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MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Evansville women's basketball team manufactured a pair of second-half runs, but it was not enough to overcame a 16-point halftime deficit, as the Purple Aces fell to host UT Martin, 93-77, at the Elam Center Monday night in Martin, Tenn.
 
Freshman Sara Dickey tied a career-high with 23 points and junior Mallory Ladd scored a season-high 21 points to pace Evansville (3-4), but UT Martin (4-2) got a game-high 34 points from Heather Butler, as Butler finished 11-for-20 from the field and 4-for-7 from long range.
 
Junior Kat Taylor also finished in double figures for the Aces with 10 points, and freshman Dakota Weatherford added six points and a team-high five assists.
 
The Skyhawks relied on Tiara Caldwell in the early going, as she scored 10 of UTM's first 14 points and held UT Martin open up an early, 14-9, advantage in the first five minutes of the contest.
 
Ashia Jones capped an early 7-0 run for the Skyhawks with a fade-away jumper at the 12:15, allowing UTM to increase its advantage to 21-11.  UE was able to respond with a run of its own, as freshman Kenzie Gustin drained a three to pull Evansville within six at 23-17 with 9:46 remaining in the opening half.
 
After UT Martin regained a 30-19 lead at the 8:15 mark, the Aces were able to counter and whittle the lead back down to five, 35-30, when sophomore Laura Friday connected on a three from the left wing just over three minutes later.
 
The Skyhawks once again had an answer, as Butler and Newsome fueled a 17-6 run for UTM to close the half and UT Martin took a 52-36 lead into the locker room, after a steal and a layup by Newsome in the final moments of the first 20 minutes.
 
UT Martin shot an impressive 52.5 percent from the floor in the first half, draining 21 of its 40 first-half shot attempts, including a 5-for-11 mark from three-point land.  Evansville shot 40.0 percent in the first half (12-for-30), but the Skyhawks dominated the paint, outscoring the Aces, 32-12, in the lane in the half.
 
UE made adjustments at the break and began to attack the basket early in the second half, which led to a 9-2 Evansville run.  Ladd was able to drain back-to-back threes at the 14:42 mark, before Dickey trimmed the UTM advantage to 61-55 on a free throw on the Aces' next possession.
 
Newsome pushed UT Martin's lead back to double digits at 70-59 by converting a pair of free throws with 10:39 showing on the clock, but once again UE was able to go on a scoring spurt and pulled itself back within six, 72-66, when Weatherford made one of two free throws with just over eight minutes remaining in the game.
 
 
Butler closed the second half in the same manner in which she concluded the first, as she began to take charge and countered Evansville's run with a deep three from the left wing on the next possession, before she jumpstarted a 15-7 run to put UT Martin back in front, 87-73, with just 3:30 remaining in the game to seal the victory.
 
The Skyhawks led in nearly every statistical category, as they outrebounded the Aces, 40-32, outscored UE, 46-28, in the paint and turned 17 UE turnovers into 20 points.  UTM also scored 10 second-chance points and held Evansville scoreless in transition, while scoring eight points on the break.
 
The Aces shot a season-high 45.5 percent from the field (25-for-55), including a 52.0 percent clip in the second half (13-for-25), but UT Martin finished the night with a 50.7 percent mark (34-for-67) and sank 10 three-pointers.
 
The Aces will look to rebound, when they return to the Ford Center, for their annual Education Day game against in-state foe IPFW on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 11 a.m.