title image via Tennessee State Basketball
87
Tennessee St. 17-14,10-8 OVC
96
Winner UT Martin 21-10,14-4 OVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee St. | 43 | 44 | 87 |
| UT Martin | 40 | 56 | 96 |
The Tennessee State men’s basketball team came up short in a 96-87 loss to the UT Martin Skyhawks on the road Saturday.
The Tigers (17-14, 10-8) had four players score in double figures, led by Marcus Fitzgerald Jr., who had 18 points and five assists. Ej Bellinger tacked on 15 points and Kinyon Hodges chipped in as well with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Led by Jason Jitoboh’s three offensive rebounds, Tennessee State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards that resulted in 13 second chance points.
How It Happened
Tennessee State started out the scoring by going on a 9-0 run, culminating in a three from Bellinger, to take an early lead with 17:32 left in the first half. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 43-40 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 43 points.
Tennessee State kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Jitoboh’s jumper, to grow the lead to 52-42 with 17:08 to go in the contest. UT Martin then asserted control, outscoring the Tigers 54-35 the rest of the way to hand Tennessee State the 96-87 loss. Tennessee State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 44 total points.
Game Notes» Tennessee State lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. led the Tigers with 18 points.
» Tennessee State got a team-high eight rebounds from Jason Jitoboh.
Next Up
The Tigers will head to the OVC Tournament as the fifth seed and will take on Southern Indiana (8th) in their first-round matchup. Tip-off from the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., is slated for 6:30 p.m.
Next Game: vs. Southern Indiana 3/6/2024 | 6:30 PM ESPN+ WNSR — 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), 107.9 FM (Smyrna)
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | TSU | UTM |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .500 | .429 |
| 3FG% | .310 | .385 |
| FT% | .720 | .941 |
| RB | 35 | 38 |
| TO | 12 | 7 |
| STL | 3 | 6 |
