The Skyhawk basketball squad utilized the offensive output of three key players to power past NCAA Division-III opponent Mount St. Joseph University (MSJ) 92-72.
UTM rolled with sophomore guard Parker Stewart, senior guard Derek Hawthorne, Jr., senior forward Quinton Dove, junior forward Miles Thomas and junior center Jordan Pierce on the starting lineup.
Three players on the starting lineup accounted for a whopping 72 of UTM’s 92 points, matching the total number of points scored by MSJ altogether. Stewart (28), Hawthorne (22) and Dove (22) scored roughly 78% of UTM’s points on the evening.
While Stewart didn’t put up as many rebounds as usual (only two rebounds, both defensive), he led the team (and game) in point production and showed off his playmaking ability by recording eight assists.
Dove and Thomas contributed more to UTM’s victory than just points on the scoreboard. Both players were instrumental in UTM’s control over the rebound game, with a combined 21 rebounds.
Pierce was limited to only three minutes of play time, allowing freshman guard Eman Sertovic to play the most minutes of any non-starter (21 minutes) and contribute six rebounds of his own, which tied for third on the team and trails only Hawthorne and Dove.
MSJ forward Devin Young was the Lions’ standout player on the evening, outscoring all UTM players, with the exception of Stewart, with 25 points. Young also contributed seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals. His contributions kept the Lions within somewhat close range with the Skyhawks on the scoreboard.
In the first half, Young carried his squad offensively with 13 points while no other MSJ played managed more than four points. At the end of the match, Young accounted for almost half (roughly 44.82%) of MSJ’s points.
The Skyhawks dominated in the first half of the match, controlling the rebound game with 26 as opposed to the Lions’ 10. UTM managed to outshoot the Lions with sub .500 shooting percentages on field goals (48.4%) and three-pointers (36.4%), ending the first half with a 38-29 lead.
Young got some offensive support in the second. Forward Reece Thomson contributed 11 points after halftime, only one point behind team-leader Devin Young. The Lions scored 43 points in the second.
MSJ nearly tied UTM on total second-half rebounds (16 for MSJ, 17 for UTM), but came up short on free throws, missing all four attempts.
UTM’s shooting numbers increased in the second, improving to over .500 in field goals (64.7%), three-pointers (50%) and free-throws (83.3%). Hawthorne saw most of his offensive production come after halftime, putting up 20 points and outscoring Stewart (17 points) after the half.
Despite the disparity in the quality of competition, the Lions didn’t go down without a fight. MSJ put up nearly as many points off of turnovers as the Skyhawks (8-10). The Lions trailed the Skyhawks with 38 points in the paint to the Skyhawks’ 50.
After a couple of lead changes in the early minutes of the first, the Lions prevented the Skyhawks from pulling away on the scoreboard until about halfway through the second.
Dove opened up the scoring with a layup, which prompted Young to sink a three-pointer and give MSJ a short-lived 3-2 lead. After a few misses and rebounds, Dove delivered another layup to give UTM the lead once more.
A jumper by Young gave MSJ their final lead of the game (5-4). UTM refused to give up the lead, and started to pull away from the Lions in the second when the Skyhawks went up nearly 20 points (60-43) and eventually sealed the win.
The victory, the last before conference play, puts the Skyhawks 4-7 on the season. UTM will be back in action Jan. 2 to kick off Ohio Valley Conference play in Murray, Kentucky, against the Murray State Racers.
Statistics provided courtesy of Sports Information.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
