By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – A stingy performance on the defensive end propelled the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team to victory tonight as the Skyhawks grinded out a 66-59 win over Lindenwood at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
UT Martin held the visiting Lions scoreless through 6:42 while Lindenwood started the game 0-for-15 from the floor before its first bucket at the 10:40 mark. Although the Lions would eventually charge back to lead by eight points midway through the second half, the Skyhawks went on a 15-0 run and limited Lindenwood to 10 points over the final 10:24 of the contest. The 59 points were the second-lowest scoring output by a UT Martin NCAA Division I opponent in 2022-23.
KJ Simon was responsible for his first double-double of the season and third of his two-year Skyhawk career this evening, piling up team-highs of 16 points, 10 rebounds, a career-best five blocks and two steals. Jordan Sears tied Simon for the team lead with 16 points while Jalen Myers provided 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench. KK Curry narrowly missed a double-double with eight points, a game-high 10 rebounds and team-best three steals for UT Martin, who improves to 14-8 overall with a 6-3 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Lindenwood (7-15, 2-7 OVC) was led by Keenon Cole’s 19 points and eight rebounds. Tommie Williams added 11 points for the Lions, who were forced into 16 turnovers while shooting 38.5 percent from the floor (including 28 percent from three-point range).
“It’s hard to win OVC games,” Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder said. “Winning is going to look different every time and that was the case tonight. We strapped it up defensively – that’s three games in a row where we’ve held the opponent under 40 percent shooting. Lindenwood is a very good defensive team – they make you take tough shots. Give our guys credit – we have continued to find a way to get better.”
Five different UT Martin players scored the Skyhawks’ first five buckets of the contest as Chris Nix (layup), Simon (fast break layup), Curry (layup), Sears (three-pointer) and Myers (layup) gave UT Martin an 11-0 lead. Myers knocked down a triple at the 9:44 mark of the first half to extend the Skyhawk advantage out to 15-3 – their biggest lead of the night.
The Lions scored nine unanswered points and eventually took their first lead of the game (24-23) with 2:11 remaining before the halftime break. Myers swished another trifecta on the Skyhawks’ ensuing possession but Lindenwood claimed a narrow 27-26 lead at the intermission.
Myers and Williams led their respective squads with game-highs of nine points apiece in the opening 20 minutes.
Desmond Williams splashed a three-pointer just 20 seconds into the second half to tilt the score back in UT Martin’s favor at 29-27. Soon thereafter, Simon went off for seven consecutive Skyhawk points but Lindenwood was able to take a 44-39 lead with 13:35 left to play.
After the Lions took a 50-42 edge, UT Martin’s 15-0 run proved to be the difference. A Curry fast break layup with 4:58 remaining gave the Skyhawks the lead for good while the swarming UT Martin defense held Lindenwood scoreless for a stretch of 6:52.
Simon helped put the game out of reach as the senior from Orlando, Fla. had a highlight-reel windmill dunk and a deep three-pointer from the left wing on back-to-back trips down the floor. The Skyhawk group of Curry (two), Sears (two), Nix (one) and Koby Jeffries (one) combined to knock down six free throws in the final 2:29 to ice the win.
UT Martin puts the finishing touches on a three-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 28 when it hosts Southern Indiana. The game – which serves as the backend of a doubleheader with the women’s team – will tip off at 3:30 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information