MONTGOMERY, Ala. – West No. 5 seed UT Southern saw its postseason run come to an end Thursday night, falling 99–86 to West No. 1 seed and nationally ranked No. 17 William Carey in the quarterfinals of the 2026 SSAC Men's Basketball Championship.
The Firehawks battled from the opening tip, but William Carey struck first with a three-pointer in transition. De'Marreon Baldwin answered quickly, attacking the paint for a layup at the 19:14 mark to cut the deficit to one. Antonio Cochran followed with a strong finish inside at 17:58 to keep UT Southern within a possession.
Midway through the first half, the Crusaders used perimeter shooting to build separation, stretching the margin to 20–8. UT Southern responded behind Eric Robinson, who buried a three-pointer at 15:43 to halt the run. Baldwin continued to pressure the rim, converting at the free-throw line and finishing in traffic to trim the deficit to single digits.
Mike Bell, Jr. provided a spark midway through the half, scoring on consecutive possessions in the paint and later knocking down a three-pointer at the 5:11 mark to pull UT Southern within seven at 31–38. Jack Harper added a pair of three-pointers in the closing minutes of the half, including one at 2:11 to cut the margin to nine. Daniel Reyes capped the half with a layup at the 0:30 mark, but the Firehawks trailed 52–44 at the break.
UT Southern opened the second half with energy. Baldwin soared for a fast-break dunk at 18:56 to ignite the Firehawks, and he followed with back-to-back layups to cut the deficit to six at 50–56. Cochran added a pair of strong finishes inside at 13:58 and 13:23, trimming the margin to five and forcing William Carey to regroup.
Every time UT Southern threatened, however, the top-seeded Crusaders responded with key baskets. Baldwin continued his aggressive play, scoring in transition at 6:50 to pull the Firehawks within 10, and Cochran knocked down a three-pointer at 5:15 to make it 74–82.
Luke Lentz provided a late lift off the bench, drilling a three at 0:44, while Bell, Jr. converted two free throws in the final seconds. Baldwin closed the night with a dunk at the buzzer, but the Firehawks were unable to overcome William Carey's second-half surge.
Baldwin led UT Southern with 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds and recording two steals. Cochran added 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for a double-double, knocking down three three-pointers. Bell, Jr. contributed 13 points and five rebounds, while Lentz scored 10 points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting. Reyes added six points and five boards, Harper finished with six points and four assists, and Robinson chipped in five points and four assists. JaMil Wilson added two points and three rebounds.
UT Southern concludes the 2025-26 season with a 14-16 record.
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