NASHVILLE, Tenn. – UT Southern closed out the first half of the season with a poised and resilient performance Thursday night, earning a 72–67 road victory at Fisk by controlling the final minutes and making key plays on both ends of the floor. The Firehawks weathered multiple momentum swings, used timely scoring runs, and executed down the stretch to pull away late.
UT Southern established its physicality early, attacking the paint and crashing the glass from the opening tip. Antonio Cochran scored the Firehawks' first basket on a strong finish inside, then followed with a second-chance putback to give UTS an early spark. De'Marreon Baldwin added a pair of driving layups as UT Southern jumped out to a quick lead before Fisk answered with a run of its own.
The game settled into a back-and-forth rhythm midway through the first half. Eric Robinson came up with a steal that led to a transition bucket to keep the Firehawks in front. Daniel Reyes and Kiah Key provided energy inside, battling for rebounds and extending possessions, while Jack Harper ignited the offense with a flurry of three-pointers to stretch the defense. UT Southern went into halftime locked in a tight contest, with neither side able to separate.
Coming out of the break, UT Southern raised its defensive intensity. Baldwin opened the half with a strong drive, and Cochran followed with a jumper and a finish in traffic as the Firehawks put together a quick run to regain momentum. Harper stayed hot from the perimeter, knocking down deep shots to punish defensive rotations, and Cochran on a cut to the rim to restore a multi-point advantage.
The decisive stretch came midway through the second half. With the score tied, UT Southern strung together consecutive stops, then converted on the other end as Cochran scored on back-to-back possessions and Robinson added a driving finish to give the Firehawks breathing room. Fisk trimmed the margin again, but each time, UTS answered—this time with a Baldwin pull-up jumper and another Harper three to maintain control.
In the final minutes, UT Southern showed composure. Cochran scored inside with under three minutes remaining to push the lead to two possessions, completing a double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive glass. Harper later buried his seventh three-pointer of the night and finished as the game's leading scorer with 24 points. Baldwin followed with a tough basket in the lane.
UT Southern will return to action in the New Year, traveling to Crowley's Ridge on January 2 to open 2026 play.
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