The Tennessee-Martin women’s basketball team lost four of its top six players from last year and, in turn, the Skyhawks are a different team than in the past.

However, the Skyhawks retained their two top players, Heather Butler and Jasmine Newsome, and the history between them and the Eastern women’s basketball team is rich.

The Panthers are 3-2 in their last five games against the Skyhawks, winning by an average of five points.

They lost the other two games by an averaged of five points.

Even though the Skyhawks have a different team, Eastern coach Lee Buchanan said he expects a close game.

“You take a look at the games the past two or three years. Just phenomenal games,” Buchanan said. “It’s two really good teams going at each other.”

It’s a game with big implications for both teams, Buchanan said.

The Panthers don’t want to trip up while trying to win a championship.

The Skyhawks are jockeying for position in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

The Skyhawks are trying to get some wins that will help them to a first round bye.

But the Skyhawks look like a different team, than in past seasons, because they are missing players like Taylor Hall and Jaclissa Haislip.

The Skyhawks had three sophomores from last year’s team that did not return this season — two starters and their top player off the bench.

“They just didn’t miss,” Buchanan said. “What would happen was Butler or Newsome would drive it, you’d pinch, they’d pitch it to those kids and they’d just bury shots.”

Haislip was third on the Skyhawks, averaging 10.3 points and 32.4 minutes per game. Hall averaged 28.7 minutes per game and 7.7 points.

Perica Glenn and Aubrey Reedy also did not return to the team.

Now, the Skyhawks have freshmen trying to fill those voids, Buchanan said, but they might be a year away.

However, Butler and Newsome continue to be the focal point of the offense.

Both players averaged more than 20 points per game.

“I don’t know if you can stop them,” Buchanan said. “You can try to limit them.”

Limit them, the Panthers did in their matchup earlier this season. The Panthers won the Jan. 28 meeting by five points.

The duo took 46 of the Skyhawks’ 70 shots in the game and scored 53 of the team’s 79 total points, but neither Butler nor Newsome shot the ball well.

“If they score points, but take that many shots to get them, that’s different than getting layups and open looks, getting a low amount of shots and a lot of points,” Buchanan said.

Newsome was 9-of-22 shooting and Butler was 8-of-24 shooting in the game.

The key will be to make the high-scoring duo improvise by passing it to teammates.

“Try to make other people shoot it,” Buchanan said.

While Butler and Newsome each score more than 20 points per game, none of their other teammates average more than 8.7.

The game is set to tipoff at 7 p.m. Thursday in Martin, Tenn.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].