Metro East Sun

Women's Basketball Falls to UT Martin on Education Day

 Ajulu Thatha collected her ninth double double of the season, but UT Martin took the lead two minutes and seven seconds into the contest and led the rest of the way, downing the Cougars 83-64 in front of 2,023 fans on Thursday afternoon.

SIUE drops to 6-16 on the season and 5-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play. UT Martin improves to 9-12 and 6-5.

"I think we're at our best when we play fast," Head Coach Samantha Quigley Smith said. "We didn't do a great job of that today. But the environment was awesome and a really great experience for our group. Credit to UT Martin for not allowing us to play fast like we want to."

It was SIUE's annual Education Day where 13 surrounding schools were represented in the crowd.

"The environment was awesome," added Smith. "The kids were really loud. An environment like today is something we'll see down the road, hopefully in the conference tournament."

The Cougars took the opening four points of the contest before the Skyhawks responded on a 9-0 run to take the lead. UT Martin kept their foot on the gas in the first quarter, outscoring the Cougars 23-14.

At halftime, UT Martin entered the locker room shooting 41 percent (14-35) and 50 percent (7-14) from behind the arc. SIUE shot 38 percent (11-29) and were held to just 25 percent (2-8) from long range. UT Martin took advantage of Cougar turnovers, scoring 16 points off 14 turnovers to take a 42-31 lead at the break. The Cougars finished the contest with 26 turnovers.

"We need to sharpen our focus," said Smith. "We have to be strong and smart with the basketball. I think if we play fast and we look to get the ball out quicker, we can eliminate some of the defensive pressure every time we catch it."

The Skyhawks maintained momentum after halftime and outscored SIUE 27-21 in the third quarter to take a 17-point advantage entering the fourth.

UT Martin took its largest lead of the contest midway through the final quarter at 25 points. The Cougars however, finished the contest on a 6-0 run for a final score of 83-64.

"We shifted our focus towards getting the ball inside," added Smith. "We have to be able to break a defender off the dribble and find opportunities to score inside. We didn't push the ball inside, but Ajulu was still Ajulu like she has been. We just have to be able to find some balance."

Ajulu Thatha led the Cougars in points and rebounds with 19 and 14. She has scored in double figures in five of her last six games. She also led the Cougars with three assists and two blocks. 

"She's been incredibly focused," said Smith. "We need other players to step up with her for us be successful, whether that's on the defensive or offensive end. But we're going to find it."

Sofie Lowis also scored in double figures, contributing 15 points. Her three steals also led SIUE.

Niya Danfort returned to the floor for the first time since Nov. 17 at Purdue. She finished the game with six points and five rebounds.

"It's awesome to have Niya back on the court," said Smith. "She had the type of injury where she could've just said 'I'm done for the year', but she really put her mind to getting back. She got herself here, which is awesome. It's going to take some time for her to get back in the groove of things of playing five on five. I'm really happy for her."

UT Martin had five players score in double digits, led by Shae Littleford's 20. She shot 7-14 in the contest and was 3-5 from long range. Josie Storey added 17 points while Sharnecce Currie-Jelks contributed 13.

SIUE will hit the road for a Saturday meeting with Little Rock. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

"We have to focus on ourselves," said Smith. "Little Rock is doing a great job of defending this season. It's going to be hard for us to score on Saturday, but we have to defend on our end."

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