MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Trailing by 23 points with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation, the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team went on a frenzied run to send tonight’s game at Alabama State into overtime. However, the gritty Skyhawks ran out of gas in the extra period and fell 103-93 at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Rolling with the lineup of Tarence Guinyard, Afan Trnka, Matija Žužić, Andrija Bukumirović and Vladimer Salaridze for all but one second of the final nine minutes of regulation plus the five-minute overtime period, UT Martin erased its deficit. After the Hornets led 79-56 with 6:59 to go, the Skyhawks closed out the second half on a 32-9 run. Tired legs kicked in during overtime as UT Martin’s only points in the extra period came from the free throw line despite a valiant effort.
Guinyard was unguardable down the stretch, pouring in 29 of his game-high and career-best 31 points after the halftime break. The junior guard made 10 of his 17 field goal tries and went 10-for-14 from the free throw line while also chipping in a career-high seven rebounds and team-bests of three assists and two steals.
Salaridze hauled in his second double-double of the season with 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals while Žužić (19 points, five 3-pointers) and Trnka (career-best 17 points) additionally performed exceptionally well. Bukumirović made a layup with 1.1 seconds to go in regulation to even the score at 88-all while tallying team-highs of 11 rebounds and two blocks for the Skyhawks (3-7).
Alabama State (4-6) placed five scorers in double figures, led by Amarr Knox’s 23 points. Micah Simpson (20), CJ Hines (17), Tyler Mack (17) and Micah Octave (10) also helped lead the Hornets to the victory as Alabama State made 11 of its 17 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes.
It was a one-possession game nine minutes into the opening half as Žužić’s third trifecta made the score 18-16 in favor of the Hornets. Alabama State responded with a 15-2 run (on five 3-pointers) and eventually led by 21 points before Trnka splashed a trey with 11 seconds to go before the halftime break to trim UT Martin’s deficit to 48-30. Salaridze’s 10 points and game-high five rebounds paced the Skyhawks in the opening half.
The Hornets led by as many as 26 points (74-48) with 11:24 left to play but UT Martin began to whittle its deficit, mostly courtesy of Guinyard’s hot hand. The Tampa, Fla. native scored a remarkable 29 of UT Martin’s final 52 points and assisted on nine more points – finding Trnka for three consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 1:43. Guinyard’s scoring spree included a stretch of 24 points in 12:42 before Bukumirović’s game-tying layup.
Guinyard went on to score all five of the Skyhawk points in overtime but Alabama State found its hot hand again in the extra period, making five of its eight field goal tries while going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.
UT Martin returns home for its nonconference finale on Sunday, Dec. 15 as the Skyhawks host Champion Christian. The game – which serves as the backend of a doubleheader with the women’s squad – will tip off at 3:30 p.m. at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
