By Nate Perry, TTU Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – With the Southeast Missouri game in their rear-view mirror, the Tennessee Tech women's basketball team will look for a more potent offensive attack when it travels to UT Martin Saturday afternoon for a matchup that will help decide the balance of power in the Ohio Valley Conference standings.
TIEBREAKER
With each team sporting an 8-3 record in OVC play, the Tech-UT Martin bout will give one club sole possession of third place in the standings, and keep them no more than one game behind Morehead State (9-2) and two back of Belmont (10-1).
TURNING THE TIDE
While TTU has split its last two matchups with Martin, the Skyhawks have won 10 of the last 11 renewals dating back to February 12, 2011.
The Golden Eagles have had even less success inside UTM's Elam Center, with their last victory coming nearly 10 years ago on Feb. 14, 2009. Martin has won the last five meetings on their home court.
SHINING FROM THE LINE
Despite its lack of firepower Thursday night, Tech gave itself a chance to win thanks to its sterling effort from the free-throw line. The Golden Eagles made their first 17 in a row from the charity stripe, and finished 21-of-23, equating to their best performance of the season (91.3 percent).
DETERMINED DEFENSE
TTU also stayed in the game with its defense, forcing 22 Southeast Missouri turnovers, and holding the Redhawks to less than 15 points in each of the first three quarters despite their 41.9 percent shooting clip.
UT MARTIN PROFILE
UT Martin joined the Ohio Valley Conference in the 1992-93 season, and has produced a record of 236-215 (.523) over 27 years.
The program has five league titles, winning its first in 1999, then in 2011, followed by a run of three in a row from 2014-16. The Skyhawks also have four OVC Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament bids, which all came consecutively from 2011-14.
10th-year coach Kevin McMillan is the architect behind nearly all of Martin's OVC success, and has put together a 16-6 record this season.
UTM has the most prolific offense in the OVC (81.5 points per game), which also ranks ninth nationally. They're also one of the most balanced in the country, with seven players averaging between 8.2 and 11.6 points per game. Chelsey Perry and Emanye Robertson lead that group at 11.6 and 11.4 per game, respectively.
The Skyhawks average 16.0 assists per game, which is second-best in the league, and, thanks to their pressure defense, lead the conference and rank 10th in the nation in steals per game (12.1).
Four UTM players rank in the top 13 in the conference in field goal percentage, starting with Aundrea Adams (.523) and Robertson (.509), who rank first and third, respectively.
Robertson's 4.0 assists per game leads the team and is No. 6 in the league, while her steals average, 2.5 per game, is No. 3.
Freshmen Brittni Moore and Emma Davis are both in the top three in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage. Moore leads the league at 50.6 percent, while Davis is third at 41.5 percent.
SERIES NOTES
Tech holds a 45-23 advantage over 68 meetings with UT Martin, in a series that long predates their bond as members of the OVC.
The two teams played 13 times from 1971 to 1974 with TTU prevailing in eight of those meetings.
After a break that lasted three seasons, Tech would begin building a commanding lead in the head-to-head, going 19-2 over the next 21 meetings to earn a 27-7 lead stretching into the 1999-2000 campaign.
Martin would fight back to win four of the next seven encounters, before TTU established another period of dominance in the latter part of the 2000s.
Tech won 14 of the next 16 tilts, which boosted its overall winning percentage in the series to .772 (44-13), its highest point in the 20th century.
The series has shifted drastically since Kevin McMillan took the helm at Martin, as the Skyhawks' 10-1 mark over the last 11 meetings has come entirely during his tenure.
Kim Rosamond was victorious in her first matchup with UTM on Feb. 1, 2017, which snapped a streak of nine consecutive wins for the Skyhawks. TTU prevailed 81-71 behind four double-digit scorers - including Akia Harris with 13 points - and a perfect 16-of-16 mark from the free throw line.
Tech fell 67-51 in the teams' only clash last season. Yaktavia Hickson scored a game-high 20 points in that contest, while Akia Harris was the other Golden Eagle in double figures with 10. She also led her club in assists with five.
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Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
