Tennessee St defeats UT Martin 78-71
Tennessee St Edges UT Martin in Thrilling Comeback Victory
The Gentry Center was electric on Saturday night as Tennessee State (ST) hosted their conference rivals, UT Martin (UTM). The Blue Raiders came out strong, leading 32-37 at halftime, but the Skyhawks refused to back down. In a thrilling second half, UTM erased a five-point deficit to take an early lead, only for ST to mount another comeback and secure a 78-71 win.
The turning point in the game came at the 5:42 mark of the second half when UTM took its largest lead of the night, 62-65. However, that's when Tennessee St began to take control. Aaron Nkrumah, who led all scorers with 23 points, hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two, and Jalen Pitre followed up with a layup to tie the game at 67-67.
The Skyhawks struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 4-19 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Tennessee St's offense was clicking, with Dante Harris pouring in 13 points and grabbing six rebounds to complement Nkrumah's efforts.
As the clock ticked down, it became clear that this one would go down to the wire. With just over a minute left, UTM's Matas Deniusas hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 74-74. The Blue Raiders capitalized on the ensuing possession, with Nkrumah scoring in the paint and Pitre grabbing an offensive rebound to seal the win.
The final margin of victory was seven points, a testament to the back-and-forth nature of the contest. Tennessee St outrebounded UT Martin 32-39, but it was their ability to capitalize on turnovers and limit UTM's three-point shooting that ultimately proved decisive.
In the end, it was another thrilling win for the Blue Raiders, who improved to [insert ranking or context]. For UT Martin, the loss stings, but they'll take heart in their resilience in the face of adversity. The Skyhawks will look to bounce back quickly as they head into next week's matchup against [insert opponent].
Game Stats:
* Tennessee St (HOME): 30/60 FG, 26/50 2PT FG, 4/10 3PT FG, 14/18 FT
* UT Martin (AWAY): 23/55 FG, 19/36 2PT FG, 4/19 3PT FG, 21/29 FT
Game Leaders:
* Tennessee St:
+ Aaron Nkrumah - 23 points, 0-2 3PT
+ Jalen Pitre - 9 points, 6 rebounds
+ Dante Harris - 13 points, 6 rebounds
* UT Martin:
+ Matas Deniusas - 17 points, 9 rebounds