By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team matched the No. 17 ranked team in the nation blow-for-blow in the first 25-plus minutes tonight but a strong second half by the Tennessee Volunteers led to a 90-62 Skyhawk setback at Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT Martin led for 8:28 of clock time during the first half and was within single digits with 14:30 to go in a contest that featured five ties and 11 lead changes. The Skyhawks (44.8 percent) outshot Tennessee (42.9 percent) for the game but the Volunteers made 17 three-pointers on the way to the win.
KK Curry pieced together an outstanding debut for UT Martin, securing a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Cleveland, Tenn. native made seven of his 12 field goal tries, becoming the first Skyhawk to earn a double-double in his UT Martin debut since Terrence Parker (12 points, 10 rebounds at Marshall on Nov. 10, 2017).
Also reaching double figures in the scoring column for the Skyhawks was KJ Simon (14 points, six rebounds, three steals, two blocks) and David Didenko (11 points, 3-of-5 from three-point land).
Tennessee was led by 20 points apiece out of Kennedy Chandler and Santiago Vescovi. Olivier Nkamhoua tallied a double-double (11 points, 14 rebounds) while Justin Powell chipped in 13 points off the bench for the Volunteers.
Koby Jeffries helped UT Martin get off to a good start as he drove the lane for a basket on the opening possession of the game. Back-to-back jumpers from Curry and Simon guided the Skyhawks to a 10-7 lead nearly four minutes in.
Another jumper by Simon at the 12:36 mark extended UT Martin’s lead out to 20-16. The Skyhawks held on to the lead for another four minutes until an 8-1 Volunteer run flipped the lead in favor of Tennessee.
Didenko canned a trifecta to even the score at 26-all with just under seven minutes to go before the halftime break. The Volunteers went on a 14-4 run near the end of the first half before Simon knocked down a three-pointer to make the score 43-35 at the intermission.
Simon was responsible for a game-high 13 points and five rebounds in the opening half as UT Martin torched the nets for a 55.6 percent shooting performance (15-of-27) in the first 20 minutes. Chandler’s 12 points paced Tennessee.
Curry tossed in six straight Skyhawk points early in the second half as his jumper at the 14:30 mark pulled UT Martin back within single digits at 51-42.
The Volunteers quickly responded with a 7-0 run over a 2:09 but Henderson (three-pointer) and Curry (layup) scored on back-to-back trips down the floor to keep the Skyhawks within striking distance at 63-49 with 10:24 left to play.
Another extended run by Tennessee deflated UT Martin as the Volunteers reeled off 18 unanswered points – including four treys. A Henderson three-pointer at the 4:20 mark ended the Skyhawk drought but ultimately it was too late for UT Martin to mount a comeback.
The Skyhawks hold their first of 13 home contests this Saturday, Nov. 13 when they host Miami-Hamilton. Tipoff from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 2 p.m.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information