Posted: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 1:16 pm

Delrico Lane

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — The University of Tennessee at Martin led for the last 35 minutes of the game Saturday night at the Pete Mathews Coliseum, placing three players in double-figures en route to a 92-73 win over the host Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The win gave UT Martin its 10th victory in its last 11 games to improve to 12-6, with a 5-3 Ohio Valley Conference mark.
Lester Hudson had game highs of 25 points, eight rebounds and five steals to lead the Skyhawks, and Marquis Weddle tallied 20 points (6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range) to close out the win for UT Martin.
Delrico Lane continued his strong play by reaching six career highs in the game, including 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor. Lane had a game-high six assists to pace UTM.
The Gamecocks were led by Jonathan Toles’ 21 points. Nick Murphy and Jeremy Bynum each chipped in 15 points for Jacksonville State (8-8, 2-5 OVC), which has dropped seven of its last nine.
After Olajide Hay made one free throw 16 seconds into the game, the Skyhawks found themselves down by six early, when DeAndre Bray made a jumper in the paint at the 18:07 mark. UT Martin scrambled back by going on a 9-2 run over the next 2:26 to take a 10-9 lead.
The Gamecocks got a bucket from Murphy to go ahead by one, but UT Martin used a 14-3 run over a stretch of 4:22 to lead by 13 points.
After Jacksonville State cut the UT Martin lead to seven, the Skyhawks went on a tear from the field, ending the half on a 13-1 run over the last 3:00 to take a 50-31 lead to the locker room. It was the second time the Skyhawks had broken the 50-point barrier in the first half this season, and first time against a Division I foe. UT Martin also scored 59 points in the first half against Maryville on Nov. 14.
The Skyhawks went 17 for 27 from the field in the first half, including nine for 15 from beyond the 3-point line. The 63 percent from the field was a season-high for UTM, and their 60 percent accuracy from behind the 3-point arc tied a season high. The Skyhawks also hit 60 percent (three out of five) against Fordham on Dec. 28.
Hudson had a game-high 16 points at the break. Weddle had 12 points on four 3-pointers to lead UT Martin.
The Skyhawks picked up in the second half where they left off in the first, scoring the first seven points to take a 57-31 lead with 17:35 left in the game. The Gamecocks then went on an 11-2 run to cut the UT Martin lead to 16 points, but UT Martin answered right back with an 11-3 run of its own over 3:56 to push the lead back out to 24.
A Weddle 3-pointer off a high screen at the 7:46 mark gave UT Martin a 25-point lead – the biggest of the night – and Jacksonville State didn’t get any closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
UT Martin will return home for its next two games – a Jan. 22 matchup against Southeast Missouri and a Jan. 24 game against Eastern Illinois. Tipoff from the Elam Center for the Thursday Southeast Missouri game is scheduled for 7 p.m., while Saturday’s matchup with Eastern Illinois is slated for a 6 p.m. tipoff time.