NASHVILLE —Erin Martin and XaiOnna Whitfield both recorded double-doubles to help lead the Tennessee State women's basketball team past Cumberland 72-62 in the season opener on Monday.
The Tigers (1-0) had five players score in double figures, led by Somah Kamara, who had 19 points and six rebounds. Saniah Parker added 16 points, six rebounds and three steals and Martin helped out with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tennessee State offense made hay from deep, making eight threes on 30 attempts. Parker hit four treys for the Tigers in the contest.
Tennessee State forced 24 turnovers while committing 22 themselves in Monday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 24 points on the offensive end of the floor. Lyric Cole's three steals led the way for Tennessee State.
How It Happened
After falling behind 13-6, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 3:06 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Xaionna Whitfield, to narrow its deficit to 13-11, a score that would hold for the rest of the period.
Tennessee State then started off the second quarter by going on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Parker, to take a 16-13 lead. The Tigers proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 35-31 advantage heading into halftime. Tennessee State dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 24 points close to the basket.
Tennessee State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Xaionna Whitfield, to expand its lead further to 47-40 with 3:59 to go in the third. The Tigers held onto that lead for the rest of the frame and entered the fourth quarter with a 51-44 edge. Tennessee State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 16 points in the paint.
Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 14-0 run, finished off by Parker's three, to grow the lead to 72-54 with 1:52 to go in the contest. The narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 72-62 win. Tennessee State fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 21 points.
Game Notes
» Tennessee State got double-doubles from both Erin Martin and XaiOnna Whitfield.
» Tennessee State lit it up from three point land, knocking down eight treys in the game.
» The Tigers held the to only 34.5 percent shooting from the field.
» Tennessee State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Five Tennessee State players scored 10 or more points.
» Tennessee State had a 50-39 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 24 turnovers.
» The Tigers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying six blocks as a team.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Somah Kamara led the Tigers with 19 points.
» Erin Martin and XaiOnna Whitfield led Tennessee State with a game-high 10 rebounds each.
