By TSU Athletics
MARTIN, Tenn. (TSU News Service) — The Tennessee State men’s basketball team never trailed and delivered a dominant defensive performance to secure a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title with a 67-42 road victory over UT Martin on Feb. 28 at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
With the win, TSU snaps a 31-year drought as the conference’s top team at the conclusion of the regular season. The Tigers earned the No. 1 overall seed in the OVC Tournament and will play March 6 at 7 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
The Tigers (21-9, 15-5) held the Skyhawks to 32.6 percent shooting (15-for-46) from the field and just 19 percent (4-for-21) from three-point range. Tennessee State forced 19 turnovers and converted those takeaways into 20 points while limiting UT Martin to 21 points in each half.
Aaron Nkrumah led the Tigers with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line, while adding five rebounds and three steals. Travis Harper II added 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with five rebounds, and Antoine Lorick III contributed six points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Tennessee State controlled the glass with a 39-28 rebounding advantage and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds that resulted in 12 second-chance points. The Tigers also finished with 32 points in the paint and 23 fast-break points.
The Tennessee State defense was active throughout, recording six blocks and 13 steals while holding UT Martin to just 21 points in each half.
After playing to a 6-6 tie, Tennessee State went on an 11-0 run with 14:52 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Harper, to take a 17-6 lead. The Tigers pushed the advantage to as many as 18 in the first half and entered the break with a 35-21 lead.
Following intermission, Tennessee State continued to extend the margin. An 8-0 run midway through the second half stretched the lead to 50-24 with 11:58 remaining. The Tigers later built their largest lead of the game at 33 points before closing out the 25-point victory.
