Tech women take on OVC leader UT Martin Saturday
MARTIN, Tenn. – UT Martin is the top team in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. There’s no debate on this – the Skyhawks have been toppled just once in league competition this season, a 72-67 loss at Jacksonville State back on December 30. Only one other team has knocked off the Skyhawks this season – No. 1-ranked Louisville. Twice. While this may seem to be an albatross to most teams, the Tennessee Tech women are standing their ground. The Golden Eagles have been in this situation before, breaking Belmont’s 47-game OVC winning streak a couple seasons back. In their illustrious history, the Tech women have also been on the other side of the equation, standing as the team with the target on their back. No question, Saturday’s game is a very important one for the Golden Eagles.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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9 | 19 | 17 | 32 | 77 |
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15 | 20 | 17 | 21 | 73 |
Team Stats
UT Martin
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | UT Martin |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-55) | (28-55) |
| Field Goal % | 43.6% | 50.9% |
| Rebounds | 36 | 27 |
| Assists | 15 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 10 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 18 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 12 | 8 |
GAME NOTES: Game 16 -- at UT Martin (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – UT Martin is the top team in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. There's no debate on this – the Skyhawks have been toppled just once in league competition this season, a 72-67 loss at Jacksonville State back on December 30.
Only one other team has knocked off the Skyhawks this season – No. 1-ranked Louisville. Twice.
While this may seem to be an albatross to most teams, the Tennessee Tech women are standing their ground. The Golden Eagles have been in this situation before, breaking Belmont's 47-game OVC winning streak a couple seasons back. In their illustrious history, the Tech women have also been on the other side of the equation, standing as the team with the target on their back.
No question, Saturday's game is a very important one for the Golden Eagles.
Tipoff at the Elam Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday. Dylan Vazzano will provide the radio call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Chris Brinkley will have the broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required).
UTM (12-3, 11-1 OVC) continues to lead the league standings, with Belmont (9-4, 6-2 OVC) and Austin Peay (9-5, 7-3 OVC) right behind. Southeast Missouri (10-7, 8-4 OVC) jumped ahead of Tech (9-6, 7-5 OVC), while Jacksonville State (8-5, 5-4 OVC), Murray State (9-9, 6-7 OVC) and Eastern Illinois (8-10, 6-7 OVC) standing just behind the Golden Eagles.
Even without leading scorer Chelsey Perry, who has missed the last two games after getting injured against SIUE, the Skyhawks haven't let up. On Monday, UTM dropped Southeast Missouri 80-70, then avenged its loss to Jacksonville State 60-46, including holding the Gamecocks scoreless in the third quarter. All without Perry – she may be the biggest cog in the machine, but without her, the Skyhawks continue to run just fine.
Saturday's game is the last of a six-game homestand for the Skyhawks, defeating Belmont by three, Eastern Illinois, SIUE, SEMO and JSU in succession in a 10-day span.
Recent history against the Skyhawks have not been kind to the Golden Eagles – UT Martin has won 13 out of 17 games since January 2010. Two of those Tech wins, however, are under Kim Rosamond's belt, winning in 2017 at the Hooper Eblen Center and 2019 in the Elam Center.
In UTM's last five games, Perry has averaged 16.7 points, despite only playing 85 of the 200 minutes. Dasia Young has averaged 13.2 points and 6.4 rebounds, with Maddie Waldrop (10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds) right behind. For the season, Perry is averaging 25.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Young is averaging 10 points and 5.7 boards, while Waldrop is averaging 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds.
As a team, the Skyhawks are scoring an average of 70.5 points a game to opponents' 61.1. UTM is shooting .464 from the field, .370 from 3-point range and .732 from the free-throw line.
In Martin's last five games, the Skyhawks are averaging 71 points a night and holding opponents to 54.8 points. UTM is shooting .493 from the field, .420 from 3-point range and .706 from the charity stripe.
Daunting on the surface, but not an impossible task for the Golden Eagles.
While Tech's 59-55 loss Thursday at Southeast Missouri was a tough one, the Golden Eagles' recent run has still seen some impressive numbers. Four Tech players are averaging double-digit scoring over the last five games, led by Kesha Brady with 13.0, and followed by Anna Jones (12.6), Mackenzie Coleman (12.2) and Jada Guinn (12.0).
Three Tech players, in the last five games, are averaging more than seven rebounds a night – Jones (7.4), Coleman (7.2) and Guinn (7.2). Guinn is also averaging a little more than four assists and two steals a game.
In this span, Tech is also shooting .418 from the floor and .771 from the free throw line, averaging 64 points a game and holding opponents to 58.6 per game. For the season, Tech is averaging 67.4 points and allowing 62.4, shooting .425 from the field, .299 from 3-point range and .752 from the stripe.
In the full-season stats, Tech has three players averaging double-digit scoring with Brady leading the way with 13.5 points, Coleman with 11.9 and Jones with 11.5. Jones, the reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week, also has a 6.8-rebound average to lead the team.
Tech owns a 46-25 record all-time against UT Martin.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
