Lady Colonels fall to OVC’s top team

It was like Fourth of July last Saturday in McBrayer arena as University of Tennessee—Martin's hot shooting Lady Skyhawks lit up the Lady Colonels' defense in a 84-61 defeat.

The Skyhawks shot 51 percent from the field and 46 from behind the arc.

"They shot the ball extremely well. If you shoot 53 percent from the free throw line, 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from behind the arc, that is straight up stroking it," Head Coach Chrissy Roberts said. "From the top to bottom they just finish, they are a great team."

The Lady Colonels (9-9, 5-3 OVC) had the unenviable job of guarding Lady Skyhawks sophomore guard Heather Butler. Butler led the team in scoring, dropping 29 points against the Lady Colonels. She hit 7-of-10 from behind the arc and 10-for-17 from the floor.

"Butler can shoot from beyond the three point line," Brittany Coles said.  "So it's a challenge to stop her three point shot."

The Lady Colonels only lead of the game was  2-0, right at the beginning.

The Lady Colonels had a difficult time handling the ball against the Lady Skyhawks defense. The Lady Colonels committed 19 turnovers, which led to 24 points. The Lady Colonels only managed to score eight points off UT-Martin‘s 14 turnovers. The Lady Skyhawks scored 12 points off second chance opportunities.

"That's tough when you turn the ball over 19 times, especially when they score 24 points," Roberts said. "We talked about taking care of the ball at halftime. We also talked about forcing tough shots and boxing out."

Jade Barber led the scoring for Eastern with 24 points to go with 10 rebounds. Barber's last high-scoring game came against Kentucky Christian with 17 points. This was her fifth double-double of the season

"It was definitely bitter sweet, I've kind of been in a scoring funk," Barber said. "I definitely would've had that with a win. I would've traded it for a win."

The Lady Colonels return to action Wednesday as they host non-conference opponent Longwood University (5-18). The Lady Colonels lead the all-time series 2-0, with their last meeting occurring Dec. 30, 2004.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7p.m.