By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jordan Sears returned from a one-game injury absence to boost the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team this evening as the Skyhawks defeated Tennessee State on its home floor for the second straight season with a 77-66 victory.
Sears scored 15 of his career-best 21 points in the second half tonight, adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench for UT Martin (11-7, 3-2 Ohio Valley Conference). Desmond Williams also registered a season-high 16 points while KK Curry (13 points, six rebounds) and Parker Stewart (11 points, six rebounds) each scored in double digits. David Kamwanga also gave the Skyhawks big minutes off the bench, posting team-highs in rebounds (seven) and steals (two) in 18 minutes.
Tennessee State (10-8, 2-3 OVC) was paced by Jr. Clay’s 21 points while Adong Makuoi had 13 points to go along with game-highs of eight rebounds and four blocked shots. The Tigers were stifled by UT Martin’s defense throughout the contest as Tennessee State shot 33.9 percent (19-of-56) and 20.8 percent (5-for-24) from behind the three-point arc.
“That was a defensive clinic by our guys – we had great preparation and great focus,” Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder said. “Tonight our guys were locked in – right out of the gate, they kind of hit us in the mouth in transition and to our guys’ credit – they punched right back and didn’t get frazzled or panic on the road. I didn’t expect Jordan to play but he changes the way we play in terms of tempo and toughness. He’s tough as nails and it was great to have him back out there – I thought he was the best player on the floor tonight.”
The Tigers began the contest on an 8-0 run but UT Martin soon recovered – piecing together nine unanswered points of its own. Curry scored five straight points – including a highlight-reel fast break dunk at the 16:32 mark – before a Sears reverse layup put the Skyhawks on top for the first time in the contest.
Stewart was responsible for five of UT Martin’s next six points before a Sears stepback triple nudged the Skyhawks ahead by an 18-12 margin with 11:37 remaining in the opening half.
UT Martin then muscled up for 10 consecutive points in the paint as Josh Endicott (four points), Jalen Myers (two), Kamwanga (two) and Curry (two) accounted for those buckets. Curry’s free throw at the 6:51 mark ended the streak as it was the backend of an old-fashioned three-point play.
A 10-0 run stretched the Skyhawk advantage out to 13 points with 4:46 left to play before the halftime break. Williams splashed a fast break three-pointer on the left wing before knocking down a pair of free throws to push UT Martin’s lead out to 34-21.
Williams connected on another trifecta at the 1:40 mark to keep the advantage at 13 points before the Skyhawks settled for a 38-29 lead at the halftime break.
Curry compiled game-highs of nine points and five rebounds while Williams followed closely behind with eight points. Tennessee State was held to 30 percent shooting (9-of-30) in the opening half as Clay and Zion Griffin shared the team lead with five points apiece.
Koby Jeffries scored on a strong take to the hoop for UT Martin’s first field goal of the second half and 36 seconds later, Williams swished yet another three-pointer to extend the Skyhawk lead out to 43-31.
The Tigers responded with six points in a row to close within six points with 17 minutes remaining but that was ultimately as close as the host team would get the rest of the way.
Sears put on a dazzling display – dialing up 11 points over a stretch of 7:15 immediately after the UT Martin lead was trimmed to six. The sophomore out of Daytona Beach, Fla. closed out an 11-3 run with a strong driving layup at the 8:35 mark to make the score 61-43. Moments later, Sears beat the shot clock with another bucket to provide the Skyhawks with their biggest lead of the night (66-47) with 6:24 remaining.
Curry, Stewart, Sears and Williams combined to go 9-for-10 from the free throw line in the final 3:34 while Chris Nix chipped in a layup down the stretch as UT Martin coasted to the finish line.
The Skyhawks head to Southern Indiana on Saturday, Jan. 14 for their first matchup against the OVC newcomer in over three decades. Tipoff from Screaming Eagles Arena in Evansville, Ind. is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (following the conclusion of the women’s basketball game as the backend of a doubleheader).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information