MARTIN, Tenn. (Interstat) — Tennessee-Martin used a 29-point fourth quarter to overcome a deficit and defeat SIU Edwardsville 64-55 in an Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Skyhawk Arena. The Skyhawks, who trailed by as many as eight points in the third quarter, outscored the Cougars 29-12 in the final period. SIU Edwardsville led 43-35 entering the fourth but was undone by 15 turnovers and 3-of-8 free-throw shooting. Kenley McCarn led Tennessee-Martin with 15 points. Syanne Mohamed scored a game-high 17 points for the Cougars. The Skyhawks improved to 7-8 overall, while SIU Edwardsville fell to 8-9. Attendance was 1,614.

MARTIN, Tenn. (Interstat) — A dominant fourth-quarter performance propelled the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks to a 64-55 victory over the SIU Edwardsville Cougars in an Ohio Valley Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Skyhawk Arena. Trailing by two points entering the final period, the Skyhawks erupted for 29 points while holding the Cougars to 12, turning a defensive struggle into a decisive win in front of 1,614 fans. The surge improved Tennessee-Martin to 7-8 overall, while SIU Edwardsville fell to 8-9. The game’s complexion changed entirely in the final ten minutes. After three quarters of tightly contested basketball where neither team led by more than eight points, Tennessee-Martin seized control with a 20-4 run over a critical six-minute stretch. The Skyhawks’ offense, which had sputtered at times, found its rhythm by attacking the basket and capitalizing at the free-throw line. Tennessee-Martin’s decisive edge came from the charity stripe, where they converted 17 of 19 attempts. SIU Edwardsville, by contrast, managed only 3 of 8. The Skyhawks also forced 15 Cougar turnovers, converting them into 18 points, and outscored SIU Edwardsville 11-6 in assists and 11-6 in steals. Kenley McCarn, a 5-foot-11 guard from Melbourne, Arkansas, led the Skyhawks with 15 points, three assists and a block in 39 minutes, fueling the fourth-quarter push with key baskets and defensive plays. Zakheria Thompson, a 5-10 guard from Zebulon, Georgia, provided a crucial spark off the bench, scoring all 10 of her points in the second half. Brittani Wells added nine points and three assists, while Sidni Middleton contributed nine points, two assists, two steals and a block. SIU Edwardsville was led by Syanne Mohamed, a 6-3 forward from Barrington, Rhode Island, who scored a game-high 17 points and blocked a shot. Macy Silvey of Glen Carbon, Illinois, added 11 points, and Kiyoko Proctor scored 10. The first half was a low-scoring affair defined by defensive pressure and missed opportunities. SIU Edwardsville struggled mightily out of the gate, scoring only four points in the opening quarter on 2-of-14 shooting. The Cougars found their footing in the second quarter, exploding for 21 points to take a 25-21 lead into halftime, thanks to eight points in the period from Mohamed. The third quarter saw the Cougars extend their lead to as many as eight points, but Tennessee-Martin closed the gap to 43-42 by the start of the fourth. The Skyhawks’ defensive intensity ratcheted up from there, holding SIU Edwardsville to 5-of-15 shooting in the final quarter while committing only two turnovers themselves. A key sequence early in the fourth saw Middleton hit a 3-pointer and Norah Clark follow with another, pushing the Skyhawks ahead 41-37. After Proctor hit a three for the Cougars to close the gap to one, the Skyhawks began their game-clinching run, which featured layups by McCarn and Thompson and a relentless parade to the free-throw line. For the game, Tennessee-Martin shot 42.3% from the field (22 of 52) and 27.3% from three-point range (3 of 11). SIU Edwardsville finished at 39.0% overall (23 of 59) and 26.1% from beyond the arc (6 of 23). The Cougars held a 38-32 rebounding advantage, including a 10-7 edge on the offensive glass, but could not overcome their turnovers and free-throw discrepancies. The most important part of the game was unquestionably Tennessee-Martin’s fourth-quarter turnaround. After being outplayed for stretches of the second and third quarters, the Skyhawks flipped the script with a combination of stifling defense, efficient offense, and composure at the free-throw line to turn a narrow deficit into a comfortable nine-point victory. Both teams return to OVC action on Saturday. SIU Edwardsville travels to face Southeast Missouri State, while Tennessee-Martin hosts Lindenwood. The teams are scheduled to meet again in Edwardsville on Feb. 14.

Preview: SIU Edwardsville at Tennessee-Martin Women’s Basketball MARTIN, Tenn. (Interstat) — Two Ohio Valley Conference teams seeking to end slides will meet Thursday when SIU Edwardsville visits Tennessee-Martin in women’s basketball. The Cougars (8-8) have lost five straight, including a 48-45 home defeat to Arkansas-Little Rock on Jan. 8. The Skyhawks (6-8) have dropped their last two, falling 52-43 at Southern Indiana on Saturday. SIUE will lean on guard Lauren Miller, who averages 13.3 points per game during the losing streak. She scored 21 points at Western Illinois on Dec. 22 and logged 40 minutes in a double-overtime win at Eastern Illinois on Dec. 18. Tennessee-Martin counters with guard Brittani Wells, a key facilitator. Wells dished seven assists in a double-overtime win over Western Illinois on Jan. 1 and posted 10 points, six rebounds and five assists in a Jan. 3 victory against Eastern Illinois. Both teams have struggled offensively in conference play. The Cougars have not surpassed 65 points during their skid, while the Skyhawks were held under 50 points in their last two outings. SIUE’s last win was a 59-52 double-overtime decision at Eastern Illinois on Dec. 18. Tennessee-Martin’s most recent victory was the 86-78 double-overtime triumph over Western Illinois on New Year’s Day. The game will tip at 5:30 p.m. CST at Skyhawk Arena. It is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams, who will play again in Edwardsville on Feb. 14. Following this contest, SIUE visits Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. Tennessee-Martin hosts Lindenwood the same day.