UTM came within a few minutes of pulling off a huge road victory as they traveled to Morehead State and led for a large portion of the game before falling to a late Morehead rally, 75-69.

The Skyhawks led by as many as 10 points in the second half and held a one- point lead at 52-51 with 7:30 remaining in the game before Morehead State took control.

The Eagles shot 63 percent for the game, including 71 percent in the second half, when they overcame a five point Skyhawk halftime advantage.

As the second half started, MSU benefited from two UTM turnovers to trim the lead to one with 17:47 left only to see the Skyhawks push it up to 10 at 48-38 with 13:00 left.

“We got away from what got us the lead. We got in a hurry,” said Skyhawk coach Bret Campbell.

Eagles guard Quinton Smith had a huge game, scoring 29 points to lead all scorers.

Smith hit a three-pointer as part of a 6-0 MSU run that pulled them to within a point, 50-49, with 8:30 left.

After the Eagles claimed the lead on their next offensive possession, Skyhawk guard Aaron Ferrell punctuated a fast break with a layup to give UTM its last lead at 52-51.

“I thought Aaron Ferrell gave us the best game of his career. We need to have guys step up and have career nights,” Campbell said. Ferrell started in place of suspended point guard Tyler George, who missed the game as a result of an altercation during the Tennessee State game on January 20.

With about five minutes to go, MSU took over the game, helped by its amazing accuracy from the field.

The lead was 61-56 for the Eagles with 4:15 UTM’s Justin Smith hit a three-pointer, followed by a Will Lewis steal and dunk.

The teams traded free throws down the stretch, but the game was just out of the reach of the Skyhawks.

UTM finished the game shooting 42 percent from the floor.

The Skyhawks out-rebounded the Eagles, 33-29, and forced 20 Eagle turnovers while committing only 17.

UTM was led by Jason Thompson with 15 points and Cleve Woodfork with 14 points.

Jared Newson joined them in double figures with 11 points. Will Lewis added 10 points of his own.

The emotional hangover from Thursday night’s tough loss combined with the stress of the difficult annual Kentucky road trip proved harmful to the Skyhawks as they were defeated by Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, 95-71. The Colonels charged to an early 7-0 lead before the Skyhawks settled down and closed the gap to 10-6. A Jared Newson free throw brought the team to within a point of EKU at 16-15 before the Colonels began their offensive domination. EKU hit 12 three-pointers in the game, led by Ben Rushing with four. Their outside shooting allowed the Colonels to extend the lead to 55-35 at halftime. The colonels continued their torrid shooting pace as the lead ballooned to 72-46 at the under-12 media timeout. The margin eventually reached 30 points at 87-57 with 4:06 remaining before the Skyhawks trimmed it to the final difference of 24 points. “It’s very hard to go through this again,” said Campbell. “When you allow 95 points, you’re not beating anybody.” EKU shot 50 percent from beyond the arc compared to UTM’s 30. The Colonels also out rebounded the Skyhawks, 30-29, and forced 18 turnovers while giving the ball up only 13 times. The Skyhawks were led by Jared Newson’s 20 points and 10 rebounds. Cleve Woodfork added 15 points for UTM. “We’re not good enough to have one or two players show up,” said Campbell. “We need everyone to show up and that didn’t happen.” For the Skyhawks, it was their seventh loss in eight conference games, dropping their record to 4-15 overall. The Skyhawks will look to get back in the win column as they come home for four straight games beginning Thursday, February 3, against Southeast Missouri.