UT Martin Routs Southern Indiana For Historic First OVC Win Under Shulman

Saturday, December 21

Evansville, Ind.

3:30 p.m.

UT Martin

5-8,1-1OVC

Southern Indiana

6-6,1-1OVC

UT Martin

Southern Ind.

UT Martin Routs Southern Indiana For Historic First OVC Win Under Shulman

12/21/2024 8:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The largest margin of victory in an Ohio Valley Conference contest in University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball history took place this afternoon at Southern Indiana as the Skyhawks dominated on both ends in a 77-46 triumph at Liberty Arena.

UT Martin scored the first 15 points of the contest and led by as many as 47 points with 13 minutes remaining, splashing 18 treys – the most in school history against a NCAA Division I opponent – in 38 attempts (47.4 percent). The Skyhawks allowed just 15 points in the first half and limited Southern Indiana to 4-for-28 (14.3 percent) from beyond the three-point arc. As a direct result, UT Martin's 31-point decision passed three previous victories (81-51 against Eastern Illinois on Jan. 29, 2015; 92-62 against Southeast Missouri on Feb. 20, 1997; 83-53 against Eastern Illinois on Feb. 13, 1997) for biggest OVC win in school history in terms of point margin.

"We've had such an unbelievably difficult schedule and been so close in so many games," Skyhawk head coach Jeremy Shulman said. "To get over the hump and have a first half like we did – these guys deserve it. We took care of the ball and executed on both ends – our guys were so locked in. I can't tell you how proud I am of this group after all of the heartbreaks we've had. To come back and show resiliency is hopefully a sign of things to come for us."

Tarence Guinyard paced UT Martin (5-8, 1-1 OVC) in scoring for the fifth consecutive contest, tossing in 26 of his game-high 28 points in the first half. He was 10-of-18 from the floor – including a career-best seven trifectas in 10 tries – while adding a career-high nine rebounds with three assists in 27 minutes. Josué Grullon was responsible for 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting (including 6-of-9 from three-point land) in 19 minutes off the bench to round out the Skyhawks' double-digit scorers.

Vladimer Salaridze (eight points, seven rebounds, career-high five assists) and Afan Trnka (five assists, game-best three steals) additionally performed well for UT Martin.

Gallery: (12-21-2024) MBB at Southern Indiana

The Screaming Eagles (6-6, 1-1 OVC) only placed Jayland Randall in scoring figures as he tallied 12 points with three steals. Southern Indiana shot 28.8 percent (19-for-66) during the game and did not convert its first 3-pointer of the day until the 17:09 mark of the second half.

Guinyard accounted for three triples and an old-fashioned three-point play in the first 4:28, helping the Skyhawks grab their 15-0 advantage. The Screaming Eagles began the game 0-for-6 from the field with four turnovers before getting on the scoreboard for the first time at the 13:16 mark.

An AJ Hopkins three-pointer with 9:13 to go in the opening half widened UT Martin's lead to 32-5. Guinyard added a dagger by scooping up a loose ball from 25 feet out and drilling a three-pointer right before time expired on the opening half, extending the Skyhawk lead to 52-15 at the break.

UT Martin was plus-39 points from three-point land in the first 20 minutes, shooting 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) compared to 0-for-12 for Southern Indiana.

Grullon drilled back-to-back three-pointers to extend the Skyhawk lead all the way out to 69-22 with 13:11 remaining. UT Martin kept a comfortable 40-point advantage until under six minutes to go before cruising to the finish line.

The Skyhawks will now take some time off during a break for the holidays, resuming play with its home OVC opener against Little Rock on Thursday, Jan. 2.