NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State women's basketball had three players score in double figures, led by Somah Kamara, who had 20 points in a 77-61 win over UT Martin on Tuesday at the Gentry Center. 

XaiOnna Whitfield added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists off the bench and Saniah Parker chipped in as well with 11 points, six assists, four steals and three blocks.

TSU (5-14, 1-8) held UT Martin to just 15.8 percent from beyond the arc in a 3-for-19 shooting performance.

Lyric Cole pulled down five offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Tennessee State, grabbing 17 boards and turning them into 15 second chance points.

Tennessee State's defense held UT Martin to only 15.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 29.2 percent from the field. The Tigers also limited Kenley McCarn to 0-of-7 shooting from downtown and seven points in the game.

How It Happened

After falling behind 4-0, Tennessee State went on a 5-0 run with 7:04 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Kamara, to take a 5-4 lead. The Tigers then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 16-13 advantage. Tennessee State got a great contribution from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for five of its 16 total points.

Tennessee State built that first quarter lead to 27-19 before going on a 7-0 run starting at the 7:31 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Sanaa' St. Andre, to increase its lead to 34-19. The Tigers kept that lead for the remainder of the period and enjoyed a 45-30 advantage heading into halftime. Tennessee State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down four three-point shots to account for 12 of its 29 points.

The Tigers had lost that lead by the end of the third quarter and entered the fourth frame with the score tied 50-50. Tennessee State knocked down one three-pointer in the quarter to score three of its five total points.

Tennessee State then grabbed a 54-53 lead before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Kamara's three, to grow its advantage to 61-53 with 4:16 to go in the contest. The Tigers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 77-61 win. Tennessee State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 27 points in the paint.

Game Notes
» Tennessee State lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down eight treys in the game.
» The Tigers held the Skyhawks to only 29.2 percent shooting from the field.
» Tennessee State tallied 17 total assists in the game.
» Tennessee State had a great day defensively, holding UT Martin to 16 percent from three point land on 19 attempts.
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by adding 37 points to its scoring output.
» Tennessee State had a 48-35 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 19 turnovers.
» The Tigers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying 11 blocks as a team.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 17 offensive boards in the game.
» Somah Kamara led the Tigers with a game-high 20 points.
» Kiki Roberts grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to lead Tennessee State and Aaniya Webb added 10.