By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information
CHARLESTON, Ill. – A trio of University of Tennessee at Martin players recorded double figures in the scoring column but the Skyhawks couldn’t get over the hump in an 82-70 setback at Eastern Illinois.
UT Martin (8-18, 4-10 Ohio Valley Conference) were in the game late, shaving a 14-point deficit all the way down to two points with 6:44 remaining. However, the Panthers responded with a 15-2 run and the Skyhawks could not recover.
KJ Simon registered 21 points and a career-high five assists while Bernie Andre posted his fifth double-double in OVC play with 15 points and 11 rebounds for UT Martin. Koby Jeffries notched 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Skyhawks, who outshot Eastern Illinois (48.9 percent to 48.3 percent).
The Panthers were led by Kashawn Charles’ 27 points while Kejuan Clements (15 points, 10 assists) and Rodolfo Bolis (13 points, 11 rebounds) both secured double-doubles. Dan Luers chipped in 12 points for an Eastern Illinois team that shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from behind the three-point arc.
“Eastern Illinois played really well and made some bigtime plays,” UT Martin head coach Ryan Ridder said. “It was hard for us to get into a rhythm, we ran in transition early and I thought we had some decent looks. We just turned the ball over too much and ultimately nobody was able to get into a flow offensively.”
The Skyhawks controlled the game early, racing out to an 11-6 lead at the first media timeout. Andre (five) and Simon (four) combined to pump in nine of those points.
Following a Simon layup with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half, the Panthers scored 13 unanswered.
Jeffries followed with five consecutive points before a Josiah Morris three-pointer trimmed UT Martin’s deficit to eight points at the 4:15 mark. Moments later, Josh Endicott scored four straight points to keep the Skyhawks within single digits but the Panthers took a 41-29 lead into the locker room.
Simon’s eight points guided UT Martin in the first 20 minutes while Charles’ 10 points led Eastern Illinois.
The Panthers hit a three-pointer on the opening possession of the second half to go on top 43-29. The Skyhawks cut their deficit in half after unreeling a 7-0 run that featured points from Chris Nix (layup), Andre (free throw and a hook shot) and Mikel Henderson (jumper in the lane).
Eastern Illinois pushed its lead back out to a dozen with 11 minutes remaining but UT Martin got back in it behind the three-ball. Simon canned a pair of trifectas while Jeffries and Henderson each added one apiece as those four treys in a 3:53 span made the score 62-60.
The aforementioned 15-2 Panther run followed until a Simon second-chance layup with 1:12 remaining ended UT Martin’s drought. Morris added a three-pointer while Simon and Andre combined to make three free throws the rest of the way but it wasn’t enough.
The Skyhawks play their final two home games of the 2021-22 campaign this week, starting with a Wednesday, Feb. 16 matchup against Morehead State. Tipoff for the backend of the OVC doubleheader is set to begin at 8 p.m. (following the conclusion of the women’s game) at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information