The UTM men’s basketball team played a solid first half this afternoon at Austin Peay (APSU) but the Skyhawks struggled offensively over the final 20 minutes of an 82-63 loss to the Governors.
UTM (4-9, 0-2 Ohio Valley Conference) led by as many as six points in the first half behind a strong effort from Quinton Dove, who had a game-high 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting at the break. However, the Skyhawks were held scoreless over the first 7:33 of the second half and did not score their first field goal until 9:46 on the clock.
Dove finished with a double-double for UTM, securing 30 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes of play. He sank 12 of his 13 field goal attempts and all six of his free throw tries, nabbing seven offensive rebounds in the process.
Parker Stewart added 11 points and a career-high seven assists to round out the double-digit scorers for the Skyhawks, who were down to nine healthy players because of illness and injuries.
APSU (8-7, 2-0 OVC) was led by Terry Taylor as the OVC Preseason Player of the Year came away with 32 points and 12 rebounds. Jordyn Adams (13 points) and Pavle Djurisic (11 points) also led the way for the Governors.
“We came out in the second half and couldn’t buy a shot,” UTM head coach Anthony Stewart said. “We had some younger guys that had to step up – we were a body down and only had one sub at guard so it was tough. We went to Quintin a lot today but it just wasn’t enough – he needed a little help.”
Dove scored eight points in a row for the Skyhawks in an early stretch of 3:17. The senior forward from Cleveland, Ohio gave UTM its first lead with a pair of free throws at the 13:05 mark. He then followed with a fast break layup a little over a minute later to help the Skyhawks expand their lead out to 21-15. UTM stayed on top for over five minutes of clock time before a 14-3 Governor run helped APSU lay claim to a 40-35 halftime advantage.
Dove’s 18 points were seven points more than any player on both sides as the Skyhawks shot 52 percent (13-for-25) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. Taylor’s 11 points and game-high five rebounds paced the Governors.
The second half began with 14 unanswered Austin Peay points as UTM went 0-for-5 from the floor, 0-for-4 from the free throw line and committed eight turnovers before getting on the scoreboard courtesy of a Miles Thomas free throw at the 12:27 mark. Dove was responsible for the Skyhawks’ first field goal – a layup with 9:46 remaining – to end the drought. Derek Hawthorne, Jr. knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner at the 6:16 mark to pull UTM within 13 points at 65-52 but that was ultimately as close as the Skyhawks would get the rest of the way.
UTM comes home for a four-game homestand against OVC opponents, starting with a pair of matchups next week. The Skyhawks will take on Tennessee State at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9 before squaring off against Belmont at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11.
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