MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball staff acquired potent frontcourt enjoy this afternoon but the Skyhawks dropped an 81-55 property selection to Belmont.
UT Martin (6-9, 2-1 Ohio Valley Convention) collected 41 factors – 74.5 % of its scoring output – from four unique forwards and gained the turnover fight by a 17-15 margin. On the other hand, the Bruins shot 61.4 per cent (35-of-57) from the ground on the way to their seventh consecutive gain.
Chris Nix guided the Skyhawks offensively nowadays, scoring a vocation-finest 17 factors on 8-of-9 capturing. The 6-9, 215-pound redshirt sophomore from Bellevue, Tenn. moreover contributed three rebounds and two helps in just 23 minutes of enjoying time.
Bernie Andre posted 15 points and a activity-significant 6 rebounds to spherical out the double-digit scorers for UT Martin.
Belmont (12-3, 2- OVC) positioned 3 scorers in double figures – led by Nick Muszynski’s 20 factors, 6 rebounds, four helps and a few blocks. Ben Sheppard (13 factors) and Grayson Murphy (12 details, 8 helps) also guided the Bruins, who ended up tabbed as the OVC preseason favorites.
“We ran into a buzzsaw tonight,” Skyhawk head mentor Ryan Ridder mentioned. “Belmont is clearly 1 of the ideal teams in our league, one of the best teams in mid-main basketball and very truthfully a person of the very best teams we have performed all yr. When you’re enjoying a crew of Belmont’s caliber, you have to perform genuinely effectively to give your self a prospect to gain. We just didn’t shoot the ball properly – to score 55 points at home is not going to be great enough to conquer a crew like that.”
Nix scored UT Martin’s first four factors right before Andre took in excess of with five of the following 7 – such as a 3-pointer a very little about five minutes into the contest that gave the Skyhawks an 11-7 edge.
The Bruins proceeded with an 11- operate right before a floater in the paint from KJ Simon at the 10:54 mark ended Belmont’s momentum. That started a stretch where five various UT Martin players scored the upcoming five buckets as KK Curry, Nix and Koby Jeffries included scores right before Andre canned a trey to get the Skyhawks back within just a solitary possession (27-24) with 6:31 remaining in the 1st 50 %.
Belmont scored 9 of the subsequent 10 points in the contest, helping the Bruins claim a 42-31 gain at the split.
Andre was liable for a match-high 12 factors at the 50 % whilst Nix pitched in 10 factors for UT Martin. The Bruin duo of Muszynski and Murphy every experienced 10 points in the opening 20 minutes.
Just as he did in the initial half, Nix dialed up the Skyhawks’ initial 4 details of the last period of time. Subsequent a speedy break driving layup by Simon at the 16:47 mark, the UT Martin offense went chilly. Belmont went on a 28-8 run around the up coming 11:50 to make some separation.
A triple from the left corner by Josiah Morris with 4:46 remaining was UT Martin’s initial 3-pointer of the second fifty percent – snapping an -for-9 skid to start out the ultimate stanza. Nonetheless, the Skyhawks’ deficit was also substantial to conquer down the stretch.
UT Martin goes back on the road for its following outing, touring to Morehead State on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Tipoff time from Ellis T. Johnson Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.