Tech women host UT Martin Saturday
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech started off the Ohio Valley Conference race with a strong performance Thursday against Southeast Missouri. Now the Golden Eagles will try to keep it going on Saturday as they host UT Martin on Saturday at the Hooper Eblen Center. Tipoff for the game is slated for 1 PM. Dylan Vazzano and Steve Smith will have the call on ESPN+ (subscription required), while Craig Cantrell and Frank Harrell will narrate the action on 106.1 The Eagle.
GAME NOTES | Game 11 vs. UT Martin (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech started off the Ohio Valley Conference race with a strong performance Thursday against Southeast Missouri. Now the Golden Eagles will try to keep it going on Saturday as they host UT Martin on Saturday at the Hooper Eblen Center.
Tipoff for the game is slated for 1 PM. Dylan Vazzano and Steve Smith will have the call on ESPN+ (subscription required), while Craig Cantrell and Frank Harrell will narrate the action on 106.1 The Eagle.
Saturday's game will have a Christmas theme to it with fans encouraged to wear their best ugly Christmas sweaters with a $5 ticket admission for Upper Cumberland residents.
The Skyhawks opened up OVC play in Nashville on Thursday as they picked up an 86-79 victory over Tennessee State. UTM had a pair of 20-plus-point scorers with Kenley McCarn picking up a double-double with 28 points and 10 boards, while Sidni Middleton had 20 points to topple the Tigers.
UTM overcame a 12-point deficit against TSU, trailing 57-52 at the end of three. McCarn and Middleton each put in 10 points in the final period, helping the Skyhawks outscore the Tigers 34-22 in the fourth quarter alone – including a 12-for-13 effort at the free-throw line.
UT Martin improved to 5-5 on the season, while TSU fell to 1-9.
As a team, the Skyhawks are averaging 69.0 points per game on offense, while allowing 62.4 on the defensive side. The team is shooting .417 from the floor, .313 from 3-point range with an average of 6.1 3-pointers made per game and .707 at the line with an average of 13.5 made free-throws per night.
McCarn leads the team with 14.9 points per game, while also collecting 44 rebounds, 33 assists and 19 steals. Zy Thompson is also averaging double-digit scoring with 12.5 points a game with a team-best 6.5 rebounds a game. Brittani Wells leads the team with 37 assists and 20 steals.
Tech, on the other hand, opened OVC play Thursday with a solid 79-66 win over a much-improved Southeast Missouri squad. Cam Mathews put together an impressive showing with 34 points – the first Golden Eagle since Reghan Grimes in 2024 to score 30 and the most since Yaktavia Hickson scored 37 against Belmont in 2017.
Even with the explosive performance, Tech still showed a balanced assault on the stat sheet as LaReesha Cawthorn had a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while Chloe Larry returned from a two-game break from injury with 14 points. Reagan Hurst added 11 points, while Grimes picked up 10 boards.
As a team, the Golden Eagles are averaging 70.0 points of offense, while allowing 60.6 points. Tech is shooting .390 from the field, .337 from 3-point range with an average of 6.5 made per game and .704 from the line with an average of 16.9 made.
Tech now has four players averaging double-digit scoring as Grimes (14.3), Larry (12.1), Hurst (12.0) and Mathews (11.0) are all over 10 points a game. Cawthorn leads the team on the glass with a 9.1-rebound average, while she also has 10 assists, 10 blocks and 14 steals. Grimes has 27 assists and 15 steals to lead both categories.
Following Saturday's game, the Golden Eagles will be idle through the Christmas holiday and will return to action at the Hoop as they take on Tennessee State on Dec. 30 before hitting the road again to face Little Rock on New Year's Day.
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.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
