MARTIN, Tenn. – Junior Jacob Crews corralled his fifth double-double of the season for the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team but the Skyhawks fell by a 73-64 margin to Ohio Valley Conference co-leader Western Illinois.
UT Martin came out hot and led by as many as seven in the first half but the Leathernecks (11-6, 4-0 OVC) recovered to take a five-point halftime lead. The Skyhawks eventually pulled within three points with a little under seven minutes to go – limiting Western Illinois to 39.3 percent (24-of-61) shooting from the floor for the game – but the visiting Leathernecks won the battle on the glass, 48 to 31 on the way to the win.
Crews’ 21 points were a game-high while the Hilliard, Fla. native also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. He was 6-for-10 from the field – including a 3-of-6 effort from three-point range – and drilled all six of his free throw attempts for UT Martin (9-8, 2-2 OVC).
Jordan Sears (13 points) and Jalen Myers (10 points in 15 minutes off the bench) also scored in double digits for the Skyhawks while KK Curry and Issa Muhammad scored nine and eight points, respectively. UT Martin sank 85 percent (17-for-20) of its free throw tries but converted just five 3-pointers on a 27.8 shooting percentage.
Western Illinois was led by JJ Kalakon’s 17 points while Ryan Myers (16) and James Dent, Jr. (15) and Quinlan Bennett (11) followed closely behind. Drew Cisse additionally had nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Leathernecks.
“Western Illinois is a really good ballclub – they are physically and mentally tough,” Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder said. “I thought we showed some good fight but we’re still figuring this thing out – we’re disappointed in the result but we know that we’re not playing our best basketball of the season yet. We will continue to find ways to be tougher for longer.”
UT Martin used a 10-0 run to go ahead by seven points coming out of the first media timeout. Sears (five points) and Muhammad (four points) did a majority of the damage early for the Skyhawks.
Western Illinois soon scored 16 unanswered points, resulting in a 23-13 UT Martin deficit with just under nine minutes to go in the first half. A three-pointer by Kenny White, Jr. (6:33 to go) and a floater from Sears (4:47 mark) whittled the Skyhawk deficit to four points on both occasions before the Leathernecks pushed their lead back out to 10 points with two minutes remaining before the break.
Crews (jumper in the paint), Curry (two free throws and Sears (leaner in the lane) all provided points down the stretch to help UT Martin get within five points (35-30) at the intermission. Sears (nine points) and Ryan Myers (10 points) paved the way for their respective squads in the opening 20 minutes.
A Crews trifecta and a Curry jumper in the post shaved the Western Illinois lead to 37-35 with 18:34 left to play. The Leathernecks went on an 11-2 run before Myers provided a spark for the Skyhawks. The junior forward from Huntsville, Ala. scored nine of 12 UT Martin points during a crucial 5:35 stretch as the Skyhawks began to mount their comeback.
Muhammad powered through for a layup in heavy traffic at the 6:56 mark to get UT Martin within a single possession at 58-55. However, Western Illinois scored the next six points and the Skyhawks would not get any closer than seven points for the remainder of the contest.
UT Martin rounds out its three-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 13 when it takes on Little Rock. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. as the game will serve as the backend of a doubleheader with the women’s basketball squad at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
