Featured Photo: UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan goes over plays with the team during a timeout in the basketball game against Tennessee Tech on Feb. 26, 2026, at the Elam Center in Martin, Tenn. (Pacer Photo/ Kaniya Anthony)
The UT Martin Skyhawks women’s basketball team has now fallen in five straight games. This time to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
In the first quarter the Skyhawks struggled, only finding 12 points to the Golden Eagles 18.
Although the Skyhawks flipped the narrative in the second quarter and made the score 38-36 at half in the Skyhawks’ favor. It was a big quarter for many Skyhawks; both redshirt junior guard Kenley McCarn and junior guard Brittani Wells totaled nine points in the half. Just behind them was freshman guard Sidni Middleton with eight points.
To begin the third quarter, the Skyhawks would allow 26 points only putting up 17 of their own. A key struggle for the Skyhawks was rebounding. On top of being outscored in the third quarter, the Skyhawks grabbed seven rebounds to the Golden Eagles 11.
In the fourth, the Skyhawks would again be out scored and out rebounded. Scoring only 12 and grabbing eight rebounds, to the Golden Eagles 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The leading scorer for the Skyhawks was McCarn with 21 points adding six rebounds and three steals. Just behind was Wells and sophomore guard Grace Billington both with nine points. The Skyhawks also had three girls with eight points. Those girls consisted of Middleton, freshman forward Cam Ward, and junior forward Norah Clark.
A key factor in this loss for the Skyhawks was the numbers in rebounding. They were out rebounded 41-33. Rebounding has been a struggle for the Skyhawks all season.
“Once you get stops you need to be able to get rebounds,” said assistant coach Shane Sisco.
With only one game remaining in the regular season, the Skyhawks have locked in either the sixth or seventh seed in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Basketball Championships. To finish the season the Skyhawks now take on the Tennessee State Lady Tigers who are eliminated from the OVC tournament and are currently on a five game losing streak.
As the Skyhawks prepare to close out the regular season against the Lady Tigers, rebounding and turnovers will be crucial for the outcome. The Skyhawks have struggled on the boards throughout conference play, and limiting second-chance opportunities will be a priority if they want to control the tempo. Securing defensive rebounds will allow UT Martin to push the ball in transition, where they have found success, while also preventing Tennessee State from gaining extra possessions.
The leading scorer for the Skyhawks is McCarn averaging 15.9 points per game (PPG) with redshirt sophomore forward Zy Thompson just behind her with 10.9 PPG. Leading in rebounds is Thompson with 6.0 rebounds per game (RPG) with McCarn behind her with 5.2 RPG of her own.
