McKENZIE, Tenn. – The UT Southern men's basketball team opened play at the Chick-fil-A Classic in dominant fashion Friday night, defeating Tennessee Wesleyan 84–72 inside Crisp Arena. The Firehawks rode efficient shooting from deep and a strong first-half surge to earn their second win of the young season.
Tennessee Wesleyan jumped out to a quick 10–0 lead before UT Southern found its rhythm. Antonio Cochran sparked the comeback with a driving layup to get the Firehawks on the board. Khadir Muhammad followed with a score off a Daniel Reyes steal, and the Firehawks began to lock in defensively. A pair of threes from Luke Lentz and an Eric Robinson layup trimmed the deficit to one possession.
By the midway point of the first half, Cochran buried back-to-back triples to give UT Southern its first lead at 20–19. From there, the Firehawks exploded offensively — Lentz and Mike Bell, Jr. continued to connect from deep while De'Marreon Baldwin and Robinson pushed the tempo. UT Southern's defense forced seven first-half turnovers and turned them into 12 points, closing the period on a 21–5 run to lead 45–38 at halftime.
In the second half, Baldwin took over with physical drives to the rim, scoring 10 of his team-high 15 points after the break. Cochran added another three-pointer to extend the lead to double digits, and Lentz drilled his fourth triple of the night to make it 68–52. Reyes provided a steady interior presence, grabbing seven rebounds and hitting key free throws to hold off a late Tennessee Wesleyan push.
Lentz finished with 14 points and two assists, going 5-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Cochran also scored 15 points with four rebounds, while Baldwin tallied 15 points, three boards, and two steals. Bell Jr. added nine points, and Reyes posted seven points with seven rebounds and two steals. Robinson contributed eight points, three assists, and three rebounds, and Muhammad added seven points and three assists.
UT Southern shot an impressive 46.6% from the field, including 55.6% (10-of-18) from three-point range, and converted 80% of its free throws (20-of-25). The Firehawks outrebounded Tennessee Wesleyan 32–19 and built their largest lead of 22 points with just under five minutes remaining.
Team Stats by Half
| Team |
1st Half FG% |
2nd Half FG% |
1st Half Points |
2nd Half Points |
Final |
| Tennessee Wesleyan |
53.8% |
37.0% |
38 |
34 |
72 |
| UT Southern |
51.9% |
41.7% |
45 |
39 |
84 |
Final Stats
| Category |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
UT Southern |
| Field Goals |
25-56 (44.6%) |
27-58 (46.6%) |
| 3-Point FG |
10-26 (38.5%) |
10-18 (55.6%) |
| Free Throws |
12-22 (54.5%) |
20-25 (80.0%) |
| Rebounds |
19 |
32 |
| Assists |
9 |
11 |
| Turnovers |
13 |
15 |
| Points in Paint |
24 |
32 |
| Points off Turnovers |
19 |
16 |
UT Southern (2–1) will look to close out the Chick-fil-A Classic with another strong performance on Saturday, November 8, when the Firehawks face Southeastern Baptist College.
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