Skyhawks Look To Bounce Back Thursday at Home Against Southern Indiana

Date (Time): Tue., Feb. 5, 2026 (5 p.m.)
Opponent (Record): Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (15-6, 9-3 OVC)
Head Coach: Rick Stein (Southern Indiana, 1992)
Record (Seas.) Overall/USI: 486-280 (24th)/Same
Location (Arena): Martin, Tenn. (Kathleen & Tom Elam Center)
Radio: WCMT 100.5 FM (PxP: Chris Brinkley; Analyst: Davis Gregory)
TV/Streaming: ESPN+/GrayMedia (PxP: Chris Brinkley; Analyst: Davis Gregory)
UTM vs. USI: USI leads series 4-3

The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team dropped a 68-53 decision to Little Rock Tuesday night at the Kathleen & Tom Elam Center in Martin. Despite leading for just 41 seconds of the contest, UT Martin hung around and never trailed by more than eight points until the fourth quarter. With 6:14 left in the game, Kenley McCarn hit a 3-pointer to cut the Trojans' lead to four, 54-50. However, from that point on, Little Rock went on a 14-3 run to end the game, while UT Martin hit just one of its last nine field goal attempts. Zy Thompson led UT Martin in scoring in the game with 13 points, with Sidni Middleton adding 11 and Brittani Wells chipping in with 10. Kenley McCarn led the Skyhawks on the boards with eight, while Middleton and Thompson each added five.
Kenley McCarn currently leads the Skyhawks with 16.1 points per game, while Zy Thompson and Sidni Middleton follow at 10.5 and 9.7, respectively. On the boards, Thompson leads UT Martin with 5.8 rebounds per game, while Brittani Wells leads in assists and steals at 3.7 and 1.9. As a team, the Skyhawks are averaging 64.8 points and 33.9 rebounds per game, while their opponents average 62.9 and 39.2. They are currently shooting 40.8-percent from the field, 29.2-percent from 3-point range and 74.6-percent at the free-throw line.
Southern Indiana will enter Thursday's contest at 15-6 overall and 9-3 in OVC play, after snapping a two-game skid with a 67-46 win over SIUE Saturday. The Screaming Eagles currently average 70.0 points per game, while allowing 56.7. Southern Indiana is shooting 40.9-percent from the floor, 29.6-percent from 3-point range and 75.4-percent from the free-throw line. On the boards, the Screaming Eagles average 41.2 rebounds per game, while giving up 35.0.
Ali Saunders currently leads Southern Indiana in scoring on the season with 17.4 points per game, the second-best average in the league. Chloe Gannon follows Saunders with 12. 8 points per game, while Sophia Loden averages 11.2. On the boards, Loden, who ranks fifth in the OVC in rebounds per game, currently averages 7.8.
Thursday will be the eighth meeting between UT Martin and Southern Indiana, with the Screaming Eagles holding a 4-3 advantage. USI won the first meeting between the two teams this season, 52-43, on Jan. 10 in Evansville. In Martin, the Skyhawks have won two of three previous meetings at the Elam Center.
The Skyhawks have made a 3-point field goal in 534 consecutive games, a streak dating back to Feb. 3, 2009 against Austin Peay and ranking seventh, nationally.
Kenley McCarn has scored 10 or more points in 20 of the Skyhawks' 21 games this season. She is averaging 16.1 points on the season and has scored 10 or more points in 28 of her last 31 games.
Despite the loss Tuesday, one bright spot for the Skyhawks was the play of their bench, which contributed 21 points, a season-high against a Division I opponent. Sy Thompson led the way with 13, while Grace Billington added eight.
Sidni Middleton was named as the OVC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season Tuesday. She averaged 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds over a 1-1 week for the Skyhawks. She scored eight points at Eastern Illinois, where she was 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and 11 at Western Illinois. At the free-throw line, Middleton was a perfect 7-for-7, going 2-for-2 against the Panthers and 5-for-5 against the Leathernecks.
The Skyhawks currently have the 67th-best field goal percentage defense in the nation at 37.7-percent, while they rank 80th in the nation in steals per game at 9.9. In addition, the Skyhawks are ranked 104th in defensive rebounds per game at 26.3. At the free throw line, UT Martin is 59th in the nation in free throws made per game (14.1), 78th in free throw percentage (74.1) and 83rd in free throw attempts per game (19.1).
Skyhawk guard Kenley McCarn has started her career on the right foot by scoring double figures in 77 of her 88 career games. Last season, she became just the 19th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and currently averages 15.6 points per game for her career. With 13 points at Morehead State, she officially became one of the Top 10 scorers in UT Martin history. She currently ranks 8th in program history with 1,380 career points.
The Skyhawks are currently 7-2 overall and 4-1 in OVC play at the Kathleen & Tom Elam Center this season. UT Martin won seven straight home games between losses to then No. 8 Tennessee and Little Rock. UT Martin has posted a 157-57 record at home during the Kevin McMillan Era, dating back to 2009. Since taking over as head coach, the Skyhawks have notched a .734 winning percentage. The home squad has also posted a 114-31 record in the Elam Center (.786) against OVC foes during the same span.

Skyhawks Look To Bounce Back Thursday at Home Against Southern Indiana

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Players Mentioned

Grace Billington

Kenley McCarn

Sidni Middleton

Zy Thompson

Brittani Wells

Skyhawks Look To Bounce Back Thursday at Home Against Southern Indiana

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Grace Billington

Kenley McCarn

Sidni Middleton

Zy Thompson

Brittani Wells

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