The UTM Skyhawks defeated the Champion Baptist Tigers 115-29 on Thursday night, breaking two school records in the process.
The Skyhawks (2-1) improved upon their previous best results with a new largest margin of victory (86 points) and fewest points allowed (29).
After the game, UTM head coach Heath Schroyer talked about his team performance.
“We took care of business,” said Schroyer. “I thought we shared the ball really well. Sometimes in those types of games, it gets out of hand offensively, and guys start to do their own thing. I really thought that we stayed within what it is that we do, and we shared the ball. Obviously, it’s great to get a win.”
The game remained close for the first four minutes of the game, after which the Skyhawks went on a 46-4 run that lasted for the majority of the first half. During that run, the Tigers were held scoreless for a span of eight minutes and 33 seconds. Meanwhile, the Skyhawks were able to convert 58 percent of their field goal attempts and hit six 3-pointers during the first half. The Skyhawks went to the locker room at halftime with a 58-14 lead over the Tigers.
The second half was more of the same for the Skyhawks, as they continued to put points on the board. UTM passed the 100 point mark with 6:35 remaining in the game.
Throughout the game, the Skyhawks saw production from their bench, with nine players checking into the game and scoring a combined 60 points from the bench. Five Skyhawks finished with double-digit scoring totals, including Myles Taylor, who scored a team-leading 18 points. Taylor also recorded three blocks, elevating him to seventh place on the UTM career blocks list with 65 total blocks.
Stephen Hurst, a Dyersburg, Tennessee native, led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points.
As a team, the Skyhawks shot 61 percent (43-71) from the field and 48 percent from 3-point range (14-29). The Skyhawks recorded a combined 53 total rebounds, 31 assists and 13 steals. Champion Baptist made only 23 percent of their field goals, including 17 percent from 3-point range, and had 21 turnovers, resulting in 37 Skyhawk points.
Following the victory, the Skyhawks are set to begin a six-game road trip, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 25 when they face Bethune-Cookman at 6 p.m. UTM’s next home game is scheduled for December 20, when they face Presbyterian.
