SKYHAWKS DISPLAY SECOND HALF THREE-POINT BARRAGE BUT FALL 85-77 AT MOREHEAD STATE

Saturday, January 19

Morehead, Ky.

5:35 P.M.

UT Martin

0-65-12/ OVC

Morehead State

3-37-12/ OVC

UT Martin

Morehead State

SKYHAWKS DISPLAY SECOND HALF THREE-POINT BARRAGE BUT FALL 85-77 AT MOREHEAD STATE

1/19/2019 8:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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MOREHEAD, Ky. – Five University of Tennessee at Martin players scored in double figures today but Morehead State staved off a Skyhawk comeback with an 85-77 win in Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball action.

UT Martin sliced a 19-point second-half deficit all the way down to five with six minutes to go behind a lethal three-point attack. The Skyhawks (5-12, 0-6 OVC) sank seven of their 11 three-point tries for a 63.6 percent clip over the final 20 minutes but UT Martin could not get over the hump.

Derek Hawthorne, Jr. generated team-highs of 14 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Skyhawks, including eight consecutive points in a span of 1:33 during UT Martin's comeback attempt. Preston Parks added 12 points while Delfincko Bogan (11), Fatodd Lewis (11) and Parrish Hewitt (10) also scored in double-figures for the Skyhawks, who shot their highest percentage (.552) against a Division I opponent this season.

Morehead State (7-12, 3-3 OVC) was paced by Lamontray Harris' 20 points. Jordan Walker collected 19 points, James Baker added 12 points and De'von Cooper tallied 10 points for the Eagles, who shot 59.6 percent (31-of-52) for the contest.

"We dug ourselves a hole but our guys didn't give up and they fought until the end – that's all you can ask for," UT Martin head coach Anthony Stewart said. "We gambled a little bit and went small with our lineup during the run – we were good on offense and were flying around, getting stops on the defensive end to get back in the game. We're going to keep plugging away."

Bogan, Quintin Dove and Jailen Gill each scored four points apiece during the opening 5:15 to aid the Skyhawks to a 12-8 lead. The Eagles used an 8-0 run to take a 24-18 advantage but a mid-range jumper by Kevin Little and a Hewitt triple pulled UT Martin within three points at the 5:29 mark of the first half. Morehead State answered right back with seven unanswered points on its way to a 39-30 halftime lead. Cooper (10 points) and Gill (six points) led their respective teams in scoring at the break.

Hawthorne opened the second half scoring with a pair of free throws but the Eagles opened up a 19-point advantage after a 14-2 run. The Skyhawks got back in the game with five trifectas over a 4:19 stretch, courtesy of Hawthorne, Jr. (two), Parks (two) and Bogan. Lewis converted layups on three consecutive trips down the floor in a 53-second span late in the contest to keep UT Martin within striking distance but ultimately time ran out on the Skyhawks.

UT Martin comes back home for its next two games, hosting Eastern Illinois and SIUE next week. Tipoff against Eastern Illinois is set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24 before the Skyhawks take on SIUE at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26.