The Little Rock women's basketball team will have an opportunity to take sole possession of second place in the OVC when they face UT Martin on Saturday afternoon at the Elam Center in Martin, Tenn. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 pm and can be streamed on ESPN+ and heard locally on Sports Animal 920 AM.
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Little Rock (4-11, 3-1 OVC) is one of three teams currently tied for second in the conference standings, a group that includes the Skyhawks (6-9, 3-1 OVC) as well as Morehead State. Southern Indiana sits alone atop the table at 10-5 overall and 5-0 in OVC play.
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The Trojans have had a week to prepare for Saturday's contest, having last played Jan. 6 at home against Eastern Illinois, when Little Rock held off the Panthers for a 53-49 win, behind
Faith Lee's career-high 25 points. The Trojans held EIU to just 37 percent shooting (17-of-46) and the Panthers' 49 points is the lowest total allowed by Little Rock this season. Lee currently ranks seventh in the OVC with 14.5 points per game and fourth in shooting percentage at 42.3 percent.
Jaiyah Harris-Smith is first in the OVC and sixth nationally in assists (6.8 apg). Earlier this week,
Leilani Wimbish-Gay picked up her third consecutive OVC Newcomer of the Week Award after once again reaching a new career-best scoring mark, dropping 18 points in last Thursday's win over SIUE.
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UT Martin will finish a three-game homestand Saturday, splitting the first two with a 72-70 loss to EIU, and most recently a 68-49 drubbing of Western Illinois. The Skyhawks have shot better than 50 percent from the floor in three straight games and have placed four players in double-figures in the last two outings. Redshirt freshman Kenley McCarn leads the Skyhawks with 15.5 points per game, followed by Anaya Brown (13.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Nora Clark (10.1 ppg).
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The all-time series is tied at three games apiece, but Little Rock has won the last two meetings and the last matchup in Martin – a 53-49 final back on Feb. 11, 2023. Little Rock is 1-3 in four trips to Martin.
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