STIFLING DEFENSE DOWN THE STRETCH LIFTS SKYHAWK MEN’S HOOPS TO 66-64 VICTORY OVER OVC LEADER JACKSONVILLE STATE

Thursday, February 7

Martin, Tenn.

7:30 P.M.

UT Martin

7-15 (2-9OVC)

Jacksonville State

16-8 (8-3OVC)

Jacksonville State

UT Martin

STIFLING DEFENSE DOWN THE STRETCH LIFTS SKYHAWK MEN’S HOOPS TO 66-64 VICTORY OVER OVC LEADER JACKSONVILLE STATE

2/7/2019 11:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score PDF Boxscore Photo Gallery Postgame Press Conference

MARTIN, Tenn. – A game-ending run featuring several big plays on both ends by the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team directly led to a 66-64 triumph over Jacksonville State at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

In a game that featured 22 lead changes and 14 ties, the Skyhawks (7-15, 2-9 Ohio Valley Conference) buckled down defensively this evening. UT Martin outscored Jacksonville State by an 8-2 margin over the final 2:18, limiting the Gamecocks to just 26 points in the second half.

Meanwhile, Preston Parks took over the Skyhawk offense late, tossing in 10 points in the final 3:33. The junior southpaw helped UT Martin trim a six-point deficit with less than four minutes to play, eventually swishing the game-winning trey with 1:23 to go.

Quintin Dove came up with 21 points this evening, making 10 of his 13 field goal attempts while adding three steals in 26 minutes off the bench. Parks dialed up 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting – including a 4-for-5 effort from beyond the three-point arc. Delfincko Bogan added 10 points while Craig Randall II (nine points, four assists, four steals) and Jailen Gill (team-high eight rebounds, game-high three blocks) also played well for the Skyhawks, who held an 18-0 edge in fast break points.

Entering the game as one of four teams tied for the OVC lead, Jacksonville State (16-8, 8-3 OVC) received 16 points out of Marlon Hunter while Jason Burnell tallied a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ty Hudson chipped in 10 points for a Gamecock team that shot 37.9 percent (including 14.3 percent from three-point range) over the final 20 minutes.

"I'm really proud of my guys," UT Martin head coach Anthony Stewart. "They deserve the win – they have worked for it and we finally caught a break. Our defense is still a work in progress but we are getting better. We changed some things up after the Eastern Kentucky game (on Jan. 17) and we have progressively gotten better each game. Our defense basically won us the game."

Gill got things started with a dunk off an alley-oop from Bogan just 21 seconds into the contest. Parks canned a three-pointer at the 11:33 mark to give the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the game at 16-13. The Gamecocks briefly reclaimed the advantage before Bogan knocked down a mid-range jumper to even the score at 31-all. However, Jacksonville State wrapped up the opening half with seven unanswered points to lead 38-31 at the break. Dove managed a game-high 11 points at the break while De'Torrion Ware's eight points paced the Gamecocks.

After UT Martin scored the first seven points of the second half, a Dove jumper in the paint tilted the score back in favor of the Skyhawks at 44-42. Neither side would lead by more than four points until Jacksonville State took a 60-54 lead with 3:57 left to play. That's when Parks took over, as he made a pair of free throws, a fast break layup and a pair of trifectas over a 2:10 span. After his three-pointer gave UT Martin a 66-64 lead, the Skyhawk defense held their ground as the Gamecocks had four chances to tie or take the lead in the final 1:23.

UT Martin continues its three-game homestand on Saturday, Feb. 9 when it takes on in-state OVC rival Tennessee Tech. Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 3:30 p.m., following the women's game as part of a doubleheader.