ST. CHARLES MO.- With the race for first place in the OVC heating up, Mekhi Cooper stayed calm and composed and sent the Hyland Arena into a frenzy on Thursday night.
The junior guard willed the Lions to a stunning 75-74 win over the Ohio Valley Conference leading UT Martin Skyhawks (19-7, 11-4 OVC) after banking in an off-balance runner in the lane with three seconds remaining.
Cooper stumbled into the lane, absorbed contact, spun free and lofted an off-balance runner that kissed off the backboard and dropped through the net. The Lions held their breath as UT Martin’s final heave clanged off the rim at the buzzer, sealing a stunning victory over the Skyhawks.
For Cooper the moment was his. He finished with seven points and a team-high seven rebounds, but none bigger than the final two.
Head coach Kyle Gerdeman spoke on Cooper’s development postgame saying, “It’s great to see him because he’s never stopped working. He’s in here every day working on his shot, trying to make it better. He wants to play better. To see him make shots like that is good for him.”
Gerdeman also highlighted his team’s all-around effort and the way they closed out their gutsiest, grittiest and arguably best of the season.
“I’m just so happy for our guys to pull this one off tonight,” Gerdeman said. “Coming down the stretch here in February with six games left, everybody knows where you’re at. First-place team on your home court. We didn’t feel like we played very well down there the last time. So just really happy for them to find a way in the second half and pull it out.”
Lindenwood (16-10, 10-5 OVC) placed three players in double figures, led by Jadis Jones with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Jones added five rebounds and three assists while providing steady leadership throughout.
“There’s not a lot of people that compete harder than him,” Head coach Kyle Gerdeman said of Jones. “Even in our worst moments, he’s vocal, he’s leading. He just never stops.”
Dontrez Williams stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and six steals. Milos Nenadic added 10 points and five rebounds, including two key interior baskets in the final minute.
“This should be a game where, if we really execute, we end up with six guys in double figures. We didn’t get to six, but we were close. That tells you the tale of two halves.” Geredeman said about the balanced offensive effort.
Anias Futrell, hampered by foul trouble, was limited to nine points and shot 1 for 5 from 3-point range. Clayton Jackson provided a spark off the bench with eight points in 26 minutes, including two 3-pointers in the first half.
“I thought Clayton was really good,” Gerdeman said. “He’s strong defensively, he can guard, he can get you a rebound when you need it. He did a great job of just being consistent.”
Lindenwood came out sharp, opening on a 15-5 run behind six early points from Jones and a 3-pointer from Jackson. Williams pushed the lead to 21-10 before UT Martin responded with an 11-0 run to tie the game at 21 with 10:38 remaining in the first half.
“There were a lot of runs. A lot of turnovers both ways. We survived that. In the first half, I didn’t think we handled those stretches very well. In the second half, I thought we did.” Geredeman said.
After Nenadic briefly restored the lead at 23-21, the Skyhawks answered with an 8-0 run and eventually built a 13-point advantage. UT Martin shot 66% in the first half and appeared in control.
But the Lions closed strong.
“We talked at halftime about execution. For us, sometimes that’s just having patience,” Gerdeman said, “Turning it side to side, using three or four ball screens, not getting quick with it. If we really execute what we’re trying to do, we’re hard to guard.”
Trailing 40-27 late, Lindenwood finished the half on a 10-2 run fueled by Jackson, Cooper and Wiliams. Jackson’s second 3-pointer just before the buzzer cut the deficit to 44-39 at halftime. Jones led Lindenwood with 12 first-half points, while Williams added 10.
“That finish was huge,” Gerdeman said. “If you go down 12 or 13, who knows where the game goes? To correct all that stuff late in the half was really positive.”
Lindenwood tightened defensively after the break, holding UT Martin to 37% shooting in the second half and outscoring the Skyhawks 36-30.
“I thought we got a little more solid defensively,” Gerdeman said. “We scored more, which allowed us to get into our press. They were bringing it across with 20 seconds instead of 26. Those six seconds make a big difference for a patient team like that.”
Jackson opened the second half with a layup to trim the deficit, and Futrell’s 3-pointer cut it to 49-48 with just over 16 minutes remaining. After the under-16 media timeout, Futrell and Jones combined for four quick points to give Lindenwood its first second-half lead at 54-53.
The Lions stretched the advantage to nine with 7:44 left as Nenadic, Williams and Jones scored inside during a 6-0 run.
UT Martin answered again, trimming the margin to 64-63 with just over six minutes to play and tying the game at 68 with 3:43 remaining. A 3-pointer with 2:30 left gave the Skyhawks their first lead of the half at 72-69 since the 11-minute mark.
Nenadic responded with a pair of baskets in the paint to cut the deficit to 74-73 with 52 seconds left. After a defensive stop and timeout, Cooper took the inbounds pass just inside half court, drove right and floated in the game-winner from just inside the free-throw line. UT Martin’s ensuing shot for the win was off line.
“I think the biggest thing we’ve talked about is you’ve got to be able to outwork people this time of year,” Gerdeman said. “You’ve got to figure out little things that put you over the top. We didn’t do that very well in the first half, but I thought we did in the second half. That ended up being the difference.”
Lindenwood finished with 50 points in the paint, 28 points off turnovers and 19 in transition.
“That’s kind of what our DNA is,” Gerdeman said. “When you look at those numbers, you’ve got to give the guys a lot of credit.”
The win leaves UT Martin and Tennessee State tied atop the OVC at 11-5, with four teams, including Lindenwood, one game back at 10-5 with five regular-season games remaining.
“You show up and don’t compete, you’re going to put yourself in a bad spot.” Gerdeman said, “You have a tough night offensively, it’s going to be hard. You don’t stay focused defensively, it’s going to be tough. But I like the position we’re in. I think our guys have earned it.”
Lindenwood remains home Saturday for Senior Day against rival Southeast Missouri at 3:30 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+.
