BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – The University of Tennessee Southern men's basketball team closed out the 2024-25 regular season in style with an 82-72 win over Blue Mountain Christian on Saturday. UTS was in a must-win situation to hold their seeding in the SSAC West Division and seeding in the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship, which begins next Wednesday in Montgomery, Ala. UTS improved to 12-14 on the season and 9-8 in league play.
Four Firehawks marked the scorebook in double figures.
Zaiden Cross led all scorers with 24 points and five rebounds.
Vito Vujovic added 16 points with 15 rebounds.
Mark Vance added 12 points and six boards.
Mike Bell, Jr. pitched in 11 in the win.
The Firehawks and Toppers took turns with the lead in the opening eight minutes with neither team leading by more than six. After the first media timeout, UTS began to settle in and reeled off a 26-16 run to end the half., leading 44-35. UT Southern's run to the half was capped by a Bell, Jr. buzzer beater from 25 feet. The Firehawks shot 16-35 (46%) draining four triples along the way. Vance led all scorers at the half with 10 points.
In the final half, The Firehawks stretched out to an 11 point advantage in the early going. The home team, playing with house money, fought back to retake the lead by one with five minutes left. The pestilent UT Southern defense held the Toppers to three points down the stretch cementing a 82-72 win. UTS set the nets on fire in the second half, shooting 13-24 (54%) capped off by connecting on 11-14 charity shots. Cross was unstoppable in the half netting 15 of his points in the final 20.
BY THE NUMBERS
49.2 – UTS shot 29 of 59 for 49.2 percent, seven percent better than the Toppers.
5 – UTS connected on five trifectas, four of which were in the first half.
19 – UTS made 24 trips to the charity stripe, making 19. BMCU made 12 trips making seven.
37 – UT Southern pulled down 37 rebounds, three less than the Toppers.
44 – UTS scored 44 points in the paint, 10 more than BMCU.
11 – UTS forced 11 turnovers by BMCU, committing 12.
SSAC CHAMPIONSHIP
With today's win, UTS finished the season in fourth place in the SSAC West Division standings. Tennessee Southern ended the season 9-8. The Firehawks earned the fourth seed in the west division. The SSAC Championship will be held at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl beginning next Wednesday. The top five teams from each division advance to the Tournament.
Final Standings and Seeds
East
1.Dalton State – 15-3
2.Life – 14-4
3.Middle Georgia State – 13-5
4.Thomas – 9-9
5.Brewton-Parker – 3-15
6.Point – 3-15
7.Abraham Baldwin – 2-16
West
1.Mobile – 13-4
2.Faulkner – 11-6
3.William Carey – 10-7
4.Tennessee Southern – 9-8
5.Loyola – 8-9
6.Blue Mountain Christian – 4-13
NEXT UP
The Firehawks will travel to the "Gump", Montgomery, Ala., to play for an SSAC Championship beginning next week. UTS will meet Brewton-Parker on Wednesday, February 26, at 2:15 p.m.
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