Four UTM women netted double-digit points against host Murray State en route to a 75-70 Ohio Valley Conference win Tuesday night.

Andreika Jackson led the four Skyhawk double-digit scorers with 19 points and eight rebounds. Danielle Page poured in 16 points and also had eight rebounds. Deina Willingham added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Nicole Rivers tossed in 10 points.

“We knew Murray State was going to play hard here against us and we knew it was going to be tough,” said Tara Tansil, the Skyhawks’ first-year head coach.

UTM grabbed a 42-31 lead by halftime, but was outscored in the second half by the Lady Racers, 39-33.

Murray State cut the Skyhawks’ lead to three points three times in the final five minutes of play, but each time the Skyhawks answered. The final Murray threat came with nine seconds left in the game when MSU knocked down a layup to make the score 73-70.

Rivers was fouled by with three seconds left in the game. Rivers, who went five-for-six at the free throw line in the contest, hit both free throws to seal the win for the Skyhawks.

UTM had the perfect opportunity to pick up a game on Jacksonville State in the OVC standings Saturday. All the Skyhawks had to do was beat host Tennessee State in the Gentry Center and get Jacksonville State to lose at Austin Peay.

Jacksonville State came through with the loss, but the Skyhawks also suffered a 57-40 loss to the host Lady Tigers. Without the win, the Skyhawks still find themselves in fifth place, one game behind Jacksonville State.

The Skyhawks have two games to play, both on the road, and they are still trying to clinch a first-round OVC tournament home game and a fourth-place finish in the league standings. The Skyhawks are now facing an even bigger challenge after the loss to TSU. The Skyhawks must find their missing offense.

Sophomore Andreika Jackson netted 12 points and had eight rebounds against TSU, but she was the only Skyhawk to net double digits.

TSU opened the game with a 7-0 run, but the Skyhawks answered back with a 9-0 run that gave them a 9-7 lead with 15:06 to play in the first half.

TSU stretched its lead to eight points with 10 minutes to play in the game and never looked back as the Skyhawk offense struggle. The Skyhawks scored just four points in the final nine minutes of the game.

The Skyhawks committed 19 turnovers in the game, while TSU scored 21 of its 57 points off those turnovers.

Danielle Page had three assists against Tennessee State and is now No. 6 on the school’s career ladder list with 278 career assists.

Page also made one three-pointer in the game and takes over sole possession of seventh place on the school’s career list for three-pointers made with 99.

The Skyhawks return to action Thursday, Feb. 24 when they travel to Charleston, Ill., to face Eastern Illinois