Sycamores pull out overtime winner over UT Martin

MARTIN, Tenn. (WTHI) - The Indiana State women’s basketball team posted their fifth-straight win on Sunday afternoon, earning a 73-71 come-from-behind overtime victory against UT Martin inside the Elam Center.

UT Martin (4-8) held the lead for nearly the entire overtime period, going in front by five points at 70-65, their largest lead of the game, on three-pointer by Sydney Vanlandingham with 2:41 remaining. Indiana State (7-2) went on a game-ending 8-1 run from that point forward, getting two free-throws from sophomore Natasha Zurek with 6.8 seconds remaining in overtime to turn a 71-70 deficit into a 72-71 lead.

The Sycamores played strong defense as the Skyhawks attempted to in-bounds the pass following Zurek’s shots, forcing UT Martin to call a pair of timeouts and eventually end the game without a shot attempt. Following an official review of the clock, UT Martin’s head coach Kevin McMillan was whistled for a technical foul, allowing junior Anna Munn to score the game’s final point in ISU’s 73-71 road victory.

Indiana State led for the majority of the first half, holding a 29-22 edge at the break. Munn led the team with 10 points in the opening 20 minutes, while senior Taylor Whitley added eight.

The Sycamores pushed their lead to its largest margin of the game on a fastbreak layup by sophomore Jessica Valley with 11:28 remaining in regulation, giving Indiana State a 15-point advantage at 46-31.

UT Martin got back into the game with a full-court press defense, capping a 22-6 run with a layup by Rickiesha Bryant to go in front 53-52 with 3:58 remaining in regulation.

Sophomore Travecia Franklin gave the Sycamores a late lead in regulation, pulling down an offensive rebound and converting a layup to put ISU in front 60-58 with 1:12 on the clock. Franklin missed a runner on the baseline with 19 seconds to play following a pair of offensive rebounds for the Sycamores, setting up UTM’s Heather Butler to send the game into overtime with a short runner in the paint on the final possession of regulation.

UT Martin opened the overtime period with a three-pointer from Chelsey Hall and would hold that lead until Zurek’s two shots at the charity stripe late in the game.

For the second straight game, Munn went for a career-high in scoring, tossing in 25 points while playing the entire 45 minutes. Sophomore Racheal Mahan posted her fourth double-double of the season, adding 19 points and 10 rebounds with Whitley totaling 10 points. Valley went for 10 rebounds on Sunday, her second double-figure effort on the glass this season.

For the game, Indiana State shot 26-for-60 (43.3%) from the field, while UT Martin went 24-for-69 (34.8%). ISU went 7-for-10 from the charity stripe in overtime, accounting for seven of their 13 points in the extra five minutes.

Indiana State has just one day off before returning to action, hosting Chicago State in their final nonconference home game on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Tipoff inside Hulman Center between the Sycamores and Cougars is set for 7:05 p.m.