Murray State
UT Martin
Remington's first double-doubleboosts 71-70 Lady Racer win at UTM
2/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State Lady Racers led 71-65 with 2:13 left in its Ohio Valley Conference game at Tennessee-Martin, but had to hold off a furious Skyhawk defense down the stretch for the 71-70 win.
The win snapped a three-game skid by the Lady Racers (10-14, 6-7 OVC) and closed out a five-game road swing in which MSU went 2-3, beginning the swing with a win at Eastern Illinois and closing the road trip with tonight's win.
The game began with a back-and-forth battle for the lead, with Tennessee-Martin (8-15, 5-8 OVC) taking as much as a five-point lead when Julie Young completed a three-point play to give the Skyhawks a 14-9 lead with 12:33 left in the first half.
Murray State scored the next seven points on a jumper by freshman forward Angela Mullins, a three-pointer by freshman guard Ashley Hayes to tie the game at 14-14 and a jumper by Hayes to give MSU a 16-14 lead with 11:14 left in the period.
The lead seesawed throughout the half, with neither team gaining more than a three-point advantage. After the Lady Racers took a 35-34 lead on Hayes' jumpshot with 1:24 left in the half, UTM hit three free throws down the stretch to take a 38-35 lead at halftime.
Hayes led all scorers at halftime with 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Andreika Jackson paced Tennessee-Martin at the half with 10.
At the start of the second half, a jumper by senior guard Stacy Holmes and a put-in by sophomore center Lori Trumblee gave MSU a 39-38 lead. The lead again seesawed until back-to-back three-pointers by senior guard Megan Fuqua pushed the Murray State lead to 55-49 with 9:58 left in regulation.
The Lady Racers were able to push out to as much as a seven-point lead twice, the latest when sophomore guard Jill Fulkerson popped in a three with 7:02 left to give MSU a 62-55 lead.
From that point, the Skyhawks made a run, scoring the next seven points to knot the game at 62-62 with 4:27 remaining. A jumper by Remington gave the Lady Racers a 64-62 lead, a lead that MSU was able to hold for the remainder of the game.
Leading 71-65 with 2:13 left in the game, Murray State had to fend off a tenacious UTM defense. Young scored on a three-point play to cut the lead to 71-68 with 1:52 left, then hit two free throws with 1:03 left to narrow the margin to 71-70.
Holmes missed a jumper in the lane with 46 seconds left, then UTM's Danielle Page missed a shot with six ticks left. Senior guard Jenny Bowden took the rebound, but Young stole the ball away and put up a jumper that bounced off the rim. Holmes came down with the rebound as the buzzer sounded.
"We fought hard," said MSU head coach Joi Williams. "When UT-Martin made their run, we kept our heads in the game. I'm proud of the way our team fought tonight.
"We have got to get better defensively and be more tough in the paint. These are things we will work on as we prepare for the upcoming games.
"The main thing is we expected to win," Williams said. "That's a big part of it. We could have folded when they made their run, but our kids stepped it up and fought hard."
Remington had a team-high 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to go with four assists and a co-game-high three steals. The double-double is the first in her career at Murray State.
Holmes had 13 points -- all scored in the second half -- to go with seven rebounds and a game-high four blocked shots, equaling a career-high. Hayes finished with 12 points, while Fuqua had 11 points and four assists.
Bowden tied a career-high with her game-high six assists, while Trumblee had three blocked shots.
Young had 23 points to pace Tennessee-Martin, and had a co-team-high nine rebounds. Jackson had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Page had 10 points. Tiffany Brundige had a team-high five assists, while Young had a co-game-high three steals.
Murray State closes out its regular-season schedule with three games at home, beginning Thursday at 5:15 p.m. against Tennessee State. That game can be heard through the "Teamline" link at www.GoRacers.com or locally through WNBS (1340 AM).
