Another stellar night from UT Martin’s guard duo of Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome could not keep the Skyhawks from suffering another surprising Ohio Valley Conference loss.
Butler scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half, and Newsome also scored 17 points, but UTM dropped a 58-56 last-second loss to the Bruins Saturday in Nashville.
The Belmont men had a much easier time, completing the doubleheader sweep with a 90-53 win.
UTM’s women are now 7-11 overall and 2-2 in the league and will be in action Wednesday at SEMO.
The Skyhawk men are now 4-14 and 1-5 and will have a week off before returning to action Saturday as part of a twinbill with the women.
Belmont 58, UTM 56 (W)
Butler tied the game at 56-all on a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left, but Belmont won on Katie Brooks’ jumper with 2.5 seconds showing on the clock.
Rickiesha Bryant, who finished with 10 points, missed a potential winning shot at the buzzer.
The game was tied eight times and the lead changed hands seven times.
UT Martin led by as many as 10 points with 16:02 to play in the second half, but Belmont knotted the game at 45-45 with just over nine minutes to play. The game was also tied at 47, 49 and 50.
Belmont was led by Jordyn Luffman with 12 points. Molly Ernst tossed in 11 points and Brooks added 10 points. Ernst scored all 11 points in the second half.
With five minutes left in the game, UT Martin led 52-50.
“The game was in Butler and Newsome’s hands in the last five minutes and they just didn’t make the shots to take over the game,” UTM head coach Kevin McMillan said.
Down the stretch, Butler and Newsome only hit a free throw each in addition to Butler’s tying 3-pointer.         
Belmont 90, UTM 53 (M)
Myles Taylor led the team in scoring for the 10th time this season, compiling 15 points in addition to a game-high eight rebounds for the Skyhawks, while Justin Childs added 14 points in a losing cause.
Belmont (13-4, 4-0 OVC) was keyed by Ian Clark’s 32 points, while Craig Bradshaw added 11 points off the bench for the Bruins.
“There’s good basketball in us — we have showed it in flashes,” UTM head coach Jason James said. “But consistency is the name of the game. We have to be more steady as a basketball team.”
The Skyhawks struck first as Childs gave UT Martin a 2-0 lead after a drive to the bucket at the 18:44 mark. Belmont then scored 11 unanswered points until the Skyhawks unreeled a 7-2 run, capped off by back-to-back baskets by Taylor.
Childs and Jeremy Washington recorded quick baskets in the early going of the second half, but the Bruins followed with a 14-0 run to go ahead by a 62-26 margin at the 13:49 mark.
Taylor was responsible for seven straight Skyhawk points down the stretch of the second half, while Childs closed the game out with six consecutive points for UT Martin.

Published in The Messenger 1.14.13