The Skyhawks couldn’t have chosen a better night to snap an eight-game losing streak as they honored their seniors, sending them off in style with a 59-56 victory over Tennessee Tech.

The teams played evenly in the first 10 minutes but the Skyhawks struggled with turnovers and rebounds in the first half as they fell behind the Golden Eagles at halftime 28-18.

The Skyhawks’ low point total was the result of poor shooting as they made only 25 percent of their field goals.

Early in the second half, the Skyhawks struggled both on offense and on defense as Tech went on a 7-0 run in the first two minutes to extend the lead to 35-18.

Throughout the early part of the half, the two teams exchanged possession of the control of the game.

Every time the Skyhawks would cut into the lead, the Golden Eagles would break the game open again.

The Skyhawks got as close as 37-30 with 14:13 remaining before the Golden Eagles erupted for a 9-0 run to take a 16-point lead with 11:35 remaining.

The Skyhawks desperately needed an answer, and they found it in a big way.

A jumper by Justin Smith ignited an amazing 18-0 Skyhawk run, capped by a three-point play by Aaron Ferrell with 5:42 left in the game to give the Skyhawks their first lead since the 13:45 mark of the first half, 48-46.

Cleve Woodfork contributed some key free throws to the rally. “This win is real big,” Woodfork said. “It’s a big step for us for the rest of this season and also for next year.”

It was a free throw by Woodfork with 11.5 seconds left in the game that gave the Skyhawks a two-point lead.

With 2:32 left in the game, the Skyhawks still clung to a 52-50 lead. A jumper by Woodfork extended the advantage to four, the largest Skyhawk lead of the game.

The Skyhawks were able to hit key free throws down the stretch to maintain their lead over the Golden Eagles.

Trailing 58-56 after Woodfork’s free throw in the final seconds, Tennessee Tech went down the floor to try to tie or win the game.

A three-point attempt by TSU’s Willie Jenkins failed to find its target, and UTM’s Will Lewis was fouled after grabbing the defensive rebound. Lewis made one of two free throws, and a desperation heave by Jenkins was no good.

“This is probably the biggest win we’ve had,” said senior Tyler George. “We struggled in the first half, but we turned it up and gave it our all in the second half.”

Coach Bret Campbell was proud of his team’s effort and glad the seniors could go out with a win in front of the home crowd.

“Our defense was certainly the turning point. We created a lot of easy baskets for ourselves in the second half. These three seniors are very good people. They have been through a tough season, and it was rewarding to see them get a victory on Senior Night.”

“We were fortunate to get in the bonus before they did, and we played aggressive defense. We’ve fought hard every night. Unfortunately, the ball has bounced in the other direction. The ball bounced our way down the stretch.”

A key factor in the Skyhawks’ huge comeback was their 61 percent performance from the floor in the second half.

The bench also contributed 23 points compared to Tech’s 13. The Golden Eagles shot 41 percent in the second half and 43 percent for the game. They out-rebounded the Skyhawks, 40-30.

UTM forced 15 Tech turnovers while committing only 11. They also held an edge at the free-throw line, making 14 free throws to the Golden Eagles’ 2.

The win improved UTM’s record to 5-18 overall and 2-10 in the OVC. Tennessee Tech’s record dropped to 13-10 overall, 8-4 in the OVC. The Skyhawks return to action Tuesday night when they travel to take on the Murray State Racers at the RSEC center in Murray, Ky. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.