SECOND HALF WOES HAMPER SKYHAWK MEN’S HOOPS IN 81-64 SETBACK TO GARDNER-WEBB

Tuesday, November 26

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

11:30 a.m.

UT Martin

2-4

Gardner-Webb

1-5

UT Martin

Gardner-Webb

SECOND HALF WOES HAMPER SKYHAWK MEN’S HOOPS IN 81-64 SETBACK TO GARDNER-WEBB

11/26/2019 3:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – The University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team could not protect a halftime lead today against Gardner-Webb as the Skyhawks fell by an 81-64 margin in the 2019 Cancun Challenge opener held at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

UT Martin (2-4) led by as many as nine points in the first half before settling for a 42-36 advantage at the break. However, the Skyhawks struggled on both ends in the final 20 minutes – shooting 20 percent (6-of-30) from the field while the Runnin' Bulldogs converted 65.4 percent (17-for-26) of their field goal tries.

Parker Stewart continued his scoring surge as the Union City, Tenn. native piled up a game-high 25 points for UT Martin. He knocked down five 3-pointers and also grabbed six rebounds. Quintin Dove (18 points) and Derek Hawthorne, Jr. (11 points, team-high seven rebounds) also guided the Skyhawks today.

Gardner-Webb, who returned 10 players from last season's NCAA Tournament squad, was led in scoring by Jaheam Cornwall's 24 points. Kareem Reid (13 points) and Ludovic Dufeal (10 points) also scored in double figures while Jose Perez flirted with a triple-double of nine points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Stewart scored six of UT Martin's first eight points before the Skyhawks took their first lead of the day after the initial media timeout. Back-to-back three-pointers by Craig Randall II and Hawthorne nudged UT Martin ahead before two straight buckets by Dove extended the Skyhawk advantage out to 20-11 at the 11:37 mark. The Runnin' Bulldogs later went on a 13-4 run to briefly take a one-point lead but Stewart reeled off eight consecutive points for UT Martin over a 1:41 stretch right before the break.

The Skyhawks were led by Stewart's 17 first-half points while Cornwall's 18 points paced Gardner-Webb.

The second half began with an 11-2 Runnin' Bulldog run but Hawthorne and Randall canned jumpers on back-to-back UT Martin possessions to result in a 48-47 Skyhawk lead. However, that would be the last time that UT Martin would hold the advantage as Gardner-Webb scored 24 of the game's next 29 points. Dove scored six of the Skyhawks' last nine points but ultimately it wasn't enough down the stretch.

UT Martin wraps up its participation in the Cancun Challenge when it takes on Boston University on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 11:30 a.m. CST. The game will serve as the Mayan Division third-place game as Boston fell by a 78-55 margin to Northern Colorado this afternoon.

Gallery: (11/26/2019) MBB vs. Gardner-Webb (Cancun Challenge)