WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 96, Tennessee Tech 90
Jacksonville State 74, @Southeast Missouri 60
UT MARTIN 96, TENNESSEE TECH 90
MARTIN, Tenn. - Five University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball players poured in at least 15 points as the Skyhawks overcame a 13-point deficit to claim a big 96-90 home victory over Ohio Valley Conference foe Tennessee Tech.
The Skyhawks (10-8, 2-1 OVC) withstood a sizzling shooting performance by the Golden Eagles in the first half, as Tennessee Tech shot 85.7 percent (18-for-21) before falling victim to UT Martin’s comeback. The Skyhawks took their first lead of the second half at the 16:57 mark and did not trail from that point forward, handing Tennessee Tech (12-6, 4-1 OVC) its first conference loss of the season.
The backcourt tandem of Alex Anderson and Jacolby Mobley each tallied 20 points for UT Martin. Both Skyhawks knocked down five 3-pointers to help the squad tie the school’s single-game record for three-point field goals made (16) for the second time in the last four contests.
Twymond Howard accumulated 19 points while Richard Lee (18 points) and Myles Taylor (15 points, team-high six rebounds) also helped lead UT Martin shoot 56.1 percent overall and 64 percent from three-point distance.
Tennessee Tech also placed five scorers in double-figures, led by Aleksa Jugovic’s 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Ryan Martin chipped in with 22 points and a game-high nine rebounds while Hakeem Rogers (16), Anthony Morse (15) and Torrance Rowe (10) provided offensive firepower for the Golden Eagles.
Layups by Taylor and Terrence Durham provided the Skyhawks with an early advantage but Tennessee Tech quickly scored seven unanswered points to go ahead by a 9-4 margin at the 16:33 mark.
Both teams would soon go on a barrage of three-pointers, as the two sides combined for eight treys in a little over four minutes. The Golden Eagles accounted for five treys during a 19-8 run, building a 33-20 advantage with 8:33 remaining in the first half.
UT Martin responded with a 7-0 run, as layups by Howard sandwiched around a Mobley trifecta pulled the Skyhawks back within six points (33-27). After Tennessee Tech piled up seven straight points over a stretch of 1:24, UT Martin once again reloaded with a 14-6 run to close out the half. Mobley was responsible for the Skyhawks’ final five points before the break to slice UT Martin’s deficit to 46-41.
Mobley’s 14 points led the way for the Skyhawks, who shot 72.7 percent (8-for-11) from three-point range. Tennessee Tech rode an 86 percent shooting (18-for-21) performance in the first half, as Jugovic’s 16 points paced the Golden Eagles.
Tennessee Tech opened the second-half scoring with a free throw but UT Martin would soon take over. After closing in within a single point on three different occasions, the Skyhawks broke free for a lead on a right wing three-pointer by Howard at the 16:56 mark. That was part of a 10-0 UT Martin that took place over a stretch of 1:15, leading to a 58-51 Skyhawk advantage.
After the Golden Eagles closed within four points, Taylor scored six points during a 9-2 UT Martin spurt that gave the Skyhawks a 70-59 lead at the 12-minute mark. A Lee trifecta from the left wing with 7:35 to go kept UT Martin’s lead at seven points (78-71) but Tennessee Tech was able to whittle its deficit down to two points with less than two minutes to play.
The Skyhawks were able to extend their lead to four points before Anderson connected on one of the biggest shots of the game. After a defensive stop, Anderson drilled a straightaway three-pointer with three seconds on the shot clock to make the score 92-85 with 54 seconds remaining. The Golden Eagles would not get closer than four points the rest of the way.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 74, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 60
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Jacksonville State men's basketball team pulled away from Southeast Missouri early and cruised to a 74-60 road win in Ohio Valley Conference play on Wednesday.
The Gamecocks (6-14, 2-3 OVC) used an early 10-0 run to turn a one-point deficit into a nine-point lead and the Redhawks (2-15, 0-5 OVC) couldn't catch up.
JSU got 15 points from Greg Tucker to lead a trio of Gamecocks in double figures. Senior JaQuail Townser added 13, while sophomore Malcolm Drumwright scored 11 and dished seven assists in the win.
The Gamecocks shot 51 percent from the floor and connected on nine 3-pointers to hand the Redhawks the loss. JSU won the battle on the glass, 35-27, and turned the ball over just nine times on the night while leading for over 34 minutes of the game.
Tucker, a junior from just down the road in Charleston, Mo., was 5-for-11 from the floor to lead JSU on a night that also saw him swipe a pair of steals, dish three assists and grab three boards.
Another local product, freshman Andre Statam, scored nine points in 14 minutes off the bench. The Central High School product from Cape Girardeau was 4-for-5 from the floor and had two rebounds in his first trip home as a collegiate player.
Freshman DelFincko Bogan, also a Charleston, Mo., native, had seven points and two assists in 12 minutes off the bench in his Homecoming game.
Freshman Jared Hamilton led the JSU effort on the boards with eight rebounds to go along with seen points. All nine Gamecocks that saw time on the floor had at least one rebound, while eight players had at least two boards.
The Redhawks got 17 points off of the bench from Tony Anderson, who was 5-for-6 from the field. Joel Angus III added 16 points on a 6-for-8 shooting night.