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Men lose ’Hawk fight to SEMO, caged by Panthers in overtime


The UTM men suffered their eighth loss in nine OVC games as they dropped a 75-68 decision to Southeast Missouri in a battle of the Hawks.

The Skyhawks were led by Cleve Woodfork’s 21 points and Jared Newson’s double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Justin Smith also finished in double figures for the Skyhawks with 10 points.

The tone of the game was set early by both defenses as the two teams struggled to shoot the ball efficiently. Turnovers were also a factor that affected the flow of the game in the first 20 minutes. SEMO used early UTM turnovers to build a nine- point lead that they held for the remainder of the first half. They were also able to convert on offensive rebounds.

“Our execution wasn’t good,” said Skyhawk coach Bret Campbell. The Skyhawks were able to stay within striking distance of SEMO as a result of their free- throw shooting. The team finished the game hitting 20 of 29 attempts from the line, including 9 of 12 by Jared Newson and 7 of 8 by Cleve Woodfork. A run by the Syhawks in the final minute of the first half cut SEMO’s lead to 37-28 at the break. By the first media timeout at the 15:36 mark of the second half, the Redhawks’ lead was 13 at 51-38. The Skyhawks were able to convert on offense and cut the lead to single digits at 54-45 with 12:00 left. Will Lewis sparked the scoring burst for UTM with five consecutive points.

After SEMO pushed the lead to 60-50 with 8:57 left, the Skyhawks went on a 7-0 run to pull to within three points of the lead.

However, the Skyhawks were unable to grab key rebounds when they needed them most in the final 3:00 of the game and could never get closer than five points from the lead.

“We’re struggling with our confidence right now. We just keep coming up short,” said Coach Campbell. “We’ve got to put 40 minutes together.”

UTM played 40 minutes of solid basketball against Eastern Illinois Saturday night. Unfortunately for the Skyhawks, the game lasted 45 minutes.

In an exciting contest, EIU came away with a 96-91 victory in overtime.

Offensively, the Skyhawks hit a season-high nine three-pointers, allowing them to control the lead for most of the second half. The Panthers dominated the first half as they were able to swing the ball around the perimeter, making the extra pass to find the open shooter.

The Skyhawks were able to get the lead to single-digits at 42-33 with just over 3:00 left in the first half. From there, they closed the half with a 10-2 run to trail by one, 44-43, at the half. A potential game-tying three-pointer by Jared Newson as time expired was reviewed and ruled a two.

UTM claimed the lead early in the second half on a Jason Thompson jumper, and the see-saw began as the teams traded leads throughout the half.

The Skyhawks were more aggressive in going after offensive rebounds and getting second-chance opportunities, and led, 57-54, with just under 16:00 left.

Within seven minutes, their hustle had allowed them to claim their largest lead of the night at 74-65. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Panthers answered with a 9-0 run to even the score. The two teams then played a tense final minute of regulation with the score tied at 81.

The Panthers struck first in the overtime period and led by as many as five points on several occasions. Baskets by Will Lewis and Justin Smith brought the Skyhawks to within a point, 90-89, with 46.9 seconds left in overtime. EIU then hit a lay-up and four free throws to build a seven-point advantage. Aaron Ferrell converted on a jumper as time expired to finish the scoring.

The Skyhawks missed only one free throw in the second half and overtime combined, finishing the game at 71 percent. The Panthers knocked down 85 percent of their free throws. The game featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes. The loss dropped the Skyhawks’ record to 4-17 overall, 1-9 in OVC play. Eastern Illinois improved to 9-12 overall and 4-6 in the OVC.