Thursday, February 16
Martin, Tenn.
5:30 p.m.
UT Martin
vs
SIUE
UT MARTIN WOMEN’S HOOPS TO HOST SIUE ON FACULTY AND STAFF APPRECIATION NIGHT
2/15/2023 11:57:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team plays host to Ohio Valley Conference rival SIUE for an important league matchup on Thursday, Feb. 16. Tipoff from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is slated for 5:30 p.m. on ESPN+ with members of the University's faculty and staff joining the players for starting lineups.
The Skyhawks enter the homestretch of the regular season with a 10-15 overall record while sitting 6-8 in the league standings which currently positions the team in a tie for fifth place with four games to go. Sitting one spot ahead of them – by a single game – is SIUE with an 8-17 record and 7-7 record in league play. Both teams are jockeying for a top-four seed in the upcoming OVC Basketball Championship and the first-round bye which accompanies it.
UT Martin enters the matchup looking to get back to its winning ways after dropping back-to-back contests to the OVC co-leaders Eastern Illinois and Little Rock. In the team's most recent outing, the Skyhawks used a fourth quarter comeback to threaten the Trojans but ultimately came up just short by a final score of 53-49. While the team's total output was low, the Skyhawks had four players score in double figures for the seventh time this season.
Arguably the team's most consistent performer this season is freshman forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks who recently made program history by claiming her seventh OVC Freshman of the Week honor after averaging 16.0 points and 7.3 rebounds last week. Currie-Jelks has scored in double figures 17 times this season while currently enjoying a stretch of six straight games with 10 points or more – including 13 points in the team's last matchup against SIUE two weeks ago.
SIUE snapped out of its four-game losing streak with an impressive weekend which included a road victory at Lindenwood and a noteworthy win over previously unbeaten Eastern Illinois by a final score of 82-77 on Saturday.
Leading the way for the Cougars is five-time OVC Player of the Week Ajulu Thatha who had a monster week in which she averaged 23.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per game – including a dominant performance against Lindenwood in which she tallied 29 points and 25 rebounds. Since the script flipped to OVC play, Thatha has arguably been the best player in the league by leading the OVC in both scoring (18.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.1 rpg).
Thursday's matchup marks the 34th meeting in series history between the two programs with UT Martin holding a 23-10 advantage. The Skyhawks are seeking a season sweep of the Cougars after picking up an 83-64 road win back on Feb. 2 where the squad knocked down 12 three-pointers and saw five players score in double figures.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ while Chris Brinkley (play-by-play) and Eddie Suiter (analyst) will have the call locally on WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM. Those links - plus a link to follow along with live stats - can be found at the top of the webpage.
The Skyhawks enter the homestretch of the regular season with a 10-15 overall record while sitting 6-8 in the league standings which currently positions the team in a tie for fifth place with four games to go. Sitting one spot ahead of them – by a single game – is SIUE with an 8-17 record and 7-7 record in league play. Both teams are jockeying for a top-four seed in the upcoming OVC Basketball Championship and the first-round bye which accompanies it.
UT Martin enters the matchup looking to get back to its winning ways after dropping back-to-back contests to the OVC co-leaders Eastern Illinois and Little Rock. In the team's most recent outing, the Skyhawks used a fourth quarter comeback to threaten the Trojans but ultimately came up just short by a final score of 53-49. While the team's total output was low, the Skyhawks had four players score in double figures for the seventh time this season.
Arguably the team's most consistent performer this season is freshman forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks who recently made program history by claiming her seventh OVC Freshman of the Week honor after averaging 16.0 points and 7.3 rebounds last week. Currie-Jelks has scored in double figures 17 times this season while currently enjoying a stretch of six straight games with 10 points or more – including 13 points in the team's last matchup against SIUE two weeks ago.
SIUE snapped out of its four-game losing streak with an impressive weekend which included a road victory at Lindenwood and a noteworthy win over previously unbeaten Eastern Illinois by a final score of 82-77 on Saturday.
Leading the way for the Cougars is five-time OVC Player of the Week Ajulu Thatha who had a monster week in which she averaged 23.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per game – including a dominant performance against Lindenwood in which she tallied 29 points and 25 rebounds. Since the script flipped to OVC play, Thatha has arguably been the best player in the league by leading the OVC in both scoring (18.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.1 rpg).
Thursday's matchup marks the 34th meeting in series history between the two programs with UT Martin holding a 23-10 advantage. The Skyhawks are seeking a season sweep of the Cougars after picking up an 83-64 road win back on Feb. 2 where the squad knocked down 12 three-pointers and saw five players score in double figures.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ while Chris Brinkley (play-by-play) and Eddie Suiter (analyst) will have the call locally on WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM. Those links - plus a link to follow along with live stats - can be found at the top of the webpage.
Players Mentioned
F
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