McCarn’s 40-Point Explosion Leads UT Martin Past Lindenwood in OVC Thriller
Kenley McCarn Has a Day in Martin, TN
On Saturday, January 17, 2026, women’s college basketball had some great performances at the Division I level, but who stood at the top as an elite performer? You would need to look to Martin, Tennessee, at the University of Tennessee at Martin to find Kenley McCarn.
McCarn, the 5’11” redshirt junior from Melbourne, Arkansas, was automatic in the UT Martin Skyhawks’ 73-70 win over the Lindenwood Lions. Kenley dropped 40 points with four rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 40 minutes played. That’s right, she never came off the floor, and the Skyhawks needed every minute and point from Kenley McCarn as her steal with 1.7 seconds left sealed the deal for the Skyhawks.
In a game that had 19 lead changes and 10 ties, this game came down to the wire. UT Martin was down 70-67 with 16 seconds left to play, but a quick score by Norah Clark pulled them within one. After fouling Lindenwood immediately, and two missed Lions free throws, Kenley McCarn got the Skyhawks the 71-70 lead, nailing both free throws after drawing a foul.
She then intercepted Lindenwood’s inbound pass and received another trip to the free throw line from an immediate foul. There she made the final score of 73-70, and notched her career-high of 40 points. Kenley also became the first UT Martin Skyhawk to score 40 or more points since Chelsey Perry in 2019.
Talk about being on. Kenley McCarn shot 14 of 16 from the floor, including 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. McCarn also made perfect on the freebies, going 8 of 8 from the stripe. Some days you are just on, and for Kenley, that day was yesterday.
This performance and team win pulls the Skyhawks to a 9-8 record, 5-3 in the OVC, and places them just two games out from first place. Could this be a boost to the rest of their season? That remains to be seen as it is still January. With that said, there is a lot of great basketball left to be played.
Who will step up across the women’s basketball landscape today? Stay tuned, as there are a lot of great games to check out. Sunday’s are for peak women’s college basketball.
Featured Image Credit: UT Martin Athletics
