SKYHAWK WOMEN’S HOOPS PLAYS IRONMAN BASKETBALL EN ROUTE TO NCAA TOURNAMENT
3/16/2024 11:06:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – While the University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team's route to its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance has been unorthodox, so has the entire season for the Skyhawks.
UT Martin entered the season with an All-OVC guard in junior Shae Littleford while looking to recent transfers to help a young Skyhawk squad grow along the way. Injuries have since changed the course of the season as not only Littleford but four other players suffered season-ending injuries prior to the Skyhawks entering conference play.
While the team has changed its pace and style of play over the season, one constant has been the players on the floor for the majority of the time. UT Martin finished the conference season with four of the top six performers in terms of minutes played – putting a lot of miles and pressure on the shoulders of the young crew.
Do-it-all forward Lexi Rubel paced the Skyhawks during league action by playing a whopping 38.5 minutes per game – including all 40 minutes of 11 games. Not far behind was freshman guard Kenley McCarn who racked up 38.2 minutes per game to rank second in the league while fellow freshman Norah Clark sat third with 36.1 minutes per game.
Sophomore forward Anaya Brown sat just outside the top-five but ranks sixth in the league with 35.4 minutes play. While those four starters led the way, fellow guard Josie Storey also sat just outside the league's top-10 by averaging 32.3 minute per game.
Despite the heavy workload, the Skyhawks still found a lot of production out of their young group. UT Martin has seen its freshmen and sophomores combine to score 98.8 percent of its total scoring output (the highest percentage in the NCAA) while the trio of McCarn (16.7 ppg), Brown (15.1 ppg) and Clark (10.0 ppg) each averaged scoring in double figures.
UT Martin will find out its next postseason opponent on Sunday, March 17 when the 2024 March Madness Selection Show announces the 68-team tournament field on ESPN. The Skyhawks are hosting a watch party beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Watkins Auditorium while special March Madness t-shirts are available for pre-order at the top of the page.
UT Martin entered the season with an All-OVC guard in junior Shae Littleford while looking to recent transfers to help a young Skyhawk squad grow along the way. Injuries have since changed the course of the season as not only Littleford but four other players suffered season-ending injuries prior to the Skyhawks entering conference play.
While the team has changed its pace and style of play over the season, one constant has been the players on the floor for the majority of the time. UT Martin finished the conference season with four of the top six performers in terms of minutes played – putting a lot of miles and pressure on the shoulders of the young crew.
Do-it-all forward Lexi Rubel paced the Skyhawks during league action by playing a whopping 38.5 minutes per game – including all 40 minutes of 11 games. Not far behind was freshman guard Kenley McCarn who racked up 38.2 minutes per game to rank second in the league while fellow freshman Norah Clark sat third with 36.1 minutes per game.
Sophomore forward Anaya Brown sat just outside the top-five but ranks sixth in the league with 35.4 minutes play. While those four starters led the way, fellow guard Josie Storey also sat just outside the league's top-10 by averaging 32.3 minute per game.
Despite the heavy workload, the Skyhawks still found a lot of production out of their young group. UT Martin has seen its freshmen and sophomores combine to score 98.8 percent of its total scoring output (the highest percentage in the NCAA) while the trio of McCarn (16.7 ppg), Brown (15.1 ppg) and Clark (10.0 ppg) each averaged scoring in double figures.
UT Martin will find out its next postseason opponent on Sunday, March 17 when the 2024 March Madness Selection Show announces the 68-team tournament field on ESPN. The Skyhawks are hosting a watch party beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Watkins Auditorium while special March Madness t-shirts are available for pre-order at the top of the page.
Players Mentioned
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