PULASKI, Tenn. – UT Southern returned to the Curry Athletic Complex on Thursday night and battled wire-to-wire before falling 65–62 in a tense, back-and-forth matchup in SSAC play. The Firehawks led at halftime and controlled portions of both halves, but a late surge by William Carey overturned the momentum in the closing minutes.
The Firehawks came out sharp defensively, forcing an early turnover that set up Eric Robinson for the first bucket of the night. UT Southern continued to set the tone through Daniel Reyes and Antonio Cochran on the glass, with Cochran's early three giving the Firehawks their first lead at 5–2. De'Marreon Baldwin quickly established himself as the most dynamic first-half presence, attacking the lane repeatedly for three early layups and a free throw.
Midway through the half, UT Southern found its offensive rhythm. Cochran scored inside, JaMil Wilson converted a driving layup off a feed from Mike Bell, Jr., and Baldwin continued carving up the lane, helping the Firehawks push back ahead after a short scoring drought. Later, a three from Baldwin pushed the margin to double digits before halftime, and strong rebounding from Cochran and Wilson preserved the advantage. UT Southern entered the break up 37–33.
The Firehawks started the second half strong. Eric Robinson drilled a jumper to open the period, Reyes scored in transition, and Bell added a mid-range shot to extend the lead to 43–33 — UT Southern's largest of the night. Baldwin continued to produce in the paint, and Cochran fought for second-chance points with multiple tip-ins that kept the Firehawks in front.
However, UT Southern encountered a cold stretch around the 14-minute mark. A series of empty possessions allowed the visitors to chip away, and by the 11-minute mark the margin was down to one. Luke Lentz stepped up, knocking down a three and a jumper to restore a two-possession lead, then splashed another deep three with 7:42 left to push UT Southern ahead 53–48.
From that point, momentum swung. Turnovers and missed looks allowed the opposing side to score repeatedly in transition and at the rim. Despite resilient plays — including a Cochran tip-in with just over four minutes remaining and a series of defensive stops by Baldwin and Robinson — UT Southern struggled to convert late. A key opponent three with 15 seconds left extended the deficit, and UTS, forced to foul, could not climb back. Baldwin hit a three at the horn, but the Firehawks came up just short.
UT Southern was led by:
• De'Marreon Baldwin: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
• Antonio Cochran: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
• Luke Lentz: 8 points, all in the second half, including two crucial threes
UT Southern shot 41.5 percent from the field and outrebounded the visitors 35–30. The Firehawks tallied 40 points in the paint and received 14 points from the bench but were hurt by 17 turnovers and a scoreless second half at the free-throw line.
UT Southern (5–6, 1–2 SSAC) is back in action on Saturday, November 6, hosting Loyola at the Curry Athletic Complex. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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