Cameron Holden accumulated game-highs of 20 points, 16 rebounds and three steals today but the UTM men’s basketball team fell 79-57 to Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) rival Murray State.
A junior forward out of Forsyth, Georgia, Holden eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the fifth time in 10 games this season. His 16 rebounds shattered his previous career-high tally of 11 – which was set at Jacksonville State on Dec. 30 – as he hauled in his third double-double of the season (all in OVC play).
Jaron Williams also scored in double digits for the Skyhawks (3-7, 1-5 OVC) as the Rock Hill, South Carolina native compiled 11 points to go along with five rebounds and a team-high three assists. Kenton Eskridge additionally equaled a season-high with nine points for UTM, who only trailed by five points at the halftime break but was outscored 47-30 in the final 20 minutes.
Murray State (5-6, 2-4 OVC) placed five scorers in double figures, led by KJ Williams’ 17 points. Tevin Brown (13), Dionte Bostick (11), Demond Robinson (10) and Chico Carter, Jr. (10) also helped the Racers shoot 53.6 percent for the contest – including a 61.3 percent (19-of-31) clip in the second half.
“I thought our guys played with a lot of energy and effort,” Skyhawk interim head coach Montez Robinson said. “Sometimes when teams push their lead to double digits, we get a little antsy – we start pressing instead of just calming down and knowing there’s a lot of time on that clock, letting the game come to us. We still have a lot of games to play, we just need to stay the course and continue to fight.”
Holden scored UTM’s first six points before a Williams step-back three-pointer gave the Skyhawks a 9-7 lead at the 14:39 mark of the first half. After yet another Holden bucket 90 seconds later, Murray State went on a 6-0 run to reclaim the advantage.
A pair of Eskridge free throws with 5:34 remaining before the halftime break nudged UTM ahead by a 21-20 margin but the Racers followed with a 12-4 run. A driving layup by Eskridge with under a minute left in the first half cut Murray State’s lead to 32-27 at the intermission.
Leading the Skyhawks in scoring at the break was Holden, who nearly tallied a double-double (10 points, eight rebounds) in the first half alone. Brown’s 12 points lifted the Racers despite UTM forcing 10 turnovers in the game’s opening 20 minutes.
After Murray State scored on its opening possession of the second half, Ajani Kennedy knocked down a three-pointer and Holden converted an old-fashioned three-point play to keep the Skyhawks within a single possession at 36-33. However, the Racers scored 10 unanswered points to create some separation.
A layup by Williams at the 13:15 mark whittled UTM’s deficit to 48-39 but that was ultimately as close as the Skyhawks would get the rest of the way. Anthony Thomas dropped in a fast break layup with 7:34 to go that made the score 59-47 but Murray State followed with a 14-1 run to keep UT Martin at bay.
The Skyhawks go back on the road next week as they head to Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, Jan. 21 before a trip to Morehead State on Saturday, Jan. 23.
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