MARTIN, Tenn. — The Tennessee State men's basketball team held UT Martin to just 20 percent from 3-point range in a 3-for-15 shooting performance on the way to an 88-82 win against the Skyhawks on the road Thursday evening at the Elam Center.

With a win on Saturday, TSU clinches at minium at top four-seed and will play on Thursday in the upcoming OVC Tournament. TSU can also finish in the top 4 with a loss to USI and losses by Tennessee Tech and SEMO.

The Tigers (18-12, 10-7) had four players score in double figures, led by Zion Griffin, who had 19 points. Adong Makuoi tacked on 16 points and eight rebounds and Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. helped out with 15 points.

Tennessee State grabbed 37 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to UT Martin's 34, led by eight boards from Makuoi. The Tigers also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 11 rebounds into 15 second chance points.

Tennessee State's defense held UT Martin to only 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Skyhawks did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with eight offensive rebounds and managed seven second chance points while Tennessee State cleared 26 defensive rebounds.

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 30-21 advantage, Tennessee State went on a 9-0 run with 5:57 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Griffin, to increase its lead to 39-21. The Tigers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 41-33 advantage. Tennessee State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 41 points.

The Tigers then held on for the victory in the second half. Tennessee State made the most of seven offensive rebounds to tack on 11 second chance points out of 47 total in the period.

Game Notes

» Tennessee State lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 treys in the game.
» Tennessee State tallied 17 total assists in the game.
» Jr. Clay totaled 11 assists for Tennessee State.
» Tennessee State had a stellar day defensively, holding UT Martin to 20 percent from beyond the arc on 15 attempts.
» Tennessee State had a 37-34 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Tennessee State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» The Tigers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Tennessee State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Zion Griffin led the Tigers with 19 points.
» Tennessee State got a game-high eight rebounds from Adong Makuoi.

Up Next
The regular season concludes on Saturday at home against Southern Indiana at 3:30 PM (ESPN+, 102.1 FM)