UT Martin’s early lead was all but forgotten by the end of an 80-48 loss to Tennessee State in Ohio Valley Conference action Thursday night at the Gentry Center in Nashville.
Sophomore Myles Taylor compiled a season-high 25 points for UT Martin (4-13, 1-4 OVC).
He converted 11 of his 23 shot attempts, resulting in his 10th career 20-point performance. Taylor also pulled down a team-high six rebounds for the Skyhawks, who shot 32.8 percent (20-for-61) from the field.
Tennessee State (10-7, 4-0 OVC) was led by Kellen Thornton’s 13 points, while Patrick Miller added a dozen points for the Tigers.
“It seemed like there was a lid on the bucket late in the first half,” UTM head coach Jason James said. “We were executing and getting layups, we just weren’t making them. When you don’t make the easy ones, the outside jumpers become harder and harder. The game was physical on both ends and I thought the physicality of the game just wore us down and we weren’t able to overcome that.”
The duo of Taylor and Justin Childs helped the Skyhawks get out to a quick lead as the pair accounted for six points apiece to help UT Martin go ahead 12-7 at the 14:34 mark of the first half.
However, Tennessee State responded with 10 unanswered points until a Taylor leaner in the paint made the score 17-14 with 10:38 to play in the first half.
The Tigers would then tack on seven unanswered to go up 24-14 until an old-fashioned three-point play by Mike Liabo at the 7:49 mark got UT Martin within seven points.
The Tigers pieced together a 13-2 run until a three-pointer by Dee Oldham off an inbounds play made the score 37-22 at the 2:47 mark. Tennessee State concluded the first half on a 9-2 run to take a 46-24 lead at the break.
Taylor’s 10 first-half points led the Skyhawks, while Kellen Thornton tallied 11 points to lead Tennessee State.
Taylor started the second half on a roll, tossing in UT Martin’s first eight points over a stretch of 2:55. Jeremy Washington and Terence Smith followed with baskets on back-to-back possessions to cap off a 12-4 Skyhawk run to begin the second half of play.
After the Skyhawks cut the deficit to 14 six minutes into the second half, Tennessee State scored 12 of the next 14 points to go on top by a 62-38 margin midway through the half.
UT Martin resumes OVC play Saturday when it travels to league newcomer Belmont, tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m.

Published in The Messenger 1.11.13