The legend and legacy of Pat Summitt and the deep ties that bind to UT Martin.#WeBackPat Night returns to Elam Thursday.
📰 - https://t.co/nC0n25VmjV pic.twitter.com/u8DOippO0P — UT Martin Athletics (@UTMSports) February 21, 2023
Thursday's contest features a matchup of two teams competing for a similar goal as the Skyhawks and Tigers sit in a three-way tie for fifth place in the OVC standings with a 7-9 record. Both teams currently sit one game out of fourth place in the standings and a first-round bye in next week's OVC Basketball Championship field.
The Skyhawks (11-16, 7-9 OVC) dropped their last road matchup to Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 74-63. paced the Skyhawks with 21 points in the contest – marking the fourth straight game in double figures for the graduate guard.
Forward earned her eighth OVC Freshman of the Week honor of the season while also being tabbed OVC Player of the Week after averaging 21.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Currie-Jelks had a 26-point effort against SIUE on Thursday before securing her fourth double-double of the season against Tennessee Tech with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Tennessee State (11-15, 7-9 OVC) comes into the contest as winners of its last three contests against Tennessee Tech, Morehead State and SIUE. The Lady Tigers are led by transfer guard Erica Haynes-Overton who ranks second in the OVC with 15.3 points per game and has been named OVC Newcomer of the Week four times. Sophomore Gia Adams also scores in double figures with 13.8 points per contest.
Thursday's contest marks the 69th meeting between the two programs with UT Martin holding a 38-30 series advantage. After both teams split the regular season series in 2022, the Skyhawks are hoping to repeat that in 2023 after falling to the Lady Tigers by a 71-67 margin in Nashville back on Jan. 12.
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 University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team will put the final touches on the 2022-23 home schedule when playing host to Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee State on Thursday, Feb. 23. Tipoff if slated for 5 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.Game promotions include "We Back Pat" Night along with Greek Night as UT Martin sororities and fraternities will be in attendance. The Flight Crew will be handing out a free basketball jersey to the first 250 students.The contest features the return of "We Back Pat" Night on the UT Martin campus in honor of legendary head coach Pat Head Summitt. A 1974 UT Martin graduate and UTM Hall-of-Famer, Summitt went on to become one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, winning eight national titles at the University of Tennessee over a 38-year career as leader of the Lady Vols.As part of the "We Back Pat" initiative, the Skyhawks will wear special purple shooting shirts to raise awareness for Alzheimer's, the disease that took Summitt's life in 2016. UT Martin will also hand out a limited number of orange "We Back Pat" shirts and bracelets to fans in exchange for a $5.00 donation, with all proceeds going to the Pat Summitt Foundation.Thursday's contest features a matchup of two teams competing for a similar goal as the Skyhawks and Tigers sit in a three-way tie for fifth place in the OVC standings with a 7-9 record. Both teams currently sit one game out of fourth place in the standings and a first-round bye in next week's OVC Basketball Championship field.The Skyhawks (11-16, 7-9 OVC) dropped their last road matchup to Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 74-63.paced the Skyhawks with 21 points in the contest – marking the fourth straight game in double figures for the graduate guard.Forwardearned her eighth OVC Freshman of the Week honor of the season while also being tabbed OVC Player of the Week after averaging 21.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Currie-Jelks had a 26-point effort against SIUE on Thursday before securing her fourth double-double of the season against Tennessee Tech with 17 points and 10 rebounds.Tennessee State (11-15, 7-9 OVC) comes into the contest as winners of its last three contests against Tennessee Tech, Morehead State and SIUE. The Lady Tigers are led by transfer guard Erica Haynes-Overton who ranks second in the OVC with 15.3 points per game and has been named OVC Newcomer of the Week four times. Sophomore Gia Adams also scores in double figures with 13.8 points per contest.Thursday's contest marks the 69meeting between the two programs with UT Martin holding a 38-30 series advantage. After both teams split the regular season series in 2022, the Skyhawks are hoping to repeat that in 2023 after falling to the Lady Tigers by a 71-67 margin in Nashville back on Jan. 12.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.