MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team moved back into second place with a dominating 67-37 win over Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee Tech on Thursday evening.
The Skyhawks (14-14, 11-6 OVC) got back to .500 on the season after winning their fourth consecutive game. With the win, UT Martin moved into a tie for second place in the league standings and can secure the No. 2 seed in next week’s OVC Basketball Championship with a win on Saturday afternoon.
UT Martin flexed its muscles on the defensive end to propel the squad to a sizable 30-point victory. The Skyhawks held the Golden Eagles to 37 points which ranks as an all-time low against an OVC opponent for TTU. The home squad forced the Golden Eagles into 15 turnovers while limiting their opponent to just a 25.9 field goal percentage and two made three-pointers.
Offensively, the Skyhawks shot 50 percent from the floor while knocking down 43.8 percent of their three-point attempts. Rising sophomore Anaya Brown once again posted a monster game after scoring 23 points and notching 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Freshman Love Mays also had a strong night, tallying 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. The squad was rounded out in double figures by Kenley McCarn (11 points) and Lexi Rubel (10 points and eight rebounds).
“Our defense was as good in terms of communication and intensity as we have had all year,” UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan said. “They run so many things, so it is hard to guard. We had a very focused defense, they missed some shots and we were able to take advantage of that.”
Tennessee Tech (15-13, 10-7 OVC) struggled from the floor after being held to single-figures in both the first and fourth quarters. The Golden Eagles saw just one player reach double figures with Reghan Grimes pacing the team with 12 points.
UT Martin will close out the regular season portion of the 2023-24 schedule when playing host to OVC foe Tennessee State on Saturday, March 2. Tipoff from the Elam Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. with Senior Day festivities to take place prior to the contest.
