MARTIN, Tenn. – Jordan Sears tossed in a career-high 34 points – including the last six down the stretch – to navigate the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team to a gutsy 105-103 double overtime victory over North Alabama at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
The Skyhawks (4-2) only led for 6:38 of clock time today, continually chipping away at a 13-point first-half deficit in the first double overtime contest since a 93-87 triumph over Evansville on Dec. 2, 2020. Issa Muhammad also played a big role in UT Martin’s victory as the 6-9, 245-pound forward had eight of the Skyhawks’ nine points in the first overtime period.
Sears’ 34 points came on 13-of-23 shooting while the junior from Daytona Beach, Fla. also dished out a career-best seven assists. Muhammad had a monster performance of 18 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and two blocks while Jacob Crews (14 points, 10 rebounds, career-best four steals) accumulated his third double-double in the last four games to help UT Martin outrebound the Lions by a 52-36 margin.
Koby Jeffries (12 points) and Sebastian Mendoza (11 points) additionally scored in double figures for the Skyhawks, who tied a season-high with 11 three-pointers on 24 tries (45.8 percent) and outscored North Alabama 22-7 in fastbreak points.
The Lions (3-2) also placed five scorers in double digits, led by KJ Johnson’s 27 points. Jacari Lane (19 points), Marco Foster (14), Tim Smith, Jr. (12) and Damian Forrest (10) added notable scoring performances for North Alabama, who was limited to a combined 23.5 percent (4-for-17) shooting in the two overtime periods.
“We talked about getting better from Sunday (a loss to Prairie View A&M) and we wanted to make sure we played a full 40 minutes – today it was just happened to be 50,” UT Martin head coach Ryan Ridder said. “Our group didn’t start out real well but they stayed together and fought through it. The game came down to getting a stop down the stretch and we found a way to finally get one in that second overtime.”
Jeffries opened the game’s scoring with a fast break layup but the Lions responded with a 9-0 run and eventually led by a 19-8 margin with 12:37 remaining before the halftime break.
The Skyhawk deficit reached a dozen (27-15) at the 6:44 mark of the opening half but a three-point barrage got UT Martin back in the contest. Jeffries swished a pair of treys while Sears and Jalen Myers added trifectas in the final 4:06 of the first half to trim the Skyhawk deficit to 39-36 at the half.
Sears’ nine points led UT Martin while Johnson had 15 points in the first 20 minutes for North Alabama.
The first two Skyhawk buckets of the second half were Muhammad dunks before a Crews three-pointer evened the score at 49-all at the 15:28 mark of regulation.
UT Martin briefly led when Sears scored on a driving layup to make the score 56-55 with 13:30 to go in the second half but the Lions answered with a 7-1 run. North Alabama extended its lead out to 72-65 before a Crews three-ball capped off a 10-2 Skyhawk surge and gave the home team a 75-74 advantage at the 6:32 mark.
The Lions led by an 86-82 margin with two minutes remaining in regulation but Sears (pull-up jumper) and Muhammad (two free throws) stepped up to send the contest into overtime.
Neither side led by more than three points during the first overtime stanza. Muhammad converted a tough layup in traffic at the 1:14 mark to snap a 93-93 tie but North Alabama tied the game on the next trip down the floor, resulting in five more minutes of play.
With the score knotted at 99-all in double overtime, Sears was responsible for an old-fashioned three-point play. Following a defensive stop, Sears smoothly knocked down a stepback mid-range jumper to give UT Martin a 104-99 edge with 1:22 to go. The Lions would eventually have a chance to tie the game but a floater in the lane rimmed out and fell into the hands of Crews for the rebound as time expired.
The Skyhawks go on the road for their next three games, starting with a Saturday, Nov. 25 matchup against Chicago State. Tipoff time from the Windy City is scheduled for 2 p.m.
