UT Martin
Eastern Illinois
UT MARTIN MEN'S HOOPS RETURNS HOME TO SQUARE OFF AGAINST OVC RIVAL EASTERN ILLINOIS ON ESPN3
2/14/2020 5:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – A rare split week for the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball team concludes with an Ohio Valley Conference tilt against the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Saturday, Feb. 15. Tipoff is set for approximately 4 p.m. (following the women's basketball game) at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
The Skyhawks (7-17, 3-10 OVC) are coming off a Thursday road game at Southeast Missouri, as UT Martin maintained control for a majority of the contest before falling late, 74-72. The Skyhawks didn't face their first deficit until 24 seconds left to play as the Redhawks wrapped up the game on a 10-2 run over the final 36 seconds. It marked the first loss for UT Martin this season when it led with five minutes remaining (was previously 5-0).
Quintin Dove paced the Skyhawks on Thursday, dialing up a game-high 24 points and a team-best six rebounds. The 6-8, 210-pound forward accounts for 21.0 points per contest in league play, ranking just 0.5 points per game behind Eastern Kentucky's Jomaru Brown for the scoring title.
UT Martin will look for revenge against an Eastern Illinois squad who claimed a 95-83 win over the Skyhawks in Charleston back on Jan. 23. Dove and Parker Stewart each provided game-highs of 27 points apiece while Miles Thomas chipped in 13 points for UT Martin.
Eastern Illinois (12-13, 5-8 OVC) has followed a four-game winning streak with losses in four of its last five outings. That includes a narrow 76-74 home setback to SIUE on Thursday despite big efforts from Mack Smith (game-high 25 points), Josiah Wallace (20 points) and Jordan Skipper-Brown (12 points, 10 rebounds).
The Panthers boast one of the league's best backcourt duos in Smith and Wallace. Smith owns the NCAA's second longest all-time streak in consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer (74) while Wallace has averaged 23.0 points on 55.9 percent shooting (33-of-59) in four career games against the Skyhawks.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 while Chris Brinkley (play-by-play) and Tom Britt (color) will handle radio broadcasting duties live on WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM. Those links - in addition to a link to live stats - are located above.
