Robert Covington scored 17 points to lead four Tennessee State players in double figures and the Tigers defeated Tennessee-Martin 83-67 on Thursday night.
Covington exceeded the 1,000 point mark for his career, he now has 1,009 career points.
Patrick Miller added 13 points, Wil Peters had 11 points and seven assists and Jordan Fredrick chipped in 10 points for Tennessee State (8-6).
It was the first win in an Ohio Valley Conference opener for the Tigers since they defeated Southeast Missouri 75-72 on Dec. 7, 2006.
Tennessee State shot 56.1 percent from the field (32 of 57) for its fifth straight win.
Mike Liabo scored 13 points to lead the Skyhawks (3-12, 0-2). Myles Taylor chipped in 12 points, Troy King 11 and Dane Smith 10 for UT-Martin, which has lost seven of its last eight.
