COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Down two of the top three scorers in the Ohio Valley Conference for the final 5:41, the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball squad came together to post an impressive 81-73 road victory at Tennessee Tech today.
The Skyhawks led by as many as 17 points with 12:12 to go this afternoon but soon were missing two of the league’s best players. Jacob Crews did not play the final 10:11 after a flagrant foul while Jordan Sears fouled out of the contest with 5:41 remaining. UT Martin’s lead was trimmed to seven points with 4:42 left to play but Sebastian Mendoza, Issa Muhammad, Justus Jackson, Koby Jeffries and KK Curry each provided points down the stretch. As a direct result, the Skyhawks improved to 9-6 and 2-0 in the OVC standings for the second time in three seasons under head coach Ryan Ridder.
Sears ended up with a game-high 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in 26 minutes for UT Martin, who saw all five starters score in double digits. Crews (17 points, including a career-best five treys), Curry (16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals), Jackson (11 points) and Muhammad (10 points, eight rebounds) provided a balanced attack as the Skyhawks led for 37:52 of clock time.
The Golden Eagles (5-10, 0-2 OVC) were led by Jayvis Harvey’s 22 points. Diante Wood scored 18 points while Rodney Johnson, Jr. and Kyle Layton both added 13 points apiece.
“This game is what winning is all about,” Ridder said. “Good teams find a way to win and have guys that are bought into winning. It’s always next man up – you have to be ready for when your number is called. We always say it’s going to look different every single night and we ended with a lineup that we haven’t had out there to finish a game yet this year. I’m proud that we’re off to a good start but we have to continue to grow.”
Defense carried UT Martin early as it held the host Golden Eagles to 0-for-8 shooting with a pair of turnovers before Tennessee Tech made its first field goal at the 14:50 mark.
The duo of Sears (nine) and Curry (seven) combined to score the Skyhawks’ first 16 points, allowing UT Martin to go ahead by double figures after a Sears stepback triple at the 12:39 mark.
Crews then had the hot hand, swishing a pair of three-pointers in the span of 23 seconds on back-to-back trips down the floor to keep the Skyhawk lead at 10 points (22-12).
The Golden Eagles responded with a 7-0 run and although Sears scored the next six UT Martin points, Tennessee Tech was able to pull within one point (32-31). A Mendoza free throw and buzzer-beating deep trifecta from Jackson made the score 36-31 in favor of the Skyhawks at the intermission.
Sears’ 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals were all game-highs in the first 20 minutes. The Golden Eagles were led by Wood’s 12 points.
After the UT Martin advantage was narrowed to three points at the 18:24 mark of the second half, the Skyhawks unspooled the next 11 points of the contest. Five different UT Martin players pitched in points during the run, which was capped off with a Crews triple from the left wing to make the score 50-36.
A coast-to-coast layup from Curry at the 12:12 mark resulted in a 58-41 Skyhawk lead. However, Tennessee Tech immediately came back with nine of the next 11 points and eventually got within single digits with 8:10 remaining.
The Golden Eagles were down seven (71-64) with 4:42 left to play but Mendoza stroked a big three-pointer from the left corner on the ensuing possession to push the UT Martin lead back out to double figures.
A nationally televised contest is on tap for the Skyhawks as UT Martin will take on Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tipoff time from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 8 p.m. on ESPNU as part of the backend of a doubleheader with the women’s squad.
