RANDALL SHINES IN DEBUT BUT LATE GO-AHEAD SHOT UPENDS SKYHAWKS AT TENNESSEE STATE, 68-67

Thursday, January 31

Nashville, Tenn.

7:30 P.M.

UT Martin

6-14 (1-8OVC)

Tennessee State

6-15 (3-6OVC)

UT Martin

Tennessee State

RANDALL SHINES IN DEBUT BUT LATE GO-AHEAD SHOT UPENDS SKYHAWKS AT TENNESSEE STATE, 68-67

1/31/2019 11:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It was another agonizing setback for the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team this evening, as Tennessee State scored five unanswered points in the final 52 seconds in a 68-67 decision at the Gentry Center.

The Skyhawks (6-14, 1-8 Ohio Valley Conference) trailed for over 27 minutes of clock time but found themselves in prime position for their second straight win thanks to a second half surge. Delfincko Bogan posted a four-point play – UT Martin's first since Feb. 1, 2017 – to give the Skyhawks a 67-63 edge with just over a minute to play. However, the host Tigers closed out the game with a three-pointer and the go-ahead leaner in the lane with 3.3 seconds left.

Officially cleared by the NCAA to play earlier this week, Craig Randall II showed out in his UT Martin debut tonight. The Duquesne transfer accounted for a team-high 17 points in 27 minutes off the bench, knocking down three treys as part of a 6-for-13 shooting effort. The frontcourt tandem of Quintin Dove and Jailen Gill each accumulated 11 points while Bogan tossed in all 10 of his points over the final 8:37. Preston Parks added nine points and a game-high six rebounds for a Skyhawk squad that forced Tennessee State into 22 turnovers.

Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey scored a game-high 23 points – including the game-winning floater in the waning moments – to lead the Tigers (6-15, 3-6 OVC). Michael Littlejohn and Kamar McKnight added 13 and 11 points, respectively, for Tennessee State.

"This seems to be the story of our season," UT Martin head coach Anthony Stewart said. "We had an untimely turnover on our second-to-last possession. We fought hard after being down by nine at halftime. We played well but we just didn't pull it out in the end."

Dove scored six of the Skyhawks' first eight points as UT Martin jumped out to an early lead. The Tigers soon used a 16-0 run to claim a 23-8 advantage but the Skyhawks responded with nine unanswered points of their own to get back within two possessions. Late three-pointers by Derek Hawthorne, Jr. and Randall followed before Tennessee State took a 35-26 lead into the locker room. Parks and Randall shared the team lead with seven first-half points while McKnight's 10 points guided the Tigers.

UT Martin found itself in a 44-31 hole with just under 15 minutes to play before breaking loose for a 17-2 run. Randall secured 10 points during the run before a pair of Gill free throws at the 9:20 mark provided the Skyhawks with a 48-46 lead. Four ties and nine lead changes followed from that point forward before Bogan and Fitzpatrick-Dorsey took over in the final 64 seconds.

UT Martin travels across town on Saturday, Feb. 2 when it takes on Belmont. The game will tip off at approximately 5 p.m.