UT MARTIN MEN’S BASKETBALL DISPATCHES DEFENDING BIG SOUTH CHAMPION UNC ASHEVILLE, 87-70

Saturday, December 1

Martin, Tenn.

7:30 P.M.

UT Martin

3-2

UNC Asheville

1-6

UNC Asheville

UT Martin

UT MARTIN MEN’S BASKETBALL DISPATCHES DEFENDING BIG SOUTH CHAMPION UNC ASHEVILLE, 87-70

12/1/2018 11:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score PDF Boxscore Photo Gallery Postgame Press Conference

MARTIN, Tenn. – Junior forward Quintin Dove guided the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team with a game-high 22 points off the bench this evening as the Skyhawks dialed up an impressive 87-70 victory over UNC Asheville at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

A transfer out of Cuyahoga Community College, Dove sank 10 of his 12 field goal attempts and also collected team-highs of six rebounds and two blocks for the Skyhawks, who led for 33:34 of clock time. Five of Dove's six boards came on the offensive glass as he helped UT Martin's bench outscore the visiting Bulldog reserves by a 42-7 margin.

"Quintin is a very talented young man who is just scratching the surface of his abilities," Skyhawk head coach Anthony Stewart said. "He's still raw and young to the Division I game but he comes out and gives us energy, plays hard, hits the glass well and shoots a high percentage."

UT Martin (3-2) also saw Preston Parks and Parrish Hewitt score 13 points while Kevin Little contributed 11 points and seven assists. Delfincko Bogan was responsible for a statistical line of eight points, seven assists and a game-high five steals as the Skyhawks divvied out season-highs of 27 assists and 14 steals.

UNC Asheville (1-6) was led by the duo of Coty Jude and DeVon Baker, who posted 21 and 20 points, respectively. The Bulldogs, who captured the Big South Conference regular season championship a year ago, were forced into 21 turnovers by the stingy UT Martin defense.

"I was really proud of my guys tonight," Stewart said. "We played really hard and shot the ball well overall, especially in the second half when we needed some big shots. We also got some big stops down towards the end."

The Skyhawks led by as many as 13 points in the opening half as an old-fashioned three-point play by Bogan at the 12:11 mark gave UT Martin a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way. Dove provided four points during a late 9-0 run for the Skyhawks as they took a 44-34 lead into the locker room at the break. Dove (12) and Baker (11) led their respective squads in scoring over the first 20 minutes of play.

An 8-0 Bulldog run chipped UT Martin's advantage to 46-45 with 15:43 left to play but Hewitt reeled off eight consecutive points to get the Skyhawks back on track. UNC Asheville would not get any closer than three points the rest of the way as UT Martin led by double-digits for the final 6:31 of the contest.

The Skyhawks hit the road for a pair of long road trips next week, starting with a Wednesday, Dec. 5 matchup at Tulane. Tipoff from New Orleans, La. is set for 7 p.m.