Trojans' late lead slips away as Little Rock falls to UT Martin in OVC semifinals

EVANSVILLE, Indiana — The Little Rock women's basketball team let its lead slip away Friday with less than two minutes to play in the OVC semifinal round, and the Trojans would not be able to recover, falling 54-48 to UT Martin at the Ford Center. Little Rock's season ends with a record of 12-18.
 
Jayla Brooks and Sug Williams had big performances in the second half, bringing the Trojans back from as many as seven points to take a one-point lead with under three minutes to play. But the Skyhawks (16-15) finished the game with an 11-4 run to put an end to Little Rock's season. UT Martin advances to tomorrow's championship game against top seed Southern Indiana.
 
Brooks finished her Little Rock career with a game-high 18 points, Williams had eight points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and Mesi Triplett tied a career high with nine rebounds and added three blocks. Faith Lee was held to just seven points on 2-of-16 shooting as Little Rock finished at 35.3 percent (18-of-51) for the game.
 
Anaya Brown led UT Martin with 15 points, Lexi Rubel added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Kenley McCarn – who scored 31 points in the quarterfinal round – was held to just 12 points with half of those coming at the free throw line. The Skyhawks made 16-of-42 shots and finished at 38.1 percent.
 
The two teams played a low-scoring first half and combined for just 33 points as UT Martin took a 19-14 advantage into intermission. Little Rock managed just 6-of-19 shooting in the first half (31.6 percent) and was minus-5 in the turnover column, committing 12 in the half. The Skyhawks shot just 30.4 percent in the first 20 minutes (7-of-23) and McCarn had just two points.
 
The teams picked it up in the third, playing to a 16-16 tie in the period that gave UT Martin a 35-30 lead heading into the fourth frame. Williams scored all her eight points in the third stanza. Brooks scored nine in the fourth period, making a trio of three-point shots at critical moments. The first put the Trojans in front with 5:45 to play, the second ended a scoring drought of almost three minutes, and the third gave the Trojans a 44-43 lead at the 2:48 mark.
 
The Skyhawks made a triple with 1:35 to play, putting them in front for good at 48-46. Trailing by four, Sha'Nequa Henry put back a miss with 20 second left, pulling Little Rock within two at 50-48, but the Skyhawks closed it out from the free throw line, adding the final four points of the game.