PARKS’ 75-FOOT BUZZER BEATER CAPS OFF A ROUSING 75-72 HOME WIN OVER CHATTANOOGA

Tuesday, December 18

Martin, Tenn.

7:30 P.M.

UT Martin

5-4

Chattanooga

5-8

Chattanooga

UT Martin

PARKS’ 75-FOOT BUZZER BEATER CAPS OFF A ROUSING 75-72 HOME WIN OVER CHATTANOOGA

12/18/2018 11:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score PDF Boxscore Photo Gallery Postgame Press Conference

MARTIN, Tenn. – Heroics from junior guard Preston Parks provided a fitting end to a wild 75-72 victory for the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team over Chattanooga this evening at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

The Skyhawks led for 35:40 of clock time tonight and were ahead by as many as 11 points eight minutes into the second half. However, the visiting Mocs evened the score at 72-all with 1.3 seconds left thanks to a game-tying trifecta from Jerry Johnson, Jr.

After receiving the ensuing inbounds pass from Derek Hawthorne, Jr., Parks took one dribble before heaving a 75-foot bank shot that found the bottom of the net and sent the 1,054 fans in attendance into a frenzy. It marked the first game-winning buzzer beater for UT Martin since Jacolby Mobley knocked down a three-pointer at Duquesne on Nov. 23, 2016.

"It's funny because every day in practice, I shoot those shots inbetween drills and during water breaks," said Parks, who equaled a career-high with eight rebounds and added four assists along with his seven points. "The coaches hate when I do it so it's funny that I hit one in the game. I was just trying to give it a chance, I threw it up and it went in."

Quintin Dove led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Skyhawks (5-4), who shot 91.7 percent (11-for-12) from the free throw line in the second half. Hawthorne tallied 15 points and six rebounds while Delfincko Bogan collected 11 points, five assists and four steals for a UT Martin squad that won its fifth straight home decision to start the 2018-19 campaign.

Chattanooga (5-8) received a game-high 19 points off the bench by freshman Donovann Toatley. Johnson pitched in 12 points while Jonathan Scott and AJ Caldwell each added 10 points apiece for a Mocs squad who were forced into 13 turnovers.

"I thought we played pretty hard tonight," Skyhawk head coach Anthony Stewart said. "I thought our effort was there on both ends of the court. The team followed the gameplan to a tee. We had a couple of defensive lapses and Chattanooga exploited that. I knew free throws would be key down the stretch – we came in at 8 o'clock this morning to just shoot free throws. At halftime, I told them they needed to tighten up the focus and they would have to hit those when they were tired because this would be a close game."

Dove had a pair of dunks and six overall points during an 8-0 UT Martin run to begin the game. Chattanooga took its first lead of the game midway through the first half but four straight points by Hawthorne helped the Skyhawks take a six-point lead before UT Martin settled for a 30-29 advantage at the break. Dove's 10 first-half points led all scorers while Toatley's nine points paced the Mocs.

Chattanooga evened the score at 38-all coming out of the first media timeout of the second half. UT Martin then went on an 11-0 surge, capped off with back-to-back Bogan three-pointers. The Mocs trimmed their deficit down to a single possession with 1:43 to go but Dove and Parks combined to go a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 23 seconds to keep the Skyhawks ahead. Chattanooga then made the aforementioned game-tying trey before Parks' memorable game-winner.

UT Martin kicks off a four-game road swing this Saturday, Dec. 22 when it heads to California for a 6 p.m. CST matchup against Fresno State.