By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Forwards Jalen Myers and Chris Nix combined for 45 points on 22-of-25 shooting in 39 minutes of playing time as the University of Tennessee at Martin coasted to its first win of the young 2022-23 campaign, 124-65 over Champion Christian.
All 11 Skyhawks who saw playing time scored today as the team’s 124 points were only five shy of the school record and were the most for a UT Martin squad since lighting up the scoreboard for 127 points against UC Clermont on Dec. 10, 2017. Today, the Skyhawks converted a program record 52 field goals in 89 tries (58.4 percent) and held an 84-16 advantage on points in the paint. The 52 field goals broke the previous school record of 51 set against Lambuth on Nov. 22, 1982 and against Union on Feb. 27, 1973.
Myers sank 11 of his 13 field goal attempts on the way to a career-highs of 23 points, six rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes. Nix was nearly perfect from the floor, shooting 11-for-12 for 22 points, four rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes.
Parker Stewart (18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, game-high four steals), KJ Simon (17 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals) and KK Curry (11 points, team-best eight rebounds) also shined for UT Martin today.
Champion Christian was led by Xavier Hall’s 29 points as the junior guard went 7-of-11 from three-point range. The Tigers were forced into 23 turnovers and shot 35.8 percent (24-of-67) from the floor.
“From the jump, Champion Christian was ready to play and we had a casual approach but obviously we kicked it into gear and put up a lot of points on the scoreboard today,” Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder said. “I thought we played on our terms and we shot the ball better tonight. It was really nice to play a lot of players – we’re still trying to take every opportunity to grow.”
Simon got the high-scoring affair started with a driving layup only 15 seconds into the contest. After Champion Christian scored on its first two trips down the floor, three straight dunks (two from Curry, one from Nix) ignited UT Martin into a 6-0 run.
The score was 20-16 in favor of the Skyhawks when Myers checked into the game with exactly 12 minutes on the clock. The sophomore forward from Madison, Ala. then went off for nine consecutive UT Martin points in the span of 1:56 to help the Skyhawks extend their lead out to double digits.
UT Martin’s defense soon held the Tigers without a field goal for 4:49 of clock time, pushing its lead out to 42-22 over that stretch.
Stewart swished a trifecta at the 1:29 mark to cap off an 11-0 run and extend the Skyhawks advantage out to 30 points before UT Martin settled for a 58-29 lead at the halftime break.
Myers’ 15 points (on 7-of-7 shooting) guided four double-digit Skyhawk scorers at the half while Hall accounted for a game-high 17 points for Champion Christian.
UT Martin went on a 9-1 run early in the second half, wrapping up with a Simon dunk that nudged the Skyhawk lead out to 67-32 with a little under 18 minutes remaining.
Desmond Williams soon got hot for UT Martin. The junior guard from Montgomery, Ala. – who equaled a career-high with seven rebounds today – drilled three-pointers on three straight possessions in a 49-second span. That spurt resulted in an 84-43 Skyhawk advantage at the 12:54 mark.
Nix scored eight consecutive points for UT Martin during one stretch – including the team’s eighth dunk of the afternoon to make the score 104-49 with 6:51 to go.
The game was capped off with several highlight plays from sophomore Dylan Pumpian, who registered the first points of his collegiate career. The Marietta, Ga. native knocked down a pair of three-pointers and a pull-up jumper in the lane for eight quick points in a 2:09 span as his deep three-pointer at the 2:15 mark gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the contest (122-59).
UT Martin continues its brief two-game homestand on Tuesday, Nov. 15 when it takes on Harris-Stowe. Tipoff time at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 6 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information