By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After a close finish against Little Rock, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team will get right back at it on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Eagles welcome in UT Martin.
Tipoff for the matinee doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. Roger Ealey will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will break down the action on ESPN+ (subscription required).
In more modern history, the Skyhawks have been one of the top teams in the Ohio Valley Conference and the Golden Eagles had a streak of nearly six years going winless against UT Martin. That has changed in recent years as Tech has won the last four meetings against UTM and five of the last six.
The Skyhawks (4-8, 1-0 OVC) got an early jump in the conference standings as UTM defeated Tennessee State 75-69 in Nashville on Thursday night, led by a 22-point outing from Kenley McCarn as well as 18 points from Norah Clark and 14 from Lexi Rubel.
UTM took a five-point lead after the opening quarter, then expanded its advantage by outscoring the Tigers 23-17 in the second quarter to take a 42-31 lead at the intermission. TSU chipped away in the third quarter, outscoring the Skyhawks 18-13, but both teams scored 20 points in the fourth quarter.
The Skyhawks dominated the glass 47-34 as Rubel completed her double-double with 13 boards and Anaya Brown pulled down 15 to go along with three blocks and two steals. UTM also knocked down eight 3-pointers on 19 tries as a third of its field goal tries were along the perimeter.
Sanaa' St. Andre led TSU (3-8, 0-1 OVC) with 17 points, while Zyion Shannon scored 14 and Eboni Williams scored 12.
As a team, the Skyhawks average 64.8 points a game and allow an average of 69.0. UTM shoots .420 from the field, .326 from 3-point range – averaging 6.1 makes a game, while shooting .756 at the free-throw line with an average of 12.4 made free throws a game.
One thing that has plagued the Skyhawks is turnovers as UTM averages 19.3 giveaways a game. That factored into the six-game losing streak UTM found itself in to open the campaign, but the Skyhawks have appeared to steer the ship straight as they have won four of the last six games with wins over Evansville, Freed-Hardeman, Arkansas State and Tennessee State.
McCarn leads the Skyhawks in scoring, averaging 16.3 points, while Brown averages 12.6 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds, while leading the team with 22 blocks. Clark is also in the double-digit scorer list, averaging exactly 10.0 points per game.
Tech holds a 51-26 record in the all-time series dating back to the program's first varsity season in 1970-71. The Golden Eagles dominated the series until 2011 as the Skyhawks won every meeting from February of that year until February 2017. Since then, Tech has won seven of the 11 contests.
The Golden Eagles, however, are getting back on task after a tough 59-57 loss to Little Rock on Thursday night. Tech had an opportunity with the ball in the final 30 seconds of play to either tie or take the lead with a 3-pointer, but Little Rock's defense shut down the assault to preserve the road win.
Tech went 1-for-14 in the opening quarter and even saw a 13-point deficit in the contest, but the Golden Eagles continued to fight and battle back, keeping it a close one through most of the affair.
With the return trip down to Little Rock not on the calendar until March, the focus becomes set on the Skyhawks to try to win their fifth straight from their Martin counterparts.
As a team, Tech is averaging 67.4 points a game and allowing 64.6, shooting .413 from the floor, .348 from 3-point range – averaging 7.4 treys a game, while shooting .724 at the charity stripe with an average of 13.3 made per game.
Maaliya Owens, who had 20 points Thursday night against Little Rock, averages 15.4 points per game, with Reghan Grimes next at 9.3 points, followed by Reagan Hurst (7.9) and Anna Walker (7.8). Grimes leads the team in rebounding with a 5.1-rebound average. Seven players have double-digits in steals, while Walker and Yaubryon Chambers have combined for 28 blocks on the season.
Following Saturday's doubleheader, Tech will hit the road next weekend at Morehead State and Southern Indiana before coming back home for a Saturday twinbill against Southeast Missouri on January 13.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
