With five games over the holiday break and six more since classes started back, the Skyhawks have been working hard heading into the Ohio valley Conference schedule.

UTM is currently 10-6 on the season and 3-2 in the OVC.

The Skyhawks return to action Thursday at 7 p.m., hosting Eastern Kentucky.

Dec. 14, vs. Bethel UTM 116, Bethel 57

J.C. Howe turned in a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead UTM to a 116-57 victory over Bethel College in Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

Howe's double-double was just a small part of the Skyhawks success against nearby bethel College from McKenzie. The Skyhawks set a new school record for most assists in a game with 37, seven more than the old record which was set way back in 1973 against Nicholls State. Brooks Smith led the team with seven assists.

Kenan Asceric, a 6-9 forward from Sarajevo, Bosnia, was another reason for the Skyhawks success. Asceric scored a career-high 17 points and pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. He had an assist, three steals and four of the Skyhawks' five blocks in the game.

With the victory, Tennessee-Martin leads the series against Bethel 28-22. The two teams first played during the 1951-52 season.

Dec. 15, vs. Central Florida UTM 63, UCF 58

After never leading in the second half, the University of Tennessee at Martin pulled it out in the stretch to beat Central Florida 63-58 at the Skyhawk Fieldhouse in NCAA basketball action. This was the first meeting between the two teams.

Senior Joey Walker and junior J.C. Howe stepped up in the final minute of the game to lead the Skyhawks to the win. Senior Jon Roos found Howe open outside the arc for a three pointer to cut the Golden Knights’ lead to one. Central Florida led by as many as nine points in the game.

Howe finished with a game-high 25 points for UT Martin. He also chipped in six rebounds in the game. Earl Bullock had 12 points for the Skyhawks. Roberto Morentin led Central Florida with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Ed Dotson added 11 in the losing effort.

Dec. 17, at UNLV UTM 78, UNLV 101

The University of Tennessee at Martin managed to slow down the University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ Runnin’ Rebels for almost 20 minutes in the Thomas and Mack Center. However, the first half effort wasn’t enough as UNLV claimed a 101-78 victory over the Skyhawks.

Jermaine Lewis and Marcus Banks led UNLV with 17 points each. Ernest Taylor tossed in 15 points and Dalron Johnson, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, was limited to 10 points.

Tennessee-Martin was led by Earl Bullock, who matched his career high, with 26 points, while senior Okechi Egbe canned 21 points. Junior Kenan Asceric poured in 11 points, while Joey Walker tossed in 10 points to close out the Skyhawks’ double-digit club against UNLV.

The Skyhawks shot 48 percent from the field, while UNLV shot 60 percent from the field. The Skyhawks got beat inside the paint 54-34. UNLV also capitalized on turnovers and scored 30 points off 25 Skyhawk turnovers.

Dec. 21, at Northern Ariz. UTM 76, UNLV 92

Aaron Bond scored a career-high 37 points to lead Northern Arizona to a 92-76 win over Tennessee Martin. The loss was the second consecutive setback for the Skyhawks who completed a two-game road swing to Las Vegas and Flagstaff, Ariz.

Northern Arizona’s Bond hit 9-of-10 three-point field goal attempts on the night. He was one of four players in double figures, including 16-point efforts by Kodiak Yazzie and Ryan McDade. Kyle Feuerbach added 12 points.

Junior college transfer Earl Bullock led the Skyhawks with 24 points. He was one of three Skyhawks with double-digit marks in the game. Joey Walker poured in 19 points with a nine-for 12 effort from the field, while J.C. Howe added 15 points.

The Skyhawks shot 42.6 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free throw line. Bullock was eight-of-10 from the line. The Lumberjacks shot 60.9 percent from three for the game, including a 10-for-14 mark in the first half. NAU led by as many 22 points at 41-19 but the Skyhawks (6-3) rallied to record a 14-4 run to end the half, trailing 45-33. The Skyhawks pulled within seven early in the second half but got no closer.

Dec. 30, at Tennessee UTM 50, UT 77

The University of Tennessee at Martin dropped a 77-50 decision to the University of Tennessee Vols in Thompson-Boling Arena on the Hill in Knoxville. The non-conference setback showed the Skyhawks could be a force to deal with once the Ohio Valley Conference.

Ron Slay, Tennessee’s big man collected 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds, to lead all scorers. Slay, who will probably find a career in the NBA next season, discovered that the Skyhawks weren’t in awe by his ability or intimidated by the droves of fans donning orange.

Senior Joey Walker, one of four Skyhawks from the Volunteer State (Dickson), led his team with 10 points and nine rebounds. Senior Okechi Egbe and junior Kenan Asceric scored nine points each for the Skyhawks. Early in the first half, Asceric was able to provide the Skyhawks with an inside threat. He scored seven of his nine points in the first 20 minutes of play.

