image via TSU Basketball
Courtesy Tennessee State Athletics
— Ronald Jessamy finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Knute Wood had a career-best 19 points as the Tennessee State men’s basketball team defeated UT Martin, 86-75, on Tuesday evening at the Elam Center.
The Tigers (14-14, 10-7) had five players score in double figures, led by Wood, who had 19 points. Carlous Williams helped out with 15 points and six rebounds.
The Tennessee State offense was impressive from downtown, knocking down 12 threes on 24 attempts. Wood hit five treys for the Tigers in the contest.
Tennessee State forced 14 UT Martin turnovers. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 21 points on the offensive end of the floor. Aaron Nkrumah’s six steals led the way for Tennessee State. The Tennessee State shot 50 percent from deep.
How It Happened
After falling behind 17-15, Tennessee State went on a 14-0 run with 8:26 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Nkrumah, to take a 29-17 lead. The Tigers then added four points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 43-27 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down seven shots to account for 21 of its 43 points.
Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 10-0 run to grow the lead to 76-54 with 7:12 to go in the contest. The Skyhawks narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 86-75 win. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 19 of its 43 total points.
Game Notes
» Ronald Jessamy notched a double-double for the Tigers with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
» The Tigers made half of their attempts from three point range, knocking down 12 of 24 shots.
» Tennessee State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Tennessee State tallied 16 total assists in the game.
» The Tennessee State bench came alive by scoring 39 points to its scoring output.
» Five Tennessee State players scored 10 or more points.
» Knute Wood and Ronald Jessamy came off the bench to score 19 and 16 points, respectively.
» Tennessee State had a 38-26 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Knute Wood led the Tigers with 19 points.
» Tennessee State got a game-high 11 rebounds from Ronald Jessamy.
