UT MARTIN MEN’S BASKETBALL LEAVES IT ALL ON THE FLOOR IN 81-67 SETBACK AT NC STATE

Tuesday, December 12

Raleigh, NC

6 p.m.

UT Martin

6-5,0-0OVC

NC State

7-2,1-0ACC

UT Martin

NC State

UT MARTIN MEN’S BASKETBALL LEAVES IT ALL ON THE FLOOR IN 81-67 SETBACK AT NC STATE

12/12/2023 10:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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RALEIGH, NC – The University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team traded blows with NC State this evening, hanging tough throughout the contest before falling 81-67 at the perennial Atlantic Coast Conference contender.

The Skyhawks (6-5) led for over six minutes in the opening half and were within six points with 12:44 remaining. The Wolfpack then made five 3-pointers during a 6:20 stretch but UT Martin continued to battle, ending the contest on a 13-5 run. The Skyhawks held NC State to 35.3 percent (12-of-34) shooting in the final 20 minutes and were even with the host Wolfpack on the glass as each team snared 40 rebounds apiece.

Jacob Crews (3-for-5 from three-point range) and Jordan Sears (4-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc) compiled 20 points apiece for the Skyhawks while also hauling in seven rebounds each. KK Curry secured season-highs in points (14), rebounds (8) and assists (3) while David Kamwanga went off for career-bests in scoring (eight points), rebounding (10) and minutes played (25) in his second straight start.

NC State (7-2) saw DJ Horne score a game-high 22 points while Dennis Parker, Jr. (14 points, 10 rebounds) and DJ Burns, Jr. (10 points, 12 rebounds) both tallied double-doubles. Jayden Taylor added 13 points for the Wolfpack, an NCAA Tournament participant last season.

"NC State is a really good basketball team, especially on their floor," UT Martin head coach Ryan Ridder said. "I thought our guys battled their tails off and competed at a high level. We stuck to our gameplan but NC State just made some timely shots. There's a lot to build on from this effort tonight – I'm proud of our team and our best basketball is ahead of us."

Gallery: (12-12-2023) MBB at NC State

A layup from Sears on the game's opening possession and a three-pointer from Justus Jackson gave the Skyhawks a 5-2 lead. A rare four-point play by Crews – his third trey of the first 7:35 of the contest – pushed UT Martin's advantage out to 20-16.

The Wolfpack soon scored 10 unanswered points, eventually leading by 12 points until back-to-back layups from Kamwanga sliced the Skyhawk deficit to six points. NC State took a 46-35 lead into the halftime break after a 7-2 run.

Crews accounted for a game-high 14 points at the half while Taylor (11) and Horne (10) both scored in double figures in the first half.

Layups from Jackson and Sears helped UT Martin pull within seven points in the early stages of the second half. Kamwanga was responsible for four consecutive Skyhawk points to make the score 55-49 before the Wolfpack went on their extended run – scoring 21 of the next 26 points behind their aforementioned three-point success.

Sears scored eight of UT Martin's last 12 points down the stretch as the Skyhawks battled until the final horn.

UT Martin is off until Monday, Dec. 18 when it completes its nonconference road slate at Evansville. Tipoff from the Ford Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.