Image via Tennessee State Athletics
In what is easily one of the program’s most pivotal games in three decades, the Tennessee State showed the moment was not too big, emphatically defeating UT Martin, 67-42.
Tennessee State’s defense set the tone, holding the Skyhawks to just 32.6% (15-46) from the floor, 19% (4-21) from downtown; they were even more stringent in the first half, where they allowed Martin to shoot 29.2% (7-24) from the field. The TSU defense forced 19 Skyhawks turnovers, which translated into 20 Tennessee State points.
The Tigers also won the battle on the glass outrebounding UT Martin 39-28 but also pulling down 12 offensive boards and scoring 12 second-chance points.
After a trio of ties in the opening 3:57, Tennessee State took control, going on a 13-0 run over 4:49 to take a 19-6 lead at the 11:12 mark of the half. The score stretched to 18 for the first time at 30-12 on Aaron Nkrumah’s layup with 4:36 left in the half. Nkrumah scored 16 in the first half and had single-handedly outscored Martin until 2:58 left in the half when Pedro Santos’ turnaround made the score 35-17. Tennessee State’s defense took a 35-21 lead into halftime.
Tennessee State continued to bring the effort on defense in the second half, as the Skyhawks did not convert their first field goal until Santos’ layup at the 11:41 mark, which made the score 50-26.
Tennessee State continued to keep its collective foot on the gas, extending the lead to as much as 33 points and cruising to a comfortable 67-42 win.
Aaron Nkrumah led a pair of Tigers in double figures with 20 points, to go along with 5 rebounds and a team-high 3 steals. Travis Harper II added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Dante Harris scored 6 points and 5 assists but scored the 1000th point of his screed in the contest.
The win clinches the no.1 seed and a share of the regular season OVC crown for the first time since 1995. They will get a double bye in the upcoming OVC Tournament and will not take the court until Friday night in the semifinal round.
