Skyhawk women claim pair of OVC honors

Posted: Thursday, January 8, 2009 12:54 pm

Skyhawk women claim pair of OVC honors | UT Martin women's basketball, OVC, UTM Skyhawks, Phyllisha Mitchell, Sienna Forney, Ohio Valley Conference, Martin, Tennessee

Sienna Forney
Phyllisha Mitchell and Sienna Forney from the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team both earned weekly accolades from the Ohio Valley Conference for their performances at the Ole Miss Holiday Classic. Mitchell was named the OVC’s player of the week, while Forney was selected the conferences newcomer of the week. For each player this is the first time in their respective careers to earn one of the conference’s weekly honors.
Mitchell, who entered the Ole Miss Holiday Classic as the NCAA’s No. 5 rebounder averaging 12.1 rpg, lived up to that billing by pulling down 18 rebounds in the first game against Rice before matching a career-best 21 boards in the Skyhawks’ 59-53 win over Northwestern State in the consolation game. The 39-rebound performance over two games raised her season average to 13.3 rebounds per game, which has moved her to No. 3 in the NCAA. Mitchell also moved to No. 2 on the UT Martin career rebounding charts with 761 after her showing at the Ole Miss Holiday Classic.
Mitchell recorded double-doubles in both games with 11 points against Rice and 16 more in the Northwestern State game en route to earning a spot on the all-tournament team. On the year Mitchell has six double-doubles, which leads the UT Martin team. Mitchell is now only 22 points away from becoming the 11th member of the UT Martin 1,000 point club.
Forney put together a pair of career-high scoring nights at the Ole Miss Holiday Classic, also earning a spot on the all-tournament team. In the opening game against Rice, Forney led the Skyhawks in scoring with a career-best 16 points, while also swiping a career-high five steals on defense. Less than 24 hours later in the consolation game, Forney bettered her previous day’s work by posting 20 points against Northwestern State to again lead the Skyhawks in scoring.
Forney pulled down a pair of rebounds while dishing out two assists and picking up a steal against Northwestern State to help lead UT Martin to a win over the Lady Demons.