Feb. 18, 2006

Final Stats

MARTIN, Tenn. - (Saturday, February 18, 2006) The Redhawks women's basketball showed they are more than a one-woman team as they handed Tennessee-Martin their third-consecutive loss of the season winning 54-49 at Skyhawk Arena in Martin, Tennessee Saturday evening. With Tatiana Conceicao (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Western Nebraska CC) struggling with foul trouble and out of rhythm offensively the Redhawks scrapped and clawed their way to their 12th-straight win, extending their school record for consecutive wins at the Division I level.

Conceicao was shutdown most of the game but made her only field goal of the game count as she nailed a three-pointer at the 2:22 mark in the second half to give the Redhawks (18-7, 15-3 OVC) a 47-45 lead. A lead they held onto till the final buzzer.

The game was nip and tuck throughout but the Redhawks senior-laden team stepped-up to the challenge.

The Skyhawks (8-18, 6-13 OVC) were playing for their postseason lives and showed that in the second half as they came out the aggressors after trailing 26-21 at the half.

They went on a 15-6 run to start the second half to grab a four-point lead, 36-32 with 11:06 left. They held onto that lead until a Katrisha Dunn (Dallas, TX/Eastern Oklahoma State College) three-pointer at 6:33 gave the Redhawks their first lead of the game since the 16:08 mark.

The teams went back and forth until Conceicao's deciding three-pointer.

The game started off rough for the Redhawks as the Skyhawks jumped ahead 7-0 but Dunn and Natalie Purcell (Auckland, New Zealand/Hutchinson CC) each nailed two three-pointers apiece to spur a 14-2 run to give them a 14-9 lead. They extended there lead to by as much as seven points, 26-19 in the first half.

For only the sixth time this season the Redhawks were out-rebounded 34-33, but 10 of the Redhawks rebounds came on the offensive end which led to a 12-6 edge in second-chance points.

Despite being held to a paltry 27-percent from the field in the second half the Redhawks shot an outstanding 92-percent (11-12) from the charity stripe. The Skyhawks struggled in the second half from the free throw line as they made only 50-percent of their freebies.

For the game the Redhawks shot 31-percent and the Skyhawks shot 40-percent.

With Conceicao held to a season-low seven points, only the fourth time in her career she has been held in single digits, Dunn and Purcell stepped-up and made key baskets throughout the game.

Dunn scored a team and season-high 12 points off of four three-pointers. Nine of her points came in the first half.

Purcell recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds (all defensive).

Purcell `s defense was key as she teamed-up with Simone Jackson (Kingston, Jamaica/Southeastern Illinois CC) and Lachelle Lyles (Chicago, IL/Shelton State CC) to limit Andreika Jackson to 12 points on 3-10 shooting.

Keva Robinson chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds for the Skyhawks.

With the Redhawks win and Tennessee Tech's loss at Austin Peay this evening the Redhawks are in sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with two home games left.

The Redhawks will look to extend the seventh longest active winning streak in the NCAA's to 13 games when they host third-place Samford at the Show Me Center on Thursday, February 23 with tip-off set for 5:00 p.m.