Golden Eagle women look to lock down tourney seed with trip to UT Martin Thursday
MARTIN, Tenn. – The final week of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season has arrived and it’s still a lot to be answered when it comes to the tournament field. The task at hand for the Tennessee Tech women, however, is just to lock down their spot in the field for next week’s tournament in Evansville. It all starts with a showdown in Martin on Thursday as the Golden Eagles take on the Skyhawks from the Elam Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 PM Thursday. Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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18 | 18 | 26 | 18 | 80 |
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12 | 26 | 17 | 13 | 68 |
Team Stats
UT Martin
| Game Statistics | Tennessee Tech | UT Martin |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (29-68) | (25-54) |
| Field Goal % | 42.6% | 46.3% |
| Rebounds | 41 | 33 |
| Assists | 18 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 6 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 19 | 4 |
| Pts in the Paint | 24 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 10 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 16 | 14 |
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
MARTIN, Tenn. – The final week of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season has arrived and it's still a lot to be answered when it comes to the tournament field.
The task at hand for the Tennessee Tech women, however, is just to lock down their spot in the field for next week's tournament in Evansville.
It all starts with a showdown in Martin on Thursday as the Golden Eagles take on the Skyhawks from the Elam Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 PM Thursday. Dylan Vazzano and Frank Harrell will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
As for the conference standings, the top four teams – Western Illinois (15-3), Lindenwood (14-4), Southern Indiana (13-6) and Morehead State (13-6) – are pretty much locked in, though their individual seeding could still shift, but those four teams will be receiving the byes in next week's tournament.
Little Rock (10-8) and UT Martin (9-9) sit in fifth and sixth, while Tech (7-11) and SIUE (7-11) are both tied for the No. 7 spot. Southeast Missouri (6-12), the Golden Eagles' opponent in Saturday's regular-season finale, is still trying to work its way in.
The Golden Eagles defeated both UT Martin and Southeast Missouri in Cookeville before Christmas break, but those games seem like a lifetime ago. Tech had a strong showing back on Dec. 20, topping the Skyhawks by 12 as Cam Mathews and Reghan Grimes both scored 19 points, while Chloe Larry added in 14.
After trailing 33-28 at the half, the Golden Eagles powered past in the third quarter, outscoring the Skyhawks 23-10 and added another four points to the final margin in the fourth for a 74-62 victory.
Sidni Middleton scored 25 points to lead UTM, while Kenley McCarn scored 16.
UT Martin enters the game on a four-game losing streak. Since beating Morehead State 64-58 on Feb. 7, the Skyhawks have fallen to Lindenwood (54-49), SIUE (62-52), Southeast Missouri (62-52) and Little Rock (65-57).
As a team, the Skyhawks are scoring 63.0 points per game and allowing 62.2, while shooting .405 from the field. .298 from 3-point range and .732 at the free-throw line. UTM averages 5.4 3-pointers and 13.2 free throws made per game.
McCarn leads the team in scoring with a 15.7-point average, while Zy Thompson is averaging 10.9 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game, as well as 26 blocks. Brittani Wells (8.7 ppg) leads the Skyhawks in assists (100) and steals (50).
Tech has lost its last three games after winning four of the five contests prior. The current streak started with a 72-60 loss at Southern Indiana, then the Golden Eagles dropped both games last week with a 76-60 loss to SIUE and a 70-57 defeat from Lindenwood.
Reghan Grimes and Chloe Larry share the team scoring lead with 339 points each – 13.6 points per game, while Grimes also leads the team in assists with 70. Reagan Hurst is also averaging double-digit scoring with a 12.0-point rate, while LaReesha Cawthorn (9.7 ppg) leads the team in rebounding (9.9 per game), steals (50) and blocks (32).
Following Thursday's game at UT Martin, Tech will close out the regular season on Saturday against Southeast Missouri. The OVC Basketball Championships begin a week from Wednesday at Evansville's Ford Center. Tickets are on sale now through member school ticket offices and at Ticketmaster.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
