By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CHARLESTON, Ill. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team nearly erased a 16-point second half deficit this evening but Eastern Illinois was able to escape with the 77-75 win in Ohio Valley Conference action inside Lantz Arena.
The Skyhawks (15-11, 7-6 OVC) scored 10 of the final 12 points of the contest, flipping a 10-point deficit with 2:21 to go to a one-possession game. After forcing a turnover with seven seconds remaining, UT Martin had a contested look at an eventual game-winning three-pointer just before time expired but the attempt was off target.
Jordan Sears scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting plus a perfect 7-for-7 effort from the free throw line for the Skyhawks. Jalen Myers registered his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-best 11 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench while Parker Stewart returned from an injury to score 18 points. KJ Simon posted 12 points and a team-high four assists for UT Martin, who won the rebounding battle (38-32) and outscored the Panthers by a 30-24 margin in the paint.
Eastern Illinois (8-18, 4-9 OVC) was led by 14 points out of Kinyon Hodges while Cameron Haffner (12), CJ Lane (11) and Kyle Thomas (10) also scored in double figures.
“Every night is tough in this league,” Skyhawk head coach Ryan Ridder said. “We just didn’t guard well enough tonight. We have to get better on that side of the basketball – we started guarding late and were able to run in transition and you saw what happened. We have to regroup and grow – we’ll get back in town early in the morning and prepare for a heck of a ballgame on Saturday.”
UT Martin displayed incredible scoring balance early as seven different Skyhawks scored one bucket apiece in the first 9:01. That streak was broken when Myers knocked down his second straight 18-foot jumper with 10:19 to play in the first half.
After Desmond Williams became the eighth different UT Martin player to score with a three-pointer from the right wing, Stewart splashed a triple from the left corner to shave the Skyhawk deficit down to 24-22.
The Panthers went on a 10-2 run before Simon muscled up for a bucket inside to get UT Martin back within single digits at 34-26. Eastern Illinois eventually went ahead by 13 points but a pair of Sears free throws with 56 seconds remaining provided the halftime margin of 43-32.
Myers (six points, five rebounds) and Sears (six points, two blocks) led the Skyhawks in the opening 20 minutes while Haffner’s 12 points paved the way for the Panthers.
Eastern Illinois accounted for six of the first seven points of the second half but UT Martin soon went on an extended run thanks in large part to Stewart. The 6-5 graduate poured in eight points over a stretch of 2:30 as the Skyhawks outscored the Panthers by a 14-3 margin. Myers closed out the run with a deep trifecta from the left wing, whittling UT Martin’s deficit to 58-55 with 11:26 to go.
Eastern Illinois tallied 10 of the next 11 points of the contest, taking a 68-56 lead with 6:35 left to play.
The Skyhawks had one final run in them. Facing a double-digit deficit (75-65) with 2:21 remaining, Stewart drilled a pair of free throws. Myers added a free throw 35 seconds later before five points from Sears in the span of 32 seconds all of a sudden made it a one-possession game (76-73) with 24 seconds left.
After the Panthers made one of two free throws on the other end, Sears sped down the floor, initiated contact and sank a pair of free throws to make the score 77-75 with seven ticks left. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Josh Endicott came away with a steal and found Stewart, who hoisted a potential game-winning three-pointer but the shot came up short and ended up in the hands of an Eastern Illinois defender.
The Skyhawks play in front of the home crowd for the first time in two weeks when they take on the Little Rock Trojans for a Basketball and Cheer Reunion on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tipoff from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 3:30 p.m., following the conclusion of the women’s game.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information