EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Junior guard Jordan Sears led all scorers with 34 points this evening but the University of Tennessee at Martin fell 84-78 to Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championship men’s semifinals at the Ford Center.
The Skyhawks led 41-37 at the halftime break and shot 85.7 percent (18-of-21) from the free throw line but could not overcome an Eagle squad that hit 16 three-pointers in 35 tries (45.7 percent).
Sears’ 34 points were his sixth 30-plus point performance of the 2023-24 campaign. The junior guard out of Daytona Beach, Fla. added a game-high five assists with four rebounds. Jacob Crews posted 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks while KK Curry stuffed the statsheet for 13 points, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Issa Muhammad (game-high 11 rebounds) and Koby Jeffries (seven points, seven rebounds, two steals) also contributed solid efforts for UT Martin.
Morehead State (25-8) placed four scorers in double figures, paced by Riley Minix’s 26 points. Kalil Thomas chipped in 23 points and 10 rebounds while Drew Thelwell and Jordan Lathon secured 17 and 10 points, respectively.
“We had a heck of a year,” Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder said. “We told these guys that if you want to leave a legacy, you hang a banner. We are disappointed tonight but I’m not going to take anything away from this group – we asked them to empty the tank against a really good basketball team, Morehead State was co-champions for a reason. It stings right now but we have to find a way to embrace the special journey with this group.”
Curry came out hot early, scoring UT Martin’s first seven points of the contest. Neither side would lead by more than one possession until a pullup jumper by Sears at the 10:10 mark pushed the Skyhawks ahead by a 20-15 margin.
The Eagles responded with a 12-3 run but UT Martin came right back with nine unanswered points – seven of which came from Sears. Jeffries accounted for five of the Skyhawks’ last six points of the half, knocking down a fast break driving layup and stepback trifecta in the final 106 seconds to give UT Martin its lead at the break.
Sears (18 points) and Curry (10 points) both reached double figures in scoring for the Skyhawks in the first 20 minutes. Minix and Thomas each produced 12 points to guide Morehead State.
A mid-range jumper from Desmond Williams with 18:57 remaining kept UT Martin’s advantage at four points (43-39). Two free throws by Muhammad at the 13:13 mark made the score 51-46 in favor of the Skyhawks.
The score was knotted at 53-all with nine minutes left to play but the Eagles went on a 13-4 run immediately thereafter. UT Martin eventually turned a 12-point deficit to six with a little under two minutes remaining but couldn’t get any closer the rest of the way.
The Skyhawks produced their second OVC regular season championship in school history in 2023-24, posting an overall record of 21-11. UT Martin equaled the program record with 14 OVC victories while its 21 wins are the third-most in school history.
