LATE OFFENSIVE FLURRY LIFTS UT MARTIN MEN’S BASKETBALL TO THRILLING 92-90 COMEBACK WIN OVER WESTERN ILLINOIS

Wednesday, November 21

Martin, Tenn.

3:30 P.M.

UT Martin

Western Illinois

LATE OFFENSIVE FLURRY LIFTS UT MARTIN MEN’S BASKETBALL TO THRILLING 92-90 COMEBACK WIN OVER WESTERN ILLINOIS

11/21/2018 7:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score PDF Boxscore Photo Gallery Postgame Press Conference - Stewart Postgame Press Conference - Parks

MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team trailed by double-figures with under four minutes to play before a furious comeback attempt resulted in a 92-90 triumph over Western Illinois at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

Literally hours after the NCAA granted him a waiver to play immediately, Preston Parks tossed in all 21 of his points in the final 15:19 of the contest to aid the Skyhawks down the stretch. The Citadel transfer scored 15 points in the last 3:24, including 12 consecutive UT Martin points in a span of 56 seconds to even the score at 90-all. The Skyhawks forced a turnover with 0.8 seconds remaining and Delfincko Bogan toed the charity stripe for two clutch free throws to seal the victory.

"Thanksgiving came a day early for us," UT Martin head coach Anthony Stewart said about Parks, who was the 2016-17 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year. "I'm thankful to those who completed the paperwork to make him eligible because Preston was a big part of our win. It came down to the end and Delfincko made a huge play to win it for us."

Overall, the Skyhawks placed six scorers in double-figures – the first time that has occurred since Jan. 2, 2016. Parks' 21 points included a 6-of-10 shooting effort (3-for-4 from three-point range) and a 6-of-7 performance from the free throw line. Derek Hawthorne, Jr. (15 points), Quintin Dove (14), Bogan (13), Fatodd Lewis (11) and Parrish Hewitt (10) also accounted for double-digits in the points column for UT Martin, who improved to 2-2 overall.

Bogan added a game-high eight assists and Hewitt nabbed a team-best six rebounds for the Skyhawks, who committed just seven turnovers on their way to a 12-point comeback win.

Western Illinois (2-3) was led by Kobe Webster's 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Leathernecks also received double-digit scoring games out of Jeremiah Usiosefe (19 points), CJ Duff (12), Brandon Gilbeck (10 points, game-high eight rebounds) and Zion Young (10) as UT Martin held Western Illinois to 0-for-8 shooting behind the three-point arc over the final 20 minutes.

"We just buckled down," Stewart said. "Our problem is probably never going to be points this year – it's going to be stops. Things weren't going our way and I called a quick timeout and told our guys to chip away and get one stop at a time. Our guys stepped up and were being very unselfish."

Despite the fact that the Leathernecks shot 70.4 percent (19-of-27) from the floor in the first half, UT Martin led by as many as 12 points in the opening stanza. The Skyhawks scored the first seven points of the game but Western Illinois wrapped up the half on an 11-3 run to claim a 49-46 advantage at the break. Webster (17) and Hawthorne (12) ranked as the leading scorers on their respective sides.

The Leathernecks kept their lead until the final 15 seconds of the game. UT Martin trailed by a 76-64 margin with 7:19 left to play before Parks went off for his scoring spree. His pull-up trifecta from 23-feet out found the bottom of the net to even the score at 90-all with 15 seconds to play before Bogan's steal and free throws with under a second to play capped off the triumph.

The Skyhawks conclude their brief two-game homestand on Saturday, Dec. 1 when they take on UNC Asheville. Tipoff time from the Elam Center is set for 7:30 p.m.