The defense of Tennessee State Tigers proved to be the bane of the UT Martin Skyhawks offense, as Tennessee State secured a 68–55 victory to advance to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Game.
The Tigers held UT Martin to just 55 points while limiting the Skyhawks to 38 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from three-point range—each below their season averages of 69.8 points, 42.1 percent shooting, and 30.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Tennessee State’s offense was efficient throughout the contest, shooting 47.3 percent from the field, slightly above its season average of 45.8 percent. The Tigers were particularly effective from long distance, knocking down 9-of-22 attempts (40.9 percent).
As has been the case all season, Tennessee State turned defense into offense. The Tigers forced 14 Skyhawk turnovers, converting them into 12 points. TSU also controlled the glass, grabbing 13 offensive rebounds and turning them into 10 second-chance points.
Tennessee State came out firing, connecting on its first three shots from beyond the arc to jump out to an early 11–5 lead. UT Martin settled in and eventually tied the game at 15 on a three-pointer by Matas Deniusas at the 11:40 mark of the first half.
The Tigers responded by outscoring the Skyhawks 13–5 over the next 5:34, taking a 28–20 lead on a jumper by Aaron Nkrumah. Tennessee State later pushed the lead to 36–26 before a late layup by Filip Petkovski trimmed the deficit to 36–28 heading into halftime.
UT Martin opened the second half with momentum, cutting the lead to 36–30. However, an 8–0 Tennessee State run pushed the advantage to 44–30 with 16:57 remaining.
The Skyhawks fought back once again, narrowing the gap to 47–39 on a three-pointer from Afan Trnka. But another 8–0 burst by the Tigers extended the lead to 55–39 with 11:27 left to play.
Tennessee State later stretched its advantage to as much as 66–46 on a jumper from Dante Harris with 5:15 remaining before closing out the 68–55 victory.
OVC Player of the Year Aaron Nkrumah led the Tigers with 19 points and three steals. Travis Harper added 14 points while knocking down four three-pointers, and Antione Lorick III recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 1 Tennessee State will face No. 2 Morehead State Eagles men’s basketball in the OVC Championship Game Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. CST.
The teams split their regular-season meetings, with Tennessee State winning 105–100 in overtime on January 15, while Morehead State earned a 94–86 victory on February 14.
