The Skyhawks matched up against nationally ranked opponent Baylor in the Battleground 2k19 event in Houston, Texas, which is a three-game contest between UTM and Baylor, Utah State Aggies and South Florida Bulls, and the Oregon State Beavers and University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners.
The Skyhawks and Bears headlined the event on Dec. 18, but Baylor dispatched UTM in convincing fashion, winning 91-63.
UTM’s starters included sophomore guard Parker Stewart, senior forward Quinton Dove, senior guard Derek Hawthorne, junior center Hannes Polla and freshman guard Eman Sertovic.
For the sixth time this season, Stewart was the team’s leading point-scorer, putting up 18 points. Dove followed suit with 12 points of his own. Junior forward Miles Thomas recorded a career-best 17 points in only 20 minutes of playing time after being brought in from the bench, according to Sports Information.
Despite having a slight advantage on rebounds against the Bears (40-38), the Skyhawks weren’t able to keep up with Baylor. Dove led the team in rebounds with seven total (three offensive, four defensive).
Baylor’s offense was rolling throughout the match as five Bears scored into the double digits. Guards Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell led Baylor with 19 points each, accounting for roughly 41% of the Bears’ offensive production.
Helping the Bears’ offensive dominance was their advantage on shooting percentages. Overall, the Skyhawks were outshot on field goals by nearly 21% and three-pointers by only .4%, though the Bears had more three-point attempts.
Stewart led the team in first half scoring with 12 points. Though no Baylor player scored into the double digits in the first half, seven Bears made it on the scoreboard, and outscored UTM 38-30. Outside of Stewart and Dove (8), no other Skyhawk managed more than three points on the half.
The two squads came back in the second half only eight points apart from one another, but Baylor managed to pull away in the second. The Bears put up a whopping 58 points in the second, and three players scored 9+ points.
Stewart, the team’s usual points leader, was limited to just six points in the second, but Thomas picked up the slack with 14.
Overall, UTM couldn’t keep pace with Baylor. The Bears dominated in the paint, putting up 54 points in the paint as opposed to UTM’s 26. The Bears also beat out the Skyhawks in points off of turnovers (27-16) and fast-break points (16-6).
UTM’s only lead came very early in the game with a layup by Polla that had the Skyhawks up 2-1. The Skyhawks didn’t give the Bears an easy time in the first, as several one-point leads came before halftime (18-19, 28-29 and 30-31).
The Skyhawks drop to 3-7 on the season, and will play their first game in Martin since Nov. 9 against Mount Saint Joseph on Dec. 29.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
