Clash of the titans

The Skyhawks are set to take on co-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) leader Tennessee Tech (TTU) (16-5, 9-1 OVC) at Martin on Feb. 6.

Both teams are tied for first place in conference standings and have identical OVC records this season of 9-1. What could make a difference is that UTM is coming into the game with momentum off of a three-game win streak – all of which were conference games. The Golden Eagles are coming off a loss to defending OVC Champion Belmont last week that ended their 11-game win streak.

The Skyhawks have pulled off some big wins since losing to Eastern Illinois on Jan. 23. Over the span of their next three games, they beat SIUE (Jan. 25), Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 30) and Morehead State (Feb. 1) by an average margin of 24.3 points, according to Sports Information. These wins include a staggering 79-39 beatdown of SIUE and an 82-64 rout of Morehead State.

The Golden Eagles, who are ranked in the Women’s Mid-Major Top 25, are looking to solidify their campaign for their first OVC title since the 2012-13 season. The Skyhawks have made the OVC Championship twice in the last two years, and haven’t won it all since their four-peat that spanned from the 2010-11 season to the 2013-14 season.

Thursday’s game between the two powerhouses will mark the 72nd meeting between the Skyhawks and the Golden Eagles since their first matchup in 1969. TTU has a dominant 45-25 program record against UTM, but the Skyhawks began to change the tides, winning 11 of the 12 last matchups since 2011, according to Sports Information.

Junior forwards Chelsey Perry and Maddie Waldrop have carried the Skyhawks this season. Perry, who is a strong candidate for OVC Player of the Year with a 21.6 points per game average, has been named a semi-finalist for Mid-Major player of the year, and is joined by fellow OVC player Ellie Harmeyer of Belmont.

Waldrop, who battled back from an injury, is averaging 10.6 points a game, and shredded Morehead State’s defense last week, putting up 26 points on the Eagles. Look for these two to be front and center against TTU.

Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. The game can also be viewed on ESPN+.

Co-leaders in the OVC women’s basketball standings, the Skyhawks (13-8, 9-1 OVC) and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (16-5, 9-1 OVC) are set to battle it out for the undisputed No. 1 seed in a pivotal showdown Feb. 6. | Photo Credit / Sports Information