By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
ASHEVILLE, NC – For the second time this season, the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team boasted five scorers in double figures but the Skyhawks fell by a 90-83 margin on the road at UNC Asheville.
KJ Simon put together his second straight high-scoring game, tossing in a game-best 20 points with team-highs of five rebounds, four assists and four steals in 31 minutes of action. It marked his 15th career game with at least 20 points, including one such performance from his sophomore season at Troy in 2019-20. The senior lefty from Orlando, Fla. owns 14 such games in 38 career games at UT Martin.
Simon was followed by KK Curry (season-best 15 points, team-high five rebounds), Jordan Sears (13 points on 5-for-6 shooting in 18 minutes), Parker Stewart (12 points) and Koby Jeffries (season-high 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting). The Skyhawks (4-5) connected on 50.8 percent (33-for-65) of their field goal attempts – including a 9-of-23 effort from three-point range (39.1 percent) – and outscored the host Bulldogs 23-11 in points off turnovers.
UNC Asheville (5-3) placed six players in double digits in the scoring column, led by Drew Pember’s 18 points (aided by a 12-for-12 effort from the free throw line), 11 rebounds, five blocks and four assists. Tajion Jones and Fletcher Abee each scored 17 points apiece while Nick McMullen (13 points), Trent Stephney (11 points, game-high six assists) and Jamon Battle (11 points) also pitched in notable scoring performances for the Bulldogs, who overcame 16 turnovers by shooting 87.5 percent (21-for-24) from the charity stripe.
After UNC Asheville scored the first four points of the game, UT Martin went on a 10-2 run. A steal and dunk by Curry opened the team’s scoring before four straight points from Simon capped off the run.
Moments later, Stewart buried a pair of three-pointers to make the score 22-18 in favor of the Skyhawks with 8:38 remaining before the halftime break.
Sears soon heated up as the sophomore guard out of Daytona Beach, Fla. piled up nine consecutive UT Martin points over a stretch of 2:32 – including trifectas on back-to-back trips down the floor.
Simon and Desmond Williams each knocked down triples in the final 3:26 of the opening half but the Bulldogs ended the stanza on a 13-3 run to take a 46-38 lead into the locker room.
Pacing the Skyhawks with a game-high 11 points in the first half was Sears while both Pember (11 points) and Jones (10) reached double figures for UNC Asheville in the first 20 minutes.
UT Martin scored six of the first seven points of the second half, starting with a Chris Nix 10-foot jumper on the Skyhawks’ opening possession. An up-and-under layup by Curry and a steal plus fast break layup by Jeffries with 18:31 remaining trimmed the Bulldog lead down to a single possession at 47-44.
UNC Asheville accounted for the next seven points of the contest to take a 54-44 lead coming out of the under-16 media timeout. UT Martin responded with a 9-2 run as a wide open dunk by Nix at the 13:08 mark once again pulled the Skyhawks within three points (56-53).
Old-fashioned three-point plays from Curry and Nix on back-to-back possessions evened the score at 61-all with 10:55 remaining in the contest. The Bulldogs scored the next five points but UT Martin continued to battle as Stewart swished a contested three-pointer at the 6:31 mark to shave UNC Asheville’s lead down to 74-71.
The Bulldogs answered with an 8-0 run and eventually led by 14 points with 90 ticks left on the clock. The Skyhawks closed out the game on a 9-2 run but ultimately time ran out on UT Martin’s comeback attempt.
The Skyhawks will focus on final examinations this week before returning home for three of their next four games, starting with a Sunday, Dec. 11 matchup against Chicago State. Tipoff time from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 2 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information