FOUR SCORE IN DOUBLE FIGURES BUT SKYHAWK MEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS VICTIM TO SECOND-HALF RALLY IN NARROW 72-68 SETBACK AT OLE MISS

Friday, November 18

Oxford, Miss.

6:30 p.m.

UT Martin

2-3,0-0OVC

Ole Miss

4-0,0-0SEC

UT Martin

Ole Miss

FOUR SCORE IN DOUBLE FIGURES BUT SKYHAWK MEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS VICTIM TO SECOND-HALF RALLY IN NARROW 72-68 SETBACK AT OLE MISS

11/18/2022 11:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team took a seven-point advantage into the halftime break and stretched its lead out to a dozen in the second half but Ole Miss snuck away with a 72-68 victory this evening.

Defense was the Skyhawks' calling card as UT Martin limited the Rebels to just 38.9 percent shooting (21-of-54) for the contest – including a 26.3 percent clip (5-for-19) from three-point land. However, Ole Miss was able to go on a 33-11 run and convert 25 of its 38 free throw tries (compared to 9-of-15 for the Skyhawks from the charity stripe).

UT Martin (2-3) put four scorers in double-digits, led by Parker Stewart's 13 points. KK Curry was very active as the junior forward from Cleveland, Tenn. posted a stat line of 12 points, three rebounds and a team-high four steals in 23 minutes of play. Chris Nix (10 points, game-high nine rebounds) and Desmond Williams (10 points thanks in large part to three trifectas) gave the Skyhawks noticeable offensive balance.

Matthew Murrell scored 16 points while Myles Burns (13 points) was the only other double-digit scorer for the Rebels out of the Southeastern Conference.

UT Martin led for 24:29 of clock time in this contest as the game featured nine lead changes and four ties. Stewart gave the Skyhawks the lead with a three-pointer on the game's opening possession. Another Stewart trey at the 16:35 mark opened up a 12-7 advantage for UT Martin.

Ole Miss went on an 8-2 run to temporarily reclaim the lead but it wasn't long until the Skyhawks were back in control. Williams buried a pair of three-point jumpers in the span of 47 seconds to make the score 20-15 in favor of UT Martin at the under-12-minute media timeout.

Following six straight points from the Rebels, another three-pointer – this time from Rifen Miguel – gave the Skyhawks a 25-21 advantage. UT Martin soon ended the half with seven of the final eight points – including William's third longball of the contest at the 1:57 mark – to propel the Skyhawks to a 39-32 lead at the break.

Williams' nine points were a game-high at the half as UT Martin connected on a scorching 54.5 percent (6-for-11) of its attempts from three-point range. Murrell's seven points guided Ole Miss.

Curry was responsible for four of the Skyhawks' first six points of the second half as his layup with 17:38 remaining resulted in UT Martin's biggest lead of the night at 45-33.

The efficient Skyhawk offense suddenly went cold as UT Martin did not score a field goal for a stretch of almost seven minutes of clock time. During that span, the Rebels went on a 17-2 run until a KJ Simon fast break dunk ended the Skyhawk spell and kept the squad within a single possession at 50-49 midway through the half.

Ole Miss then went on another lengthy run, tacking on a pair of 7-0 runs to go ahead 66-56 at the 4:24 mark. UT Martin did not waver as a Simon layup made it a two-point contest (70-68) with 16 seconds to go. However, the Rebels were able to inbound the ensuing possession cleanly and knock down a pair of free throws to provide the final 72-68 margin.

The Skyhawks' next outing is at home on Sunday, Nov. 20 when they collide against Prairie View A&M. Tipoff from the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 2 p.m.