Zac Swansey's late 3-pointers spark exciting homecourt victory

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – UT Martin turned up the heat in the second half. Tennessee Tech responded by turning it up even hotter. Down the stretch, the visiting Skyhawks were on fire.

By the time the final horn sounded, Eblen Center was sizzling and the game steamed into high-intensity overtime. Then another. And another.

Through triple overtime, the Golden Eagles (8-7/4-2 OVC) pulled out a 109-105 Ohio Valley Conference victory Thursday night. UT Martin (4-14/0-7 OVC), made a heroic bid for its first conference win of the season, but was foiled by Tech's depth and Zac Swansey's cool.

The junior guard hit a couple of clutch 3-pointers that made the difference in the final overtime. He finished with 19 points and 11 assists. He was one of six Tech players to score in double figures.

Kevin Murpy led all scorers with 25 points, and also had six rebounds and five assists. Dennis Ogbe came off the bench to score 18 and grab nine boards, Jud Dillard had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Chase Dunn and Zach Bailey each netted 10.

Playing without starting post Terrell Barnes (at his grandmother's funeral), the Golden Eagles lost four more players to fouls. In the end, reserve Charles Newton hit two free throws with two seconds remaining to clinch the contest.

UT Martin had five players reach double figures, led by Troy King with 22 points and nine rebounds. Rueben Clayton had 18 points, six boards and four steals, Benzor Simmons and Mike Liabo finished with 14 each, and Terrence Smith had 13 points. Omari Minor contributed nine points and seven assists.

The Skyhawks also lost four players to fouls in the contest, which had 57 infractions. Tech was 23-for-35 at the free throw line, while UTM went 25-for-39 at the charity stripe.

After leading by six at halftime, 34-28, the Golden Eagles built a lead as large as 15 points midway in the second half. But UTM went on an 18-4 run to catch up, and took a one-point lead, 75-74, on a 3-pointer by Liabo. A layup by Smith with 48 seconds to go tied things at 78. 

Martin had the ball for the final 11 seconds of regulation after a miss by Dillard, but Tech's defense wouldn't allow the Skyhawks to get off a shot, forcing the first overtime.

Each team scored nine points in the first overtime, with Dunn's two free throws with 33 seconds remaining forcing the second extra session. The Golden Eagles missed two tries in the final 10 seconds and UTM misfired with one second to play.

They did exactly the same in the second overtime, each team netting nine points. UTM led by three, and the Golden Eagles were up by two following a 3-pointer by Swansey with 34 seconds to play. Clayton's layup with 22 seconds left tied it at 96-96 andboth teams missed shots in the final two seconds.

The Skyhawks pulled on top by three early in the third period as King drained all three free throws, and Tech turned it around on baskets by Ogbe and Murphy. Tech managed  a three-point lead on another 3-pointer by Swansey that broke a tie with 1:38 to go to make it 106-103.

Up 107-105 with four second remaining, Newton missed both free throws but the Skyhawks were called for traveling and forced to foul again. This time Newton made both to put the contest out reach.

It's the fourth time this season that the Golden Eagles have won back-to-back games. On Saturday, Tech will try to make it three straight for the first time this year when preseason favorite and defending OVC champion Murray State visits Eblen Center for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

It's Basketball Alumni Night, with several former men's and women's players scheduled to return to town. Saturday is also Putnam County Night, as residents of Putnam County can purchase tickets for $1 each.

To order tickets, or for more information visit or call (931-372-3940) the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center.