinois Panthers to advance to the Ohio Valley Conference championship 71-69.

The game started out with a quick 7-0 run by UTM, but a change of pace and a 5-0 run would quickly put the Panthers in position to make a run at the lead. While Eastern Illinois tied the game twice as the first half was coming to a close, they were not able to overtake the Skyhawks as they carried a 31-23 lead into the half.

Within the first few minutes of the second half the UTM pulled ahead 41-32, but a 9-0 run by the Panthers would put them in position to take the lead.

The two teams continued to keep it a close game throughout the second half. Six lead changes later with the score tied at 69 junior guard Heather Butler lost the ball with 24 seconds left in the game. She was able to steal the ball back and hit a quick jumper with 4 seconds left to give her team the 71-69 win.

"After I lost the ball...I knew I needed to hustle back," said Butler. "That next shot I don't know what I was really thinking. I just kind of went with it and it went in…I had to make up for my turnovers."

This game was a prime example that the stats don't always tell the full story of what happened on the court.

"If you look at the stat sheet I don't think we won anything except for the final score," said head coach Kevin McMillan. "We got out-rebounded. We turned the ball over too much. They had more assists. They had more steals. I thought Eastern Illinois played a great game, it's just that coming down the stretch these two [Butler and Newsome] make a lot of tough plays for you."

Lost in the big win was the fact that senior forward Rickiesha Bryant set a new UTM record for most blocks in a season.With four blocks against Eastern Illinois Bryant brought her season total to 83. The record was previously held by Mary Kate Long who totaled 81 blocks during the 1986-87 season.

Butler finished the game with 24 points, five rebounds, a team-high eight assists and two steals. Junior guard Jasmine Newsome had 23 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Bryant had the team’s second double-double tallying 12 points, team-highs with 11 rebounds and four blocks.

The Skyhawks will return to action tomorrow in the OVC championship game for their third straight year when they take on the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. To keep up with the game, follow The Pacer on Facebook and Twitter, @ThePacer.