Both of UTM’s basketball teams were represented well in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) this week, as men’s player Parker Stewart and women’s player Chelsey Perry were both given OVC weekly honors.
Redshirt sophomore guard Parker Stewart, son of men’s basketball head coach Anthony Stewart, is no stranger to OVC recognition. This week marks the third consecutive week that Stewart has claimed OVC Newcomer of the Week.
Since the OVC began Newcomer of the Week honors in the 1985-1986 season, only three Skyhawks have been highlighted as the OVC’s top newcomer: Stewart (2019-20), Craig Randall II (2018-19) and Brian Foster (2000-01), according to Sports Information.
The Union City native posted solid numbers in the team’s recent outing in the Cancun Challenge. Against Gardner-Webb Nov. 26, Stewart logged 38 minutes of playing, putting up 25 points, six rebounds, and shot at or above 50% on field goals (7-13), three-pointers (5-10) and free throws (6-10). The Skyhawks ultimately lost that game 64-81.
The next day against Boston University, Stewart logged 36 minutes of playing time, allowing him to put up nine points and a steal in a 76-73 Skyhawk victory.
Following UTM’s stint in the Cancun Challenge, Stewart ranked third in the OVC in minutes played (34.7 per game), fourth in three-pointers (2.7 per game) and seventh in scoring (15.9 points per game), according to Sports Information.
On the women’s team, junior forward, third-year Skyhawk Chelsey Perry earned the OVC Player of the Week honor after strong showings against IUPUI and Illinois State.
Against IUPUI Nov. 25, Perry logged 36 minutes and put up 19 points with a program-record eight blocks, two steals and nine rebounds. Perry also shot 8-15 on field goals and 3-5 on three-pointers. The Skyhawks edged out IUPUI 57-51.
In a 70-47 loss to Illinois State Nov. 30, Perry logged 30 minutes, recorded 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
According to Sports Information, “Her performance matched that of fellow record holders Mary Kate Long (1986) and Rickiesha Bryant (2013) while ranking as the third-most blocks in a Division I contest this season. She then capped off her week with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks at Illinois State.”
Stewart and the men’s team will resume regular season action Friday, Dec. 6, against Central Michigan. Perry and the women’s squad will face off against sister school UTC Sunday, Dec. 8.
Photo Credits / Sports Information