Sophomore Jeremy Kelly scored eight points for the Skyhawks in the 17 minutes he played before fouling out. Kelly was perfect on three attempts from the field and hit both of the free throws he shot. He also pulled down two rebounds and handed out two assists.

Jan. 6, vs. Concordia UTM 98, Concordia 68

No doubt about it, the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks like the friendly confines of the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

The Skyhawks posted a 98-68 victory over Concordia University-Wisconsin in the Elam Center. Junior college transfer J.C. Howe led five Skyhawks with double-digits as he poured in 19 points.

Earl Bullock had 18 points, while Kenan Asceric canned 16 points and Jeremy Kelly netted 15 points. Okechi Egbe finished the contest with 10 points and six rebounds.

Jan. 9, vs. Austin Peay UTM 66, Austin Peay 64

The University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a 66-64 victory over visiting Austin Peay Skyhawk Arena.

Senior Joey Walker led the Skyhawks and all scorers with 20 points, while junior J.C. Howe turned in 19 points and 12 rebounds, his first-double-double of the season. Sophomore Jeremy Kelly added 11 points to the Skyhawks’ tally.

Austin Peay was led by Josh Lewis with 18 points, Anthony Davis with 16 points and Rhet Wierzba with 13 points. Although the Skyhawks shot 39 percent from the field, they made up for it on the boards by out rebounding the Govs 41-30.The Skyhawks also committed one less turnover than the Govs.

The Skyhawks used a 25-13 run in the second half to build a six-point lead with 7:08 to play in the game. Down the stretch Austin Peay cut the lead to two points, but the difference was two Walker layups, one a monstrous dunk with 4:19 to play.

Both times Walker managed to sneak in the lane and take perfect passes from Howe and convert. Walker’s second layup via the assist from Howe came with 3:30 to play and it gave the Skyhawks a 58-53 lead.

Austin Peay cut the lead to one point twice in the final 1:49, but the Skyhawks hit three-out four from the free throw line to hang on to the lead. Austin Peay had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Corey Gipson’s shot at the buzzer clanked off the rim.

Jan. 11, vs. Tennessee State UTM 104, Tenn. State 86

Senior Joey Walker posted his second double-double of the season and led the UTM to a 104-86 victory over visiting Tennessee State in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

Walker, who hails from Dickson, Tenn., scored 26 points and pulled dow 12 rebounds. Four other Skyhawks were in double digits as the team grabbed its second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season. Junior J.C. Howe, from Roy, Utah, scored 18 points and dished out five assists. Junior Kenan Asceric, from Bosnia, scored 14 points and recorded three blocked shots, while senior Okechi Egbe, from Decatur, Ala., netted a dozen (12) points. Junior Earl Bullock, from Lineville, Ala., added 10 points to the tally.

The Skyhawks built a 57-45 advantage at the half and never looked back en route to the victory. Twice in the second half, the Skyhawks led by 24 points. The Skyhawks took advantage of 21 Tennessee State turnovers and shot 67.2 percent from the field in the game. Howe was eight-for nine from the field, while Walker was 12-of-14 from the field. The Skyhawks hit 50 percent from the three-point arch as Asceric canned two of his three attempts.

Jan. 16, at SEMO UTM 88, SEMO 80 OT

Tennessee-Martin senior Okechi Egbe hit the biggest shot of his Skyhawk career in the Show Me Center to help lead the Skyhawks to their third consecutive OVC win. With nine seconds left in regulation, Egbe fired from 23 feet out. The ball took a lap around the rim and fell through, tying the game against Southeast Missouri State at 69-all.

In the overtime period the Skyhawks shot 100 percent from the field and never looked back as they enjoyed an 88-80 Ohio Valley Conference win.

Five Skyhawks were in double digits. Walker led the way with 22 points. J.C. Howe netted 18 points. Kelly canned 17 points, while Earl Bullock chipped in a dozen points. Egbe finished the game with 10 points.

Jan. 18, at Eastern Illinois UTM 68, EIU 60

The University of Tennessee at Martin was on its way to its fourth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference victory when Eastern Illinois decided to play a little basketball.

After leading 33-25 at halftime and enjoying as much as a 16-point lead in the second half, the Skyhawks fell victim to the host Panthers 68-60. The Skyhawks fall to 10-5 overall and 3-1 in the OVC. All five Skyhawk losses have been road games.

Junior college transfer Earl Bullock led the Skyhawks with 19 points. He hit five first-half three pointers. Senior Joey Walker, from Dickson, and last week’s conference player of the week, netted 18 points before fouling out with five minutes in the game. Senior Okechi Egbe, who tied Thursday night’s game and forced the overtime period against Southeast Missouri State, finished up with 13 points.